Police raid network linked to Hells Angels in four European countries

A massive police operation, involving more than 1,000 officers, targeted an international money-laundering network and the Hells Angels biker gang across Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, and the Netherlands on Wednesday. The coordinated raids, spearheaded by prosecutors in Duisburg and the financial crime authority of North Rhine-Westphalia, resulted in 14 arrest warrants being executed, with authorities seeking to seize assets valued at €48.6 million ($55.1 million).

The investigation, which has been ongoing for over four years, began following a shooting incident in Duisburg in May 2022 between bikers and members of a Turkish-Lebanese extended family. Over 100 properties were being searched, with 71 people under investigation, according to police. Suspects include individuals responsible for a money-laundering network operating across Europe and senior members of the Hells Angels, who are suspected of offenses such as forming a criminal organization, extortion, organized fraud, money laundering, weapons offenses, assault, and tax evasion.

Moreover, a police officer and two municipal employees from Duisburg are under scrutiny for allegedly passing on information obtained in the course of their official duties to third parties. One municipal employee is also being investigated for corruption, suspected of accepting cash payments in exchange for granting advantages. The investigation has led to the questioning of a police officer and two municipal employees from the western German city of Duisburg.