Sharjah Police have dismantled four international criminal networks linked to a major money-laundering case involving about AED 8.8 billion. The networks are accused of crimes including cryptocurrency theft, data hacking, online fraud and violent attacks on digital wallet owners.

The operation, codenamed “End of Battle”, led to the seizure of more than AED 200 million in cash and assets and the referral of 33 individual and corporate defendants to the Sharjah Criminal Court. Authorities said the defendants included six companies and individuals of 12 different nationalities.

Details of the case were announced on Thursday, October 15, at a press conference at Sharjah Media City, known as Shams. Sharjah Police described it as the largest criminal case in the force’s history and one of the world’s most complex investigations into transnational organised crime.

Lieutenant General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, said the operation had protected more than 30 companies and institutions worldwide, safeguarded assets worth more than AED 65 billion and prevented potential economic repercussions in global digital asset markets.

During the investigation, more than 3,000 digital wallets were examined and verified to trace the networks’ activities and financial links.

Four criminal networks with distinct roles

Major General Omar Ahmed Balzoud, Director-General of Criminal Security and Ports at Sharjah Police, said the organisation did not rely on a single criminal method. Instead, four interconnected networks handled different stages of its illegal activities.

The first network hacked systems and stole data. The second was responsible for laundering criminal proceeds through virtual assets, while the third used social engineering to trick victims into disclosing confidential information or taking actions that led to the theft of assets from their digital wallets.

The fourth network used physical violence to force victims to reveal their digital wallet passwords. Authorities said that, in some cases, victims were threatened, while their family members were also threatened or abused. The incidents occurred in several countries, both within and outside the UAE.

Police said the division of responsibilities among members allowed the organisation to target individuals, companies and institutions in different countries while making it difficult to identify its structure and leaders.

Underage suspect identified as initial lead

Brigadier Dr Khalifa Balhi, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department at Sharjah Police, said officers identified an underage suspect after tracking the organisation’s activities and monitoring the movements of its members.

Investigators found that the young suspect controlled a digital wallet containing substantial funds and had links to international groups involved in digital wallet theft.

Police said the suspect played a significant role in laundering virtual assets for people involved in fraud, hacking and cyber extortion.

According to preliminary information released by police, the suspect possessed advanced digital skills, an understanding of financial markets and expertise in managing funds.

Further investigation and security surveillance led to the identification of a key intermediary who connected the criminal networks.

Police said the intermediary worked with the young suspect to launder cryptocurrency and conceal financial transfers. The individual is also accused of involvement in assault, kidnapping, digital wallet theft, and the storage and sale of stolen data on the dark web.

Officers also uncovered the suspect’s links to international groups engaged in hacking, extortion and online fraud. After monitoring the individual’s behaviour and movements, police planned an arrest operation and worked to identify other members of the organisation.

Kidnapping and murder plots foiled in the UAE

The investigation found that one of the main suspects had worked with a group of foreign nationals to plan the kidnapping of digital wallet owners.

Police said officers arrested the suspect before the plot could be carried out, preventing the kidnapping.

Major General Balzoud also said the operation uncovered and foiled a plot to murder a member of the organisation who owned a digital wallet. The arrests prevented the plan from being carried out in the UAE.

Police stressed that the foiled plots were separate from violent incidents previously reported and documented in the UAE and other countries.

Security codes changed every eight hours

While tracking the suspects, investigators identified a secret group on a social media platform that members of the organisation used to communicate.

Authorities said the group protected its communications with a security code that changed every eight hours.

The criminal organisation had a highly hierarchical structure, with leaders and members assigned specific, interconnected duties. Their activities were concealed behind multiple layers of encryption and closed online networks accessible only to group members.

Some suspects infiltrated computer systems and stole databases before passing the information to other members, who categorised and managed it and then offered it for sale on the dark web.

The stolen information was also used for phishing attacks and social engineering scams, which police said were carried out using artificial intelligence tools.

Another group of members contacted victims and persuaded them to transfer money or used threats and violence to force them to co-operate.

Another section of the organisation managed assets and digital wallets, receiving stolen cryptocurrencies before redistributing and transferring them through virtual assets to launder the proceeds.

The resulting proceeds were ultimately divided among members according to their respective roles.

