The Spanish police, together with Interpol, the Spanish tax service, and the Romanian police, have successfully completed an operation to detain suspects involved in organizing illegal rates and manipulating the outcome of sports events. A total of 23 people, including the alleged leader of the organization, were arrested during the operation.
Advanced technologies in the hands of criminals
The investigation, which began in 2020, revealed a criminal network of Romanian and Bulgarian origin suspected of manipulating the outcome of international table tennis tournaments. The criminals bribed athletes, including players from Romania, and placed large bets on the matches.
During the investigation, the police uncovered another cunning method used by the criminal group. The fraudsters utilized satellite technology to access live broadcasts of matches a few seconds earlier than legitimate bookmakers, allowing them to bet on the already known outcomes.
The group employed this method for betting on Asian and South American football leagues, Bundesliga games, the UEFA Nations League, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as well as ATP and ITF Tennis tournaments. To avoid suspicion, the bets were made in the names of other individuals, with the group collecting the winnings on their behalf. Furthermore, the criminals bribed a trader in a major bookmaker to ensure successful validation of the bets.
Operation results
During the searches, the authorities seized 2 real estate properties, 3 luxurious cars, 2 large satellite antennas and signals, 47 bank accounts, 80 phones, €13,000 in cash, and fake banknotes.
Interpol has noted that criminal groups exploit any opportunity to gain an advantage, even if it is a matter of a few seconds. In this case, this advantage helped them generate significant income.