Munich's strike against money laundering: millions in the sights of the judiciary!

Munich's strike against money laundering: millions in the sights of the judiciary!

Nowadays the topic of money laundering is very popular again. More and more criminals are trying to conceal the origin of their ill-gotten assets, be it by purchasing gold, fine watches or luxurious cars. This trend is clearly evident in Bavaria, where around 9,000 reports of money laundering were registered in 2024. This development was reported by the Abendzeitung München [reported](https://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/muenchen/jagd-auf-millionen-muenchens-neue-geldwaesche-unit- Nimm-fahrt-auf-art-1065620) that the police were able to skim off assets worth around 71 million euros in this context.

The Central Money Laundering Prosecution (ZGV), which was created to further combat these criminal activities, has positioned itself as a key player. Senior Public Prosecutor Hildegard Bäumler-Hösl emphasizes that international cooperation plays a key role when it comes to sustainably combating money laundering and organized crime. The ZGV has access to extensive information and international contacts, including via the European Judicial Network (EJN), which massively supports the fight against money laundering. The ZGV becomes particularly active in cases in which several public prosecutors are involved.

Organized crime and its challenges

Even though the focus is on Bavaria, money laundering is an international hotspot. According to the Federal Foreign Office informiert, the fight against cross-border organized crime represents a major challenge for the entire international community. This includes not only money from drug trafficking, but also human trafficking, arms trafficking and cybercrime. These crimes weaken countries with unstable government structures and endanger international security.

The Federal Government has therefore committed itself to effectively combating money laundering and organized crime through bilateral measures and international cooperation such as the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF). Germany is a founding member of the FATF, which maintains key anti-money laundering recommendations, and has made significant progress in recent years, thanks in part to the Vienna-based United Nations, which coordinates numerous anti-crime programs.

New structures to combat money laundering

Of particular concern is the role of “financial agents” – young adults who can unknowingly become involved in money laundering by providing their account information. This situation means that they may be liable to prosecution if they accept or forward money from illegal sources. To counteract this, Bavaria has strengthened its structures to combat economic crime and assigned additional staff to the ZGV.

A highlight of ZGV's successful work is the cash discoveries, which have now accelerated into the upper six to seven-figure range. A court in Bavaria recently confiscated gold worth over 3.6 million euros, showing that the fight against money laundering is being taken seriously. The principle is clear: crimes should not be worth committing. And it is to be hoped that the authorities' increased efforts will continue to bear fruit.