Spanish Police Arrest 8 Russians Suspected of Organized Crime

By The Moscow Times

Dec. 12, 2013

The Spanish Civil Guard at one of the 7 house searches in Majorca.

The Spanish police together with Interpol have arrested eight Russians suspected of having links to an organized criminal group that was active in Russia and Spain.

Police suspect that the detainees — captured in Majorca — were involved in the so-called Taganskaya criminal group and were implicated in money laundering, tax evasion, document forgery and trading in influence, Interfax reported Thursday.

Spanish police said the Taganskaya criminal group was one of the largest Moscow-based gangs that specialized in blackmailing businesses, leading to their eventual bankruptcy and allowing the gang to take over the businesses themselves.

Police also said the gang had been using Spain to launder the money that it had illegally received in Russia.

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