Last saturday on Spanish News I heard that the Spanish police had arrested 100 Russian Mafia members that had brought 10,000 girls to the country under the pretext of working as nannies but had ended up working in 26 brothels - "Club Americanas" o "Puti Clubs". They had also been money laundering the proceeds of these. Trying to research this I came across this article
(translation below)
Alexander Litvinenko, a former lieutenant colonel in the Russian secret services, paid a final tribute to the Spanish police. Six months before he died poisoned by a dose of polonium 210, contacted Spanish police and the event took place, shortly thereafter, in a European city. Litvinenko had been characterized by criticizing the methods used by Putin to gain power and his death provoked a genuine international scandal. Six months before that, explained to the Spanish investigators what role played some businessmen involved with the Russian mafia. Some of them lived in Spain. From this interview and an intelligence report from the Civil Guard, the Spanish Anti-Corruption Prosecution could run the biggest operation so far against taking the Russian mafia in Europe.
By order of the State Prosecutor's Office the case was awarded to three prosecutors
The Russians en route from Spain hundreds of dirty business in Europe
The Russian mafia entertainment to Abramovich in his visits with Chelsea
The roles of the operation were Avispa months without review
Spring 2006. Three dates and three different scenarios. Three parts that two years later would serve to assemble an impressive puzzle. May 3 in Palma de Mallorca: the Civil Guard deposited in the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor a report on the presence in Spain of important members of a Russian criminal organization based in St. Petersburg and called Tambovskaya. May 10 in Jumeirah, a coastal city located 35 kilometers from Dubai (United Arab Emirates): Spanish police involved in the arrest of Zakho Kalashov, aka Sacred, aka the invisible, a leading Mafia boss of Kurdish origin and sought by Spanish authorities . To achieve his arrest was accurate intervention by the highest authorities of the Spanish State. A few days later in a European capital: some Spanish police interview with Litvinenko for information.
The arrest of Kalashov was in itself enough headaches to someone in the head office of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, could give due attention to the other two events. The arrest of Kalashov offset some of the frustrations that researchers specializing in Russian mafia had taken over the recent past. They knew that from detention, would begin to move some tentacles around the prosecution's case and the judge, Fernando Andreu.
It was not a novelty. It happened during Operation Red Marble and after the first phase of the operation Avispa: leaks from within that allowed some defendants will escape before being arrested, pressures from embassies, political Spaniards touched by the organization, calls lawyers major threats death or substitutions in the prosecution that led to the release of some detainees.
Kalashov was a heavyweight and the pressure it would soon arrive at the Audiencia Nacional. They knew that Kalashov lieutenants of seeking friendships between the judge Andreu. It was his usual manner of proceeding, their language of choice, extortion, bribery, influence the search.
After the summer, with Kalashov isolated in prison security Soto del Real (Madrid) some movements within the Anti-Corruption Prosecution led to the establishment of a strategy to give a more accurate third blow to the Russian mafia in Spain. An order of the Attorney-General's Department authorized exceptionally that three prosecutors (Jose Grinda in Madrid, Juan Carrau in Palma de Mallorca and David Martinez Madero in Barcelona) coordinate an investigation following a report prepared by the Civil Guard in Spain. But it would not be a case of the Civil Guard. Prosecutors met in Madrid to heads of various departments: Udyco (organized crime) and UDEF (laundering) of Police; UCO (organized crime) of the Civil Guard, Customs Surveillance (Inland Revenue), SEPBLAC (Bank of Spain) and Unity Central Criminal Intelligence (Interior). All should support research. By coincidence, one of these departments had opened proceedings in the court number 5 of the Audiencia Nacional. Conclusion: Garzon would be the examining magistrate. Thus was born the operation Troika.
Was relevant information provided by Litvinenko? The former Russian agent gave few clues about the importance some heads mafia and what kind of relations could maintain high levels of the Russian state. The Spanish investigators lacked sufficient information to make every head in place inside the complex tangle of societies Russian criminals. Despite the fact that there is already an abundant literature on the subject, only field research focus allows what is the real significance of each head and how are your relations with other organizations. Because if anything distinguishes the Russian mafia gangs is its constant evolution, their complicated partnerships, changes in their side and, of course, its wars.
