In a coordinated police operation carried out in Sweden and Spain, police dismantled a violent criminal network that was running large-scale illegal gambling operations and laundering significant criminal proceeds, both for its own benefit and for other criminal actors, according to Europol, the EU law enforcement agency that coordinated the action.

The network operated in the Stockholm area and was also linked to drug trafficking in the Nordic region.

The joint operation took place between 28 and 29 November in several locations in Sweden and Spain. Close to 150 police officers participated in the operation, searching six properties in the Swedish capital and two in the Spanish city of Murcia. Five suspected criminals were arrested, three in Sweden and two in Spain.

Europol 

Police seized goods valued at several hundred thousand euros, including luxury watches and cash. During the search of a property in Sweden believed to have been functioning as an illegal gambling club, authorities also seized drugs prepared for resale and found signs of possible human trafficking.

The criminal network was known for its use of violence and intimidation, which allowed it to secure revenues, enforce debts, and control sections of the illegal gambling market in the Stockholm area, Europol said in a statement.

The investigation revealed a diversified criminal business model combining illegal gambling–with an estimated annual turnover of €20 million (£17.51m)–and money-laundering services for the network and other criminal groups, and drug trafficking, which strengthened the group’s influence in local and regional markets.

Intelligence

Europol emphasised that its international intelligence coordination was key in building the operation with police forces in both European countries.

“These latest actions are part of a broader, multi-disciplinary strategy aimed at systematically dismantling networks that harm local communities while relying on international criminal connections,” the Hague-based agency said in a statement.

“Europol plays a central role in this approach by linking international intelligence with local police action.

“By connecting national authorities across borders, [we] ensure that information collected in one jurisdiction can be translated into operational impact in another – even on the streets of Stockholm,” the agency noted.