The Belgian Public Prosecutor’s Office is accusing Caio Marchesani, the owner of a London fintech company, of trying to launder hundreds of millions of euros from drug traffickers through a cryptocurrency trading platform. The case is of dimensions rarely seen by European prosecutors, as described by Bloomberg.
Belgian authorities have already requested the extradition from the United Kingdom of Caio Marchesani, a 38-year-old Italian who allegedly and “knowingly and” intentionally”—according to the accusation – converted money into bitcoin for Sérgio Roberto de Carvalho, one of the most wanted leaders of criminal organizations until his arrest in 2022, according to Interpol. In addition, the Italian citizen is also said to have laundered money for Flor Bressers, nicknamed “Corta Fido” by the Belgian authorities, who was also arrested last year.
Marchesani owns Trans-Fast Remittance, a payments company licensed by the British financial watchdog. In May, the Italian citizen was arrested at London’s Heathrow airport and is awaiting the outcome of the extradition request.
When Bloomberg contacted him, the British watchdog assured him that he was working with the payments company to carry out the supervision work.
The investigation by the Belgian public prosecutor began three years ago, after the Netherlands seized more than 12 tons of cocaine, valued at 260 million euros, in the port of Rotterdam.
33 suspects have been identified, linked to Brazil, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and France. Five are in pre-trial detention.
