Overview
- A coordinated, early‑morning operation unfolded Wednesday as police searched roughly 140 to 150 locations across North Rhine‑Westphalia and other European countries.
- The action is led by the Polizeipräsidium Düsseldorf and the Staatsanwaltschaft Duisburg with support from the NRW financial‑crime office.
- Authorities say the raids target an international money‑laundering network that multiple outlets identify as tied to the Hells Angels and that investigators plan to execute several arrest warrants.
- Reports describe a large deployment of officers—estimates range from about 1,000 to 2,000 personnel—and searches in the Netherlands, Belgium and Bulgaria as well as Germany.
- The probe began after a May 2022 Duisburg shooting and has run for more than four years; investigators say they will seek to secure substantial assets, with media reporting targets of roughly €50 million while formal details remain developing.