50 Kilos of Cocaine and €8 Million Seized in Money-Laundering Network Busted Across France, Belgium and Mauritania

French police dismantled a money-laundering network linked to drug trafficking operating between France, Belgium and Mauritania, following a joint investigation that led to 15 arrests and the seizure of drugs, cash and assets worth millions of euros. Authorities said the operation began in early June and involved coordinated raids in France and Brussels.

According to the French national police, 50 kilograms of cocaine and about 8 million euros in assets were seized. The haul also included 500,000 euros in cash and additional narcotics recovered during searches carried out on June 5 and 6 at locations including Massy in Essonne, L’Haÿ-les-Roses and Alfortville in Val-de-Marne, as well as in Brussels.

Investigators said the network was built around cash collection services used to move drug money out of France and into a wider laundering system. Since 2019, declarations of capital entering French territory made by 14 Mauritanian nationals have totaled at least 7.5 million euros, a figure authorities said could rise as the investigation continues. Over an eight-month period, the amount collected through the network is estimated at 24 million euros.

The case was led by several French agencies, including the anti-narcotics office Ofast, the central office for tackling serious financial crime OCRGDF, the BRI, and customs fraud investigators from Onaf, alongside the Belgian federal judicial police in Brussels. Belgian investigators identified a vehicle buying and resale company based in Brussels as the alleged destination of the funds, with multiple shell garages used as cover. Nearly 7.9 million euros was seized from the company’s bank accounts, largely reflecting cash deposits.

French police said two collectors admitted their involvement. They were brought before a Paris judge on Tuesday and later placed under formal investigation and remanded in custody. In Belgium, five suspects were charged. Four were released under bail conditions, while an arrest warrant was issued for the fifth. A separate arrest warrant was also expected for an alleged organizer believed to be in Mauritania.

Authorities described the case as a major transnational operation combining narcotics trafficking and financial laundering across three countries. The investigation remains ongoing, with officials indicating that the total amount of seized and traced assets may increase as further evidence is examined.