Operation Results in 33 Suspects Being Identified and Dh200 Million in Funds Seized.
Sharjah: Sharjah Police have dismantled four interconnected international criminal networks allegedly involved in cyberattacks, cryptocurrency wallet theft, money laundering, online fraud, extortion and violent assaults, leading to the arrest of 33 suspects representing 12 nationalities.
The major operation also resulted in authorities securing assets belonging to more than 30 companies and institutions worldwide, with a combined value exceeding Dh65 billion.
Codenamed “End of the Battle,” the operation was carried out in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Interior and involved extensive coordination to identify, locate and apprehend key figures behind the criminal networks.
Several suspects were arrested overseas and subsequently brought back to face legal proceedings.
During the operation, authorities seized more than Dh200 million in funds, froze or secured assets connected to the suspects and conducted audits and verification checks on more than 3,000 digital wallets.
Investigators also uncovered suspected money laundering transactions totalling Dh8.825 billion, allegedly channelled through bank accounts, digital wallets, international financial platforms and intermediary companies.
According to police, the criminal networks used sophisticated methods to carry out their activities, including artificial intelligence-powered tools to facilitate phishing attacks and online fraud.
The groups also allegedly traded stolen or compromised information on the dark web and used virtual assets to conceal and transfer illicit proceeds.
Investigations indicated that the funds were subsequently invested in high-value assets, including real estate, luxury vehicles, expensive watches and jewellery, as part of efforts to disguise the origins of the money.
Sharjah Police revealed details of the operation on Thursday during a press briefing at Sharjah Media City (Shams), where senior police and public prosecution officials highlighted the scale of the investigation and the steps taken to safeguard assets and minimise potential economic disruption to international digital asset markets.
A sophisticated cross-border criminal operation
Lieutenant General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, said the operation underscored the UAE’s capabilities in tackling organised criminal activities, particularly the growing threat of sophisticated cybercrime networks operating across international borders.
Lieutenant General bin Amer attributed the operation’s success to sustained security efforts and extensive coordination among federal, local and international law enforcement agencies.
Investigators uncovered a sophisticated and carefully concealed criminal network whose members allegedly relied on encrypted communication channels, restricted digital platforms and complex operational structures to avoid detection by authorities.
Some suspects reportedly portrayed themselves as successful entrepreneurs and wealthy investors, maintaining extravagant lifestyles and frequently travelling between major international cities while allegedly engaging in criminal activities across multiple countries.
“The results of the security operation were not limited to arresting those involved and stopping their criminal activities,” Lieutenant General bin Amer said, emphasising that the investigation also helped safeguard financial interests, secure valuable assets and reduce potential economic and security risks.
He acknowledged the UAE leadership’s continued support for strengthening national security capabilities, particularly the efforts of the Ministry of Interior under the supervision of Lieutenant General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
According to bin Amer, these efforts have played an important role in enhancing the operational readiness of police forces and reinforcing the UAE’s integrated security system.
He also commended the professionalism and commitment of the officers who participated in the operation, along with the cooperation extended by the Ministry of Interior, other security authorities and the Sharjah Public Prosecution.
Reaffirming the police force’s commitment to public safety, he stressed that protecting society and safeguarding national assets remain top priorities, warning that individuals who misuse technology for criminal purposes would be pursued and held accountable under the law.
Investigators uncover Dh8.8 billion in suspected money laundering
Counsellor Anwar Al Harmoudi, Attorney General of Sharjah, revealed that investigations conducted by the Public Prosecution had exposed an international criminal organisation operating through a structured network with clearly assigned responsibilities.
According to Al Harmoudi, the organisation allegedly engaged in stealing victims’ money, concealing the origins of unlawfully obtained funds and channelling criminal proceeds into various assets and investments to create the appearance of legitimate financial activity.
The investigation revealed that the alleged money laundering activities involved a staggering Dh8,825,381,741.50, with funds channelled through bank accounts, digital wallets and various international financial platforms.
Authorities said the criminal organisation allegedly relied on a network of companies and intermediaries to disguise the origins of the money and conceal its movement across borders.
Al Harmoudi described the case as particularly serious because of the enormous sums involved, the sophisticated structure of the criminal networks and the speed at which illicit proceeds were transferred internationally.
The movement of funds through multiple jurisdictions further complicated efforts to track financial transactions and identify the individuals ultimately benefiting from the alleged crimes.
Investigators established that the criminal activities typically began by enticing victims into fraudulent schemes, followed by unauthorised access to their accounts and the theft of money and digital assets.
The stolen funds were then allegedly transferred through various financial accounts and cryptocurrency platforms before being converted into high-value investments, including properties, luxury vehicles, expensive watches and jewellery, in an apparent effort to legitimise the proceeds.
To uncover the organisation’s structure and trace the financial transactions, the Sharjah Public Prosecution carried out extensive judicial, digital and financial investigations simultaneously.
The investigation involved reviewing more than 10,000 documents and reports, conducting 142 investigation sessions, issuing 385 decisions and 478 judicial orders, and examining 103 electronic devices.
The case implicated 33 suspects, including six legal entities, representing 12 different nationalities.
Authorities also executed 12 search warrants, coordinated 109 requests with the Financial Intelligence Unit and initiated eight requests and procedures involving international cooperation.
Working closely with judicial, security, technical and regulatory authorities, investigators sought to identify the roles of those involved, trace suspicious financial transfers, freeze bank accounts and recover assets allegedly linked to the criminal activities.
These efforts led to the seizure of more than Dh200 million, along with 17 luxury vehicles, 29 high-value watches, jewellery, a residential villa, two villas under construction and two residential plots of land.
Search operations also uncovered cold-storage digital wallets, narcotic substances, counterfeit money and equipment allegedly used to produce forged currency.
Al Harmoudi commended the close coordination between the Public Prosecution and law enforcement agencies, emphasising that cooperation among institutions was vital to uncovering the facts, safeguarding legal rights and strengthening the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.
Four interconnected networks with specialised criminal roles
Major General Omar Ahmed Bu Al Zoud, Director-General of the General Department of Criminal Security and Ports, explained that the organisation consisted of four closely connected criminal networks, each assigned distinct responsibilities within the broader operation.
The first network allegedly focused on cyberattacks, hacking and the theft of confidential information, while the second specialised in laundering criminal proceeds through virtual assets and cryptocurrency