EBU investigation reveals hawala networks laundering hundreds of millions across Europe

An EBU investigation found criminal networks across Europe use hawala — informal money transfers with no banking trail — to launder hundreds of millions of euros tied to terrorism, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and prostitution. A former launderer told the EBU he handled transactions worth several hundred million euros. One Europol-backed case dismantled a hawala-financed ring moving roughly 100,000 people into Europe in 18 months.