Man caught prospecting front for illegal activity

DubaiL: A Dutch suspect was arrested recently in Dubai for his involvement in a money laundering operation in several countries.

Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Deputy Chief of Dubai Police, said in an exclusive interview with Gulf News that the Dutch suspect was arrested upon a request from Interpol.

M.J.H. is suspected to be part of a European gang that was also actively into drug trafficking, supplying narcotics from South America in many European countries and South Africa.

Twelve others involved in the money laundering racket were arrested simultaneously from different locations and countries, six of them in Belgium and two each in the Netherlands, Hungary, and South Africa.

The Dutch suspect was arrested on Sunday and, upon completing mandatory procedures, will be sent to the Netherlands to be tried by Dutch authorities, said Major General Al Mazeina.

The suspect was looking to open a commercial company in one of the free zones in the UAE in a bid to lend legitimacy to his ill-gotten wealth.

Around 14 tonnes of hashish and over 500 kg of other drugs had been confiscated in Finland but no part of the contraband had been detained in Dubai, said Major General Al Mazeina.

According to him, some of the arrested suspects were involved in the money laundering operation had prior criminal records including murders, drug trafficking and smuggling operations.

The organised gang was busted in cooperation with authorities in different countries and is considered among the biggest money laundering operations brought to book this year.

Last month, a massive money laundering operation worth $28 billion (Dh102.8 billion) was busted with the help of Dubai Police.

The operation, also involving money from drug trafficking operations, was active in at least 13 countries, said Younus Yousuf Al Mua'alem, a financial and banking fraud expert and head of the Combating Money Laundering and Financial Crimes Department of Dubai Police.