In brief
Investigators uncovered a massive WhatsApp network, ‘Traders of Greater Europe’, that laundered €512 million via the hawala system, bypassing banks and money‑laundering checks. The chat, featuring 82,000 messages, facilitated cash transfers across Europe, even funding ISIS militants in Syria. The network's operations spread beyond terrorism to people smuggling and drug trafficking, exposing how easily illicit funds move undetected. Lawmakers urge tighter control of hawala, especially in the EU.
In a shocking viral WhatsApp group, “Traders of Greater Europe”, investigators found a dark money stream. The 532‑member chat was used to move millions of euros between municipalities across Europe, topping the 5,000‑euro threshold on each transaction.
The network used the ancient hawala system – a trust‑based, paper‑free method that bypasses banks. Criminals could send cash from Brussels to militants in Syria without a digital trail.
Captured by the European Broadcasting Union, over 82,000 messages from late February to December 2022 show requests for London, Birmingham, and even Dortmund. The chat’s founder, in a 2024 Belgian court case, admitted handling 12,000 transactions involving €5 notes that were photographed.
The EBU also uncovered dozens of similar hawala rings across Europe: a kebab‑restaurant hawala office in Vienna used to pay smugglers, an Austrian operation that smuggled 100,000 people in 18 months, and connections to drug trafficking.
While hawala is legal in the UK when registered, it remains illegal throughout the EU – yet its loopholes still fuel organised crime.
Why it matters:
- Cash laundering hides the money trail, enabling extremist funding.
- Criminals exploit hawala to avoid bank surveillance.
- Policymakers must rethink regulation in a digital‑cash world.
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