Alex Trelinski
AN EXTORTION call centre operating out of a Benissa villa has been raided by the police.
73 people have been arrested- 64 in Valencia- with seven in Benissa, and a further two in Tarrassa(Barcelona province) as authorities dismantled an extensive criminal operation.
22 properties were searched simultaneously by the Policia Nacional.
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The gang is estimated to have made €2 million by contacting users of a bogus dating website and running other phone scams.
It’s believed that over 2,000 victims were threatened with a visit by a hitman if they did not pay for accessing the portal.
The gang leader’s mother was used to launder the profits via bogus companies and hairdressers located in Valencia.
The crew also ran a mass con by making calls to people pretending to be their children who were in distress and who needed large cash transfers.
The Policia Nacional probe started after a man complained about being extorted to the tune of €6,000 by various hitmen.
After contacting a woman through the dating site, he started to get threats from a man who claimed to be in charge of the females.
He warned him that the boss was very angry because he had wasted the young women’s time and that they would come after him to settle an outstanding debt.
To give more credence to the threats, he sent him videos and photographs of violent assaults, including amputations, to get him to make the requested payments.
The criminal gang made threats on over 500 mobile phone ‘burner’ numbers.
They also employed a network of paid ‘mules’ who were paid €50 to open online bank accounts used for cash transfers by victims.
The Policia Nacional said the gang leader owned four properties which were also used to sell drugs.
Seven of the detainees were imprisoned, and approximately €250,000 was seized—€60,000 of which was in cryptocurrency—along with firearms and machetes, various narcotics, computer equipment, 90 mobile devices, six cars, and documentation related to the criminal activity.
Three homes valued at €270,000, 129 bank accounts, and more than 20 vehicles have been impounded.
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