A WhatsApp group with 532 members has provided investigators and journalists with an unusual look inside a sprawling underground money-transfer network that allegedly moved hundreds of millions of euros across borders.
The group, called “Traders of Greater Europe”, contained more than 82,000 messages exchanged between February and December 2022. According to an investigation by the BBC and European Broadcasting Union, the messages showed brokers arranging cash payments in several countries, including the UK.
The investigation also found alleged links between parts of the network and organised crime, drug trafficking, people smuggling and Islamic State-linked activity. Belgian authorities reportedly identified one transfer from Brussels to Syria that was linked to payments intended for the wives of Islamic State members held in detention camps.
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What Is Hawala and Why Does It Matter?
Hawala is an informal money-transfer system that works through trusted brokers rather than conventional international bank transfers.
In simple terms, a person gives money to a broker in one country. That broker contacts another broker in the destination country, who pays the equivalent amount to the recipient. The two brokers settle their own accounts later.
This means the original money does not necessarily travel across the border through a bank. There may also be no conventional international transfer directly connecting the sender and recipient. Hawala is not inherently criminal and is used legitimately in some parts of the world, including by people sending money to relatives where access to formal banking services is limited.
The problem arises when criminals exploit the same structure to move money outside conventional financial monitoring. Banks generally create transaction records and monitor unusual activity, while informal networks can operate outside those systems.
WhatsApp Became the Network’s Operating Room
According to the investigation, members of the 532-person group communicated in Arabic while arranging cash payments for clients around the world.
The messages reportedly included transactions worth more than €5,000, with many considerably larger. British cities including London and Birmingham appeared among the locations involved in the arrangements.
The group was discovered during a Belgian money-laundering investigation led by investigating magistrate Vincent Guerra. What initially appeared to be a case involving terror financing opened the door to a much larger underground financial network.
The messages were obtained by the EBU following a 2024 Belgian court case that resulted in six money launderers being convicted. Among them were individuals identified as Abu Adam, described as the head of the Brussels network, and his deputy Abu Ahmed.
Investigators reportedly found the WhatsApp group on Abu Adam’s phone after his arrest.
The phone contained more than just conversations. Investigators reportedly found around 6,000 photographs of €5 notes, including their serial numbers, and roughly 6,000 photographs of identity documents. Such information could allegedly be used by brokers to identify particular transactions and customers.
Based on the material recovered, Guerra estimated that Abu Adam had processed at least 12,000 transactions.
From Money Transfers to Organised Crime
The investigation found indications that informal financial networks were being used for more than ordinary remittances.
A former money launderer identified by the BBC as “Frank” said he had previously worked with European hawala networks handling several hundred million euros. He described seeing multiple couriers arrive at an office outside Rotterdam carrying at least €1 million in cash.
According to the investigation, the networks he encountered were connected to activities including terror financing, drug trafficking and prostitution.
The investigation also uncovered alleged connections between hawala operations and people-smuggling networks.
In Austria, investigators examined a hawala office reportedly operating from a kebab restaurant. Two Syrian brothers associated with the business were charged with human trafficking and other serious offences and were later convicted, receiving prison sentences of 18 years and eight years respectively.
A separate network investigated by Austrian authorities and Europol allegedly used hawala to finance people-smuggling operations. Authorities said that network had transported around 1 lakh people into Europe over an 18-month period.
The significance of the WhatsApp group is therefore not simply its size. It shows how an old informal financial mechanism can be combined with modern communication technology to coordinate transactions across countries quickly.
For investigators, the 82,000 messages offer something that underground cash networks normally try to avoid leaving behind: a digital record.
The case also demonstrates why financial crime investigations increasingly depend on phones, messaging applications and digital evidence alongside traditional bank records and cash seizures.
What this means for you: Hawala itself can have legitimate uses, but sending or receiving money through unverified informal channels can expose you to legal, fraud and money-laundering risks. For international transfers, use regulated banking or remittance services and keep records showing where the money came from and where it was sent.
