Montenegrin high-value target, wanted across Europe and allegedly running the criminal organisation, was arrested in France.
An international criminal network laundering cocaine profits for Italian organised crime has been dismantled after investigators followed the money trail across Europe.
What began as suspicious financial movements uncovered a sophisticated laundering system servicing members of the Camorra and the ‘Ndrangheta. Behind shell companies, false invoicing and luxury investments, millions of euros in cocaine profits were being cleaned and reinvested across Europe.
The investigation was led by the French National Gendarmerie, in close cooperation with the Italian Carabinieri and the Swiss Federal Office of Police (fedpol). It was supported by the Belgian Judicial Federal Police of Antwerp, the Bulgarian State Agency for National Security, the German Customs and the Ecuadorian National Police, under the coordination of Europol and Eurojust.
Following the financial flows, investigators identified a Montenegrin national, known as a Europol high-value target and wanted by several European countries. The suspect had settled in the Cannes area in France with close family members, including his Italian son-in-law, who is known to Italian authorities for money laundering, fraud, and weapons offences.
Laundering hub linked to global cocaine pipeline
The financial investigation revealed that the laundering network was directly connected to large-scale cocaine trafficking from South America into Europe.
The group is suspected of coordinating maritime shipments of significant quantities of cocaine into Europe’s main ports. A major seizure by Belgian customs in late 2025 was linked to the Montenegrin suspect, providing a decisive breakthrough.
Investigators uncovered a highly structured organisation. The network relied on substantial financial capacity, crypto-assets, weekly cross-border travel in luxury vehicles with sophisticated concealment compartments and a corporate network spanning multiple jurisdictions.
Coordinated action across four countries
On 23 February, authorities carried out coordinated arrests and searches in France, Italy, Belgium and Switzerland. Seven suspects were arrested (four in France, three in Italy), including the Montenegrin high-value target.
On the French Riviera, luxury vehicles were seized, alongside high-end properties worth more than EUR 5 million. Additional companies and assets were seized in Switzerland and Italy.
International coordination
Europol has supported this investigation since 2023 and it quickly became one of the Agency’s most active operations within its European Financial and Economic Crime Centre.
The case received the full range of Europol services: advanced criminal and financial analysis, secure real-time communication and deployments in the field in France and Italy to support the national investigators and build a shared operational picture.
In 2024, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was established at Eurojust between France, Italy and Switzerland, enabling close judicial coordination. Through Europol, additional partners – Belgium, Germany and Ecuador – joined the investigation, expanding its impact.
The @ON Network, funded by the European Commission and led by the Italian Antimafia Investigation Directorate (DIA), financially supported the operational meetings and the deployment of investigators.
List of participating authorities:
- Belgium: Judicial Federal Police of Antwerp
- Bulgaria: State Agency for National Security
- Ecuador: National Police
- France: JIRS Marseille (Interregional specialised Jurisdiction); National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale – SR Marseille)
- Germany: Customs (Zollfahndungsamt Hamburg)
- Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office Naples; Carabinieri (Gruppo Carabinieri Nucleo Investigativo Torre Annunziata); Customs (Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli)
- Switzerland: Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG); Federal Office of Police (fedpol); The Federal Customs and Border Security Office (FOCBS)
The European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) tackles the most important threats posed by organised and serious international crime affecting the EU. EMPACT strengthens intelligence, strategic and operational cooperation between national authorities, EU institutions and bodies, and international partners. EMPACT runs in four-year cycles focusing on common EU crime priorities.