More than AED 8.8 billion laundered through accounts and digital wallets

Sharjah Public Prosecution said the funds linked to money-laundering offences attributed to the organisation totalled AED 8,825,381,741.50.

Anwar Amin Al Harmoudi, Sharjah Attorney General, said the network’s activities were based on an organised chain of criminal operations.

Victims were first deceived or had their accounts compromised. Their money and digital assets were then stolen, and the proceeds were concealed.

The stolen funds were subsequently converted into property and various investments to give them the appearance of legitimacy.

Prosecutors said the money was moved through bank accounts, digital wallets and multiple platforms, with various companies and intermediaries used to conceal the flow of funds.

Some of the illicit proceeds were used to purchase property, luxury vehicles, expensive watches and jewellery.

The scale of the funds, the organisation’s complex structure and the speed at which money was transferred between countries made it difficult to trace the funds and identify the ultimate beneficiaries.

Lavish lifestyles used to conceal criminal proceeds

Sharjah Police said the suspects presented themselves as businesspeople and investors, travelled between capitals around the world and used displays of wealth and lavish lifestyles to conceal their illegal activities.

At the press conference, officials highlighted the suspects’ use of luxury vehicles, private aircraft, valuable jewellery and high-end properties.

Investigators said the extravagant lifestyle served as a cover for financial activities funded by illicit proceeds.

Searches and operations uncovered digital wallets through which billions of dirhams had been transferred. Cash, electronic equipment and other assets worth hundreds of millions of dirhams were also seized.

Some of the banknotes recovered were genuine, while others were counterfeit. Police said the counterfeit notes had also been used in fraudulent activities.

Major General Balzoud said officers also seized a luxury residence in Dubai while tracing the organisation’s property assets.

Assets seized or placed under judicial attachment included 17 luxury vehicles, 29 expensive watches, various items of jewellery, one residential villa, two villas under construction and two residential plots of land.

Searches also uncovered cold-wallet devices used to store cryptocurrency access credentials offline, as well as narcotics, counterfeit banknotes and currency-counterfeiting equipment.

The total value of the funds and assets seized during the operation exceeded AED 200 million.

More than 10,000 documents and reports reviewed

Sharjah Public Prosecution said legal, digital and financial investigations were conducted simultaneously to identify the organisation’s structure and trace the movement of its illicit proceeds.

During the investigation:

  • More than 10,000 documents and reports were reviewed.
  • A total of 142 official records and investigation sessions were documented and conducted.
  • A total of 385 decisions and 478 judicial orders were issued.
  • A total of 103 electronic devices were analysed.
  • A total of 12 search warrants were issued.
  • A total of 109 requests were processed in co-ordination with the Financial Intelligence Unit.
  • Eight requests or measures involving international co-operation were undertaken.

Judicial, security, technical and regulatory authorities worked together during the investigation to determine each suspect’s role, trace financial transfers, and identify and freeze or seize accounts and assets linked to the case.

A representative of Sharjah Public Prosecution confirmed at the press conference that the defendants’ case had been referred to the Sharjah Criminal Court for trial.

Suspects returned to the UAE from abroad

Major General Balzoud said the investigation was conducted in co-operation with Sharjah Police, the UAE Ministry of Interior and other security agencies, while Interpol assisted in tracking suspects overseas.

Several key suspects were identified outside the UAE and returned to the country. Following their transfer, evidence and documentation relating to the charges against them were recorded and submitted to prosecutors.

Police said the operation dismantled all four criminal networks and led to the arrest of their leaders and members.

Investigation teams reviewed hundreds of pieces of evidence to identify network members and leaders by monitoring suspects’ movements, examining patterns of criminal behaviour and linking digital and financial evidence.

Lieutenant General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, attributed the operation’s success to co-operation among federal, local and international agencies, with the support of the Ministry of Interior and Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.

He said the case’s achievements resulted from integrated institutional co-operation, sustained security efforts and close co-ordination among agencies at the domestic and international levels.

The Sharjah Police commander said the operation’s significance extended beyond arresting the suspects and halting their criminal activities, as protecting assets and preventing potential economic and security repercussions were also key objectives.

Bin Amer praised the role of prosecutors and the judiciary, stressing that those who misuse digital technologies to commit crimes will face a security system capable of identifying and tracking them and bringing them to justice.