WhatsApp group with 532 members, 82,000 messages, millions in cash: Report exposes hawala network | Today’s news
A WhatsApp group with more than 500 members was used to arrange hundreds of millions of euros in cash transfers around the world, with some payments linked to organized crime, people-smuggling, drug-trafficking and Islamic State (IS) militants, according to a BBC investigation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
The 532-member group, called “Traders of Greater Europe,” allegedly contained more than 82,000 messages exchanged between February and December 2022. The messages were used to arrange cash transfers across borders, including payments involving British cities such as London and Birmingham, the BBC reported.
In one case, money sent from Brussels to Syria was linked to IS militants, according to a news media report. Belgian authorities reportedly said the payments were intended to help the wives of IS members escape from detention camps in Syria.
What is the “Traders of Greater Europe” group?
According to the BBC, the WhatsApp group was used by money brokers to arrange cash payments for clients around the world.
The group was reportedly discovered by Belgian investigating judge Vincent Guerra during a money laundering investigation. Guerra said the scale of the transactions was “staggering” and that the network spread across “the entire planet”.
The investigation initially focused on suspected terrorist financing, but eventually uncovered a much larger financial network.
The members allegedly communicated in Arabic to secure transactions using the hawala system, an informal way of transferring money through trusted brokers.
How does the hawala system work?
Hawala allows money to be transferred between countries without physically sending cash across borders.
For example, a customer may give money to a hawaladar, or broker, in one country. This broker contacts another hawaladar in the destination country who, after deducting the fee, provides the equivalent amount to the recipient.
Both brokers will settle their accounts later.
This means that there may be no conventional international wire transfer connecting the person who originally paid the money to the person who receives it.
Hawala is also used for legitimate purposes. For example, migrant workers can use these systems to send money to relatives in countries where access to formal banking services is limited.
Criminal networks can abuse the system because it can make it harder for authorities to trace financial transactions.
Why is hawala attractive to criminals?
Most international wire transfers use systems such as SWIFT, creating records that can be reviewed by financial institutions and investigators.
Banks also monitor transactions for unusual activity and are required to report certain suspicious transactions.
Hawala can operate outside of this conventional banking infrastructure.
The “Traders of Greater Europe” group was allegedly used for transactions over €5,000, with many payments significantly larger.
A Belgian investigation uncovered the network
The WhatsApp messages were obtained by the EBU following a Belgian trial in 2024 that resulted in the conviction of six money launderers.
Among those convicted were Abu Adam, described as the head of the Brussels network, and his deputy Abu Ahmed.
Belgian police found evidence that the network was sending money to individuals linked to IS.
When Abu Adam was arrested, investigators discovered a WhatsApp group “Merchants of Greater Europe” on his phone.
Guerra told the BBC that finding the messages was like “hitting the jackpot” because they revealed the workings of a large underground financial system.
Thousands of photos of banknotes and ID cards
Investigators also found, according to a news media report, around 6,000 photos of €5 banknotes, including their serial numbers, and around 6,000 photos of identity cards on Abu Adam’s phone.
According to Guerra, such details can be used as unique identifiers in hawala transactions.
The volume of material led him to estimate that Abu Adam processed at least 12,000 transactions.
“This is not just amateur work, it’s professional,” Guerra said, according to the BBC. “They are bankers without government oversight.
Links to organized crime
The BBC and other EBU broadcasters have found evidence that hawala networks have been used for criminal activity elsewhere in Europe.
The former money launderer identified by the BBC as “Frank” said he was previously involved in European hawala networks that processed transactions worth several hundred million euros.
He recalled seeing several messengers arrive at the office outside Rotterdam within about 90 minutes, carrying at least €1 million, he estimated.
Frank said he later discovered the networks were involved in activities including terrorist financing, drug trafficking and prostitution.
Hawala and people smuggling
The investigation also uncovered links between hawala and people-smuggling operations.
In Austria, the ORF television station, part of the EBU investigative network, reported on a hawala office that the police described as one of the largest in Vienna.
The operation was allegedly run from a kebab restaurant and was allegedly used to arrange payments related to people smuggling.
Two Syrian brothers who ran the business were accused of human trafficking as well as torturing and raping a courier who lost €350,000.
They were later convicted and sentenced to 18 years and eight years in prison.
Austrian police and Europol have also broken up a separate hawala-financed people-smuggling network.
Authorities said the network transported about 100,000 people to Europe in 18 months.
Gerald Tatzgern, who heads human trafficking investigations at Austria’s criminal intelligence service, told ORF that people smugglers sometimes used violence and torture to force victims’ families to send more money.
