The investigation, coordinated by the National Police Station of Marítimo, began in February 2026. The operation was launched after a Local Police patrol intercepted a vehicle carrying a significant amount of cash hidden in the armrest.
The criminal group operated using the method known as the child in distress. The perpetrators contacted victims through messaging applications, posing as their children to request urgent transfers under various pretexts. To complicate the tracking of the money, they used intermediaries, known as mules, who deposited the funds into bank accounts and subsequently laundered them in gambling halls and bingo parlors.
The final phase of the operation, which had the collaboration of the Provincial Judicial Police Brigade of Valencia, culminated in several house searches. Officers have seized 15,050 euros in cash, various high-end mobile phones, and SIM cards. The seven detainees have been brought before the judicial authorities.
