White Whale is the codename given by Interpol and EUROPOL for the international money laundering operation near Costa del Sol, Kingdom of Spain.
What began in September 2003, concluded with a massive crackdown in March 2005 near the coast of Marbella, Spain. Authorities estimate over €250 million has been recovered, and among the seized items are: 42 luxury cars, a yacht, 2 planes, paintings, and other luxury items. Spanish, French, Finnish, Russian and Ukrainian nationals were among the 41 apprehended.
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In 2006 the investigation spread, to consider allegations of bribery in the Marbella council. Specifically, it appears that developers were being asked to pay for planning permission, and that permission was granted outside the remit of the local plan (e.g. residential development on non residentially zoned land). Mayor Marisol Yague, planning supremo Juan Antonio Roca, and others were arrested, including almost two thirds of councillors. Heads of construction companies and real estate agencies were also arrested.
The scale of the corruption alleged has necessitated handing over control of Marbella ayuntamiento (municipality) to a caretaker administration appointed by the Junta de Andalucia until local elections take place in 2007.
The 'Ndrangheta is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate based in the region of Calabria, dating back to the late 18th century.
The Camorra is an Italian Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 17th century. Unlike the pyramidal structure of the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra's organizational structure is divided into individual groups also called "clans". Every capo or "boss", is the head of a clan, in which there may be tens or hundreds of affiliates, depending on the clan's power and structure. Consequently, as Camorra clans act independently, they are more prone to feuding among themselves. The Camorra's main businesses are drug trafficking, racketeering, counterfeiting and money laundering. It is also not unusual for Camorra clans to infiltrate the politics of their respective areas.
The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of Málaga.
Russian organized crime or Russian mafia, otherwise known as Bratva, is a collective of various organized crime elements originating in the former Soviet Union. The acronym OPG is Organized Criminal Group, used to refer to any of the Russian mafia groups, sometimes modified with a specific name, e.g. Orekhovskaya OPG. Sometimes the initialism is translated and OCG is used.
Marbella is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the region; it is also the head of the judicial district that bears its name.
Gerry Hutch is an Irish criminal. He was the prime suspect for two of the biggest armed robberies in Irish history. Known for leading a "disciplined, ascetic lifestyle" since leaving prison in 1985, he was christened "The Monk" by Veronica Guerin, an investigative journalist who was assassinated in 1996.
Walter Douglas is an alleged Scottish drug trafficker and organised crime figure, dubbed the Tartan Pimpernel by the press, who is reportedly one of the richest in the United Kingdom with an estimated worth of £20 million. He was allegedly wanted in at least three countries on drug trafficking and gun running charges as of 2003, and Douglas was reported to have had ties to numerous international criminal organisations in Europe and North America as the head of the Delta crime syndicate. But in fact nothing has ever been proved against Douglas. In October 2013 there were no longer any warrants out against him and he staunchly maintained his innocence to a British journalist
The Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was a robbery of $17.3 million in cash from the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis, Fargo & Co. on the evening of October 4, 1997. The robbery was committed by Loomis vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt, his married girlfriend Kelly Campbell, Steven Eugene Chambers, his wife Michelle Chambers, Michael Gobbies, and four other co-conspirators. An FBI criminal investigation ultimately resulted in the arrest and conviction of eight people directly involved in the heist, as well as sixteen others who had indirectly helped them, and the recovery of approximately 88% of the stolen money.
Operation Malaya is a Spanish anti-corruption campaign in the southern resort city of Marbella. It began in 2006 and it is being carried out by the Policía Nacional under the direction of Judge Miguel Ángel Torres. The operation, now in its third phase, has the objective of exposing a network involved in concealing numerous illicit activities, carried out by members of the Marbella City Council, businessmen, and prominent lawyers, among others. More than €2.4 billion has been seized so far.
Organized crime in Nigeria includes activities by fraudsters, bandits in northern Nigeria, drug traffickers and racketeers, which have spread across Western Africa. Nigerian criminal gangs rose to prominence in the 1980s, owing much to the globalization of the world's economies and the high level of lawlessness and corruption in the country.
Crime rates in Portugal are generally low, and most crimes are non-violent.
The 14K (十四K) is a triad group based in Hong Kong but active internationally. It is the second largest triad group in the world with around 20,000 members split into thirty subgroups. They are the main rival of the Sun Yee On, which is the largest triad.
The Abergil crime family is a crime organization based in Israel, and located around the world, founded by Ya'akov Abergil. The group was headed by Ya'akov Abergil until his death in 2002, and is now run under the auspices of Itzhak (Itzik) Abergil, and his brothers Meir Abergil and Avraham (Ibi) Abergil. Its illicit activities include drug trafficking, both in Israel and the US, murder, extortion, embezzlement, money laundering, the control of illegal casinos and other crimes. Considered one of the six major organized-crime cells in Israel, and one of the world's top 40 biggest drug importers to the United States, the Abergils have been arrested and detained multiple times worldwide.
In 2013, the number of crime cases reported by the Ministry of Justice was 22,113, a 102% increase over 2012.
The Israeli mafia are the organized crime groups operating in Israel or consisting of Israeli members. There are 16 crime families operating in Israel, five major groups active on the national level, and 11 smaller organizations. There are six Maghrebi Jewish crime families active and three Arab crime families. Many heads and members of the crime groups have either been killed or are in prison.
The Bling Ring were a group of convicted thieves consisting of seven teenagers and young adults based in and around Calabasas, California. They broke into the homes of several celebrities over a period believed to have been between October 2008 through August 2009. Their activities resulted in the theft of about $3 million in cash and belongings. Much of the stolen property belonged to Paris Hilton, whose house was broken into several times; though over fifty homes were reportedly targeted.
La Oficina de Envigado is a drug cartel and criminal organization originally founded as an enforcement and collections arm of Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel. Despite being noted for its historical affiliation with drug trafficking and other organized crime activities, Oficina de Envigado's criminal activities were no longer centered on direct involvement in such activity by 2019 and are now mainly focused on providing services to lower level drug traffickers and mafia groups. It operates throughout Colombia, but mainly in the cities of Medellín and Envigado. It also controlled extortion, gambling, and money laundering businesses within the Valle de Aburrá that surrounds Medellín. It positioned itself as the chief mediator and debt collector in drug trafficking disputes and maintained major connections with the paracos and guerillas.
Liberty Reserve was a Costa Rica-based centralized digital currency service that billed itself as the "oldest, safest and most popular payment processor, serving millions all around a world". The site had over one million users when it was shut down by the United States government. Prosecutors argued that due to lax security, alleged criminal activity largely went undetected, which ultimately led to them seizing the service.
Radovan Krejčíř is a Czech former organized crime boss and convicted criminal who is serving a prison term in South Africa and is being sought for extradition by the Czech government. He has been sentenced to 15.5 years in the Czech Republic and 35 years in South Africa.
Naoufal Fassih - also known as Buik is a Dutch criminal of Moroccan origins. He has been at the centre of a longrunning feud between two Dutch crime gangs.
