Belgium freezes €8 million, France arrests 17 in joint drug‑money laundering crackdown

Belgian authorities seized more than eight million euros, three luxury cars and high‑end watches in a large‑scale money‑laundering operation targeting proceeds from French drug trafficking. The Federal Judicial Police carried out the June 6 raid, placing one suspect under arrest warrant and charging three others, after coordinated investigations with French judicial bodies and Eurojust.

In Marseille, French prosecutors announced the arrest of 17 members of a drug‑trafficking network that generated €5‑6 million per month. The operation, concluded on June 8, dismantled the syndicate’s financial structure, including shell companies and gold‑laundering channels, and highlighted cross‑border links with Italian and Middle‑Eastern groups. A prosecutor emphasized that “this isn’t just about seizing drugs or arresting low‑level dealers. We’re targeting the ledgers—the invoices, the shell companies, the gold vaults.”