Dutchman laundered money using bitcoin ATMs

The Dutch Public Prosecutor’s Office (FIOD) has arrested a 42-year-old man accused of money laundering with the help of cryptocurrencies. Law enforcement officials claim that the offender used the darknet for this purpose.

Police in the municipality of Midden-Groningen launched an investigation after the man used bitcoin ATMs several times. The fraudster had been trading large volumes of bitcoins through cryptocurrency exchanges for a long time. According to the police, the offender owned a much larger amount of bitcoins than he could have purchased with his current income. However, law enforcement decided not to specify how much of the flagship cryptocurrency was on the man’s account. The fraudster’s house was searched and a computer, other digital equipment, and cash were seized.

Dutch law enforcement emphasizes that bitcoin trading in the country is still unregulated, so it is an attractive way for criminals to launder money. However, the investigation showed that the darknet does not guarantee fraudsters anonymity, so FIOD can also conduct investigations in the illegal part of the Internet. The fight against money laundering has become a priority for the Dutch government, as it is essential to effectively combat all types of serious crimes where cryptocurrencies can be used.

In early November, Queen Maxima Zorregieta Cerruti of the Netherlands expressed support for the European Parliament’s development of the digital euro, which is now in its final stages. Earlier, Alexander Pertsev, the developer of the notorious cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash, which has been associated with many scandals, was detained in the capital of the Netherlands.