2 days ago
WhatsApp Group Exposed Vast Hawala Network Tied to Crime
Investigators found a WhatsApp group where money brokers arranged cash payments between countries.
The group had 532 members and more than 82,000 messages.
The brokers used a system called hawala, in which trusted agents pay someone in another country and settle their accounts later.
This means money does not always travel through ordinary banks.
Hawala can help migrants send money to relatives when banking is difficult.
But criminals can also use it because transactions may be harder to trace.
Belgian investigators linked parts of this network to Islamic State-related payments and other crimes.
The investigation also found alleged connections to drug trafficking, organised crime and people smuggling.
A 532-member WhatsApp group reportedly coordinated cash transfers worth hundreds of millions of euros worldwide.
The “Traders of Greater Europe” group exchanged more than 82,000 messages between February and December 2022.
Belgian investigators linked some transfers to Islamic State militants, organised crime, drug trafficking and people smuggling.
The group was uncovered on the phone of Abu Adam, who Belgian authorities described as head of a Brussels money-laundering network.
Investigators said hawala can serve legitimate needs but may also conceal criminal payments outside conventional banking systems.
- Who
- Money brokers using the “Traders of Greater Europe” WhatsApp group, along with people allegedly involved in money laundering, organised crime and people smuggling.
- What
- A BBC and European Broadcasting Union investigation reported that the group arranged large international cash transfers through the hawala system.
- Where
- The reported network operated internationally, with transactions involving places including Brussels, London, Birmingham, Syria, Vienna and Rotterdam.
- When
- The group’s messages covered February through December 2022; the messages were obtained after a 2024 Belgian court case.
- Why
- Hawala was used to move money without conventional international bank transfers; investigators said this can make transactions harder to trace.
Legitimate Hawala Use
Criminal Exploitation
Purpose of the system
Legitimate Hawala Use
Hawala can help migrant workers send money to relatives in countries where formal banking access is limited.
Criminal Exploitation
Criminal networks can use hawala to arrange payments outside conventional banking systems, making them more difficult for authorities to trace.
Oversight and transparency
Legitimate Hawala Use
The system relies on trusted brokers who pay recipients locally and settle accounts later, without necessarily requiring a conventional international bank transfer.
Criminal Exploitation
Investigators described the brokers as operating without government oversight and linked parts of the network to money laundering, terrorism financing, drug trafficking and people smuggling.
Key facts
- Group name
- Traders of Greater Europe
- Group membership
- 532 members
- Message volume
- More than 82,000 messages exchanged between February and December 2022
- Transfer scale
- Hundreds of millions of euros in cash transfers were reportedly arranged
- Investigation source
- Messages were obtained by the European Broadcasting Union after a 2024 Belgian court case
- Evidence found
- Investigators found about 6,000 photographs of €5 notes and about 6,000 identity-card photographs
- Estimated transactions
- Belgian investigator Vincent Guerra estimated that Abu Adam processed at least 12,000 transactions
Quotes
Vincent Guerra
Belgian investigating magistrate who uncovered the WhatsApp group
“This isn't just amateur work; it's professional,”
livemint.com
“They're bankers with no government oversight.”
livemint.com
Sources
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