Luxury cars and expensive watches Major raid in 4 cantons - police seize 13 million francs
In a large-scale police operation in several cantons, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and Fedpol have seized assets worth millions. The investigations focus on suspected organized money laundering in connection with drug money.
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- The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and Fedpol have seized assets worth over 13 million francs.
- Among other things, investigators found CHF 1.3 million in cash, luxury watches and expensive vehicles.
- The authorities suspect money laundering in connection with drug trafficking.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and the Federal Office of Police confiscated extensive assets during house searches in several cantons at the beginning of May. According to the authorities, the total value of the seized items and blocked properties amounts to more than CHF 13 million.
One person was arrested as part of the operation and is now in custody. Another accused person is already serving a prison sentence abroad for drug offenses and participation in a criminal organization.
The investigations are based on a criminal complaint filed by Fedpol. The investigation centers on the suspicion that the accused laundered at least CHF 8.1 million from suspected drug trafficking and smuggled it into the Swiss financial system.
According to the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, large sums of cash are said to have been paid into the accounts of various financial intermediaries. The suspects also bought pieces of jewelry and precious stones, sold them on and had the proceeds paid back into accounts.
Several safes seized
Some of the allegedly illegal money is also said to have been invested in luxury real estate and vehicles.
According to the authorities, investigators discovered several safes during the searches. These included a bag containing around 1.3 million francs in cash as well as jewelry and luxury watches worth more than one million francs.
The authorities also seized five luxury vehicles with a total value of around 1.2 million francs. Several properties worth CHF 9.6 million were frozen in the land register.
At the same time, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and Fedpol filed a report with a cantonal authority on suspicion of fraudulently obtained residence permits.
The presumption of innocence applies to all suspects until a final verdict is reached.