Police arrested a 55-year-old man from Rotterdam on suspicion of handling around €60 million in cash for a Turkish-German crime gang. The suspect was detained in Eindhoven on October 7, when police carried out raids on five people. Four other suspects were held in Germany. Police describe the Rotterdam man as a suspected underground banker, an illegal financial intermediary. The operation involved around 500 Dutch and German police officers and German customs, with support from Europol. The investigation started in October 2023 after German traffic police found several kilos of gold and almost €500,000 in cash hidden in a car on a motorway. During the Dutch raids, Rotterdam seaport police searched two properties in Rotterdam and Eindhoven. They seized data storage devices, around €10,000 in cash, a vehicle and real estate. German police also seized property worth at least €2 million, along with 19 vehicles, around €100,000 in cash and a large quantity of scrap gold and silver bars. Police say the group funnelled tens of millions of euros a year to Turkey, likely from drug dealing proceeds. They allege the money was used to buy old gold through friendly jewellers, which was then melted into bars and smuggled to Turkey. An estimated 1 to 4 tonnes of gold, worth €55 million to €210 million, was smuggled over six years.