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Voxpress:

"The biggest launderer of drug money", the trial in the Netherlands for Thanas Bako starts today

2024-08-22 11:59:43Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
"The biggest launderer of drug money", the trial in the Netherlands
Thanas Bako

The trial for the 53-year-old from Saranda, Thanas Bako, starts today in the Netherlands.

Bako was arrested on May 31, 2023 in Athens, after an operation by the Greek police and Europol, as a suspect in the movement and cleaning in the Netherlands of about 500 million euros of international drug traffickers, while he continues to be isolated in a prison in the Netherlands after extradition from Greece. Considered by Europol to be "a known money launderer who laundered the dirty money of the world's biggest criminals", he was arrested following an FBI investigation following the discovery of his communications on the "ANOM" application where he was acting on behalf of traffickers in Dubai and the Netherlands to transfer millions of euros from one country to another.

The investigation into the Thanas Bakos group is the largest to date. "He is seen as a key figure in a European banking network," says Peter Huttenhuis, the national prosecutor for criminal money.

Bako is said to have managed money couriers in the Netherlands from Athens. These couriers worked as laborers, painters or window cleaners, usually with clean criminal records to avoid being noticed as much as possible. For a hefty fee, they used their vans to transport money to and from criminal clients.

The police saw how the couriers received or sent bags full of money. Sometimes it was several thousand euros, sometimes millions. According to the Public Prosecution, under the direction of Thanas Bako, a total of over 246 million euros were collected and nearly 248 million euros were paid.

To prove that money has actually been transferred, 'tokens' are used. This can be, for example, a 5 euro banknote with a certain serial number. Only the person in possession of that specific note can collect or deliver the money.

According to the Prosecution, the underground bank of Thanas Bako had two "offices". These were warehouses in Wateringen and Nieuw-Vennep where the money was counted and hidden.

According to the Public Prosecution, the intercepted messages show that Bako kept a record of how much he entered and how much he left. He talked to his contacts about the money that needed to be "gathered" (collected) and "kicked" (delivered).

That bank robberies also happen in that world became clear when armed men raided the office in Wateringen. To no avail, however, because the robbers could not find the well-hidden money.

The Dutch part of the group was already in court this spring. A man who controlled money couriers was jailed for almost 7 years. The couriers themselves received from 1 to 4 years in prison.

By hunting underground banks, the Public Prosecution is trying to undermine trust in this system. It's hard to gauge how well this works, but the justice department thinks it makes sense. "We see reports showing that commissions charged by money brokers and bankers are on the rise," says prosecutor Huttenhuis. "We also see reports that it is becoming more difficult to move large sums of money. From this we can conclude that the approach has an effect.”


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