WhatsApp chat used to launder cash for crime and extremism

Vincent Guerra said uncovering the WhatsApp group was like "hitting the jackpot" The EBU also found further gangs across Europe using the hawala system for criminal activity.

Members of the group chat sent messages in Arabic to each other to set up cash payments using the ancient hawala transfer system.

But criminals can also take advantage of hawala transfers to avoid the Swift system used for most international money transfers, where banks typically flag large transactions outside the normal course of business and are required to report any suspicious activity.