Moldovan prosecutors bust €3M illicit cigarette laundering ring
Moldovan prosecutors have dismantled a €2.98 million (approx. 60 million MDL) money laundering scheme funded by illicit cigarette manufacturing and funneled into Chișinău residential developments, authorities said.
Raids target front companies and real estate
Law enforcement officers carried out more than 20 premises raids across the capital, seizing $80,000 and €20,000 in cash alongside two luxury vehicles—a 2026 Porsche Cayenne and a 2019 Mercedes-Benz. Investigators also confiscated mobile phones, draft financial ledgers, and leasing contracts.
According to Moldova's Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Causes (PCCOCS), criminal group members disguised the illicit proceeds by transferring and investing funds through shell companies and straw buyers directly into residential construction projects.
The criminal investigation remains ongoing to identify additional accomplices and determine individual liability. Under Moldovan law, all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
