Police dismantle major money laundering ring

Police dismantled a major network that helped businesses with double accounting in Chisinau and Balti launder money by smuggling it to Ukraine and other countries and transferring it to offshore banks, Info-Prim Neo reports. Ion Bodrug, deputy department head at the Ministry of the Interior, told a news conference on Monday that the police identified six members of the network, including one member that operated in Ukraine and who was the final link in the money laundering scheme. Earlier this month, the police arrested two members of the network as they were trying to cross the border with over 15 million Russian rubles, or approximately $500,000. Subsequent searches netted further large amounts of money, both legally and illegally possessed firearms and munition, and records of the illegal transactions. According to the police, the proceeds from the illegal business were huge, enabling the network members to buy expensive cars and luxury houses.