Litvinenko had a good understanding of how some characters appeared on the scene. Litvinenko worked as a lieutenant colonel in the URPO (Directorate of Development and Eradication of activity of criminal organizations). Therefore, knew very closely the activities of characters as Tariel Oniani, Zhakar Kalashov, Vitali Izguilov and Tiourin, among others. Oniani and Kalashov participated in the early nineties in many kidnappings and murders during the privatizations. "There were many deaths of people who refused to sell shares," said Litvinenko. And both Oniani as Kalashov participated in coordinated actions with some departments of the security of Russia. In fact, Kalashov, according to Litvinenko, he used to put pressure on Turkey because of their Kurdish origin.
The list of persons who reported that Litvinenko had reached characters based in Spain. It was the case Oniani, Kalashov, Izguilov and Tiourin. They were part of the wave of Russian citizens found in Spain a good place to take refuge on a seasonal basis. Over the years, some of them had chosen Spain as their habitual residence, as a place where they could launder a portion of their profits, and the centre from where they directed all its businesses. The information provided Litvinenko also some facts about Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's current president and owner of major oil interests in Russia.
Curiously, the interests of some of these characters, if Oniani, Izguilov and Abramovich himself, cross his passion for football, a sport that is not alien. The Spanish researchers have evidence of how some of the Russians based in Spain competing in the organization to Abramovich a good reception during his stay in Spain during Chelsea's game in the Champions League. Chelsea has played recently in Spain against Barcelona and Valencia. And it was quoted in Barcelona which caused more tension when it comes to entertaining the tycoon based in London. Moreover, research also suggests that among the Troika charged by the operation, there is interest in the best Russian team of the moment, Zenit St. Petersburg, recent winner of the Uefa Cup and the club militating with much larger salaries of members of the Russian selection just semifinalist in the Euro. Among the extraordinary volume of economic interests shared by the accused that occupy their talks, one of them was football.
Litvinenko provided information on Oniani, Kalashov and Izguilov. The three resided in Spain or, as is the case with Kalashov, spent a few seasons. The three were the main objective of the operation when Avispa took place in June 2005. Above all, Oniani, whose role at that time was quite important in the criminal hierarchy. And if Oniani was the number one objective of that operation, it turned out that Oniani was drained at the last minute. That operation was sold as a successful police and somehow it was, but what was not said then was that there was some failure. A chivatazo gave to tear up his arrest. Three years later, still waiting to be found responsible. Fugees Oniani, also disappeared Kalashov, Izguilov ended up being arrested for the largest stem from that operation. Despite everything, was not too long in jail and received probation. Since then he has lived between Alicante and Marbella. Curiously, despite its status as a defendant, his power was increasing.
The three prosecutors in charge of the case began to add up all the available information on dozens of Russian citizens and their activities in Spain and outside Spain. They had already proven experience occurred on attempts to gain influence in our country. Some efforts not ceased to be somewhat naive, as happened around Kalashov after his arrest. His defense was assigned three lawyers, one Russian, one Swiss and a third Spanish. As a lawyer was elected the former Spanish judge Javier Gomez de Liaño, in confidence (as well as assert interventions telephone time) that their past condition judge of the Audiencia Nacional allowed some preferential treatment. It has not been the case in the light of the experience: Kalashov has suffered three shipments of jail.
The volume of accumulated information is so great as to make it necessary to have a special chamber for consideration. During the investigation of the case, they discovered a surprising fact: much of the information obtained in the records of the operation Avispa had remained unstudied inside boxes of documentation. That negligence led to some conflict and was remedied.
The information obtained is very complex because it affects a huge number of commercial and noncommercial operations that the mafia made in many countries. The voracity of their business knows no bounds and the same negotiating the purchase of properties in Germany, economic transactions with Switzerland and Cyprus, as imports (not to say smuggling) of cement to Sweden. Clearly the center of their economic activities was in Russia and the countries that were part of the USSR (Ukraine and Georgia, among others) and the Czech Republic, but appears in all the common denominator of bribery and extortion. The payment of commissions for any reason is almost daily. In this context comes to light the names of many people who hold positions in the Administration.
Another common denominator is how the characters are still carefully investigated the vicissitudes of Russian policy and how each appoint a senior official in whichever department of any region or country can not affect their interests. The information obtained is also very precise in everything related to "trade wars" between the organizations. Throughout the investigation are numerous reports of accidental deaths and threats. Such information affecting largely to certain institutions in Russia, but also those of other countries, for Greece, Israel and Germany. Baltasar Garzon and prosecutors who have coordinated investigations expect the visit to this next week's deputy prosecutor general of Russia, to determine if it can establish cooperation between the two countries. The real purpose of the operation Troika will take time to know each other.
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