WhatsApp group used to move millions for organized crime and extremism

An investigation by the European Broadcasting Union has revealed that a WhatsApp group named ‘Traders of Greater Europe’ was used to facilitate the movement of hundreds of millions of euros for organized crime and extremism. The group, which consisted of 532 members, utilized the ancient hawala system to arrange cross-border cash payments without leaving a digital or paper trail.

Belgian investigating magistrate Vincent Guerra discovered the chat during a terrorism financing probe. He described the scale of the activity as ‘staggering,’ noting that the network reached ‘the entire planet.’ While the investigation began with terror financing, it uncovered a vast network of transactions used for drug trafficking and people smuggling.

Specific transactions included transfers to Birmingham and London in the UK, as well as payments sent from Brussels to Islamic State militants in Syria. The group exchanged over 82,000 messages, many in Arabic, between February and December 2022, to coordinate payments through trusted brokers known as hawaladars.