The Guardia Civil, in a joint operation with the German Polizei and the Italian Direzione Investigativa Antimafia, has arrested two people accused of defrauding 4,200 German citizens of 146 million euros through a consumer cooperative, and has carried out six searches in the town of Capdepera.
The operation, known as ‘Kruguer’, has been coordinated by Europol and has resulted in the arrest in Germany of the main perpetrator of the fraud, where 19 searches were carried out, while six more were carried out in the Balearics and one more in Poland.
In the homes and offices inspected in the Balearics, under the direction of the Prosecutor’s Office for International Judicial Cooperation of the Balearics, the police seized numerous documents related to the fraud under investigation.
They also seized a handgun, digital storage devices, jewellery and watches of great economic value in a home.
Through a consumer cooperative, the suspects orchestrated a fraudulent scheme that promised its members a lucrative interest rate for the shares purchased.
In addition, it offered its members advantages in their daily lives through cooperation with business partners.
The investigation was initiated on the basis of a European investigation warrant for embezzlement, investment fraud and money laundering.
It was discovered how members’ money was transferred to companies of dubious liquidity and a network of Spanish companies linked to the defendants.