A notary is arrested for drug money laundering in the Canary Islands

The National Police have made 14 arrests, and another five are being investigated judicially after they dismantled a criminal organisation that has been laundering money made from drug trafficking in Tenerife Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. All are aged between 30 and 65 years old and most already have criminal records for money laundering, falsifying documents, and extortion.

Among the detainees, there is a notary who, with the collaboration of one of his staff, allegedly falsified the data when notarizing real estate transactions. So far, the value of the assets seized by investigators exceeds two million euros.

The investigation, carried out by the Drugs and Organized Crime Unit (UDYCO) and the Economic and Fiscal Crimes Unit (UDEF), of the Canary Islands, began in 2019. As a result of the police investigations that lasted more than three years, it has been possible to determine how the illicit monetary flows were laundered through real estate investments and developments through several ‘front’ companies.

The most notable activity of the group was the acquisition of real estate, all of them titled by figureheads, in addition to multiple cash deposits in various bank accounts, made in installments to avoid financial and tax authorities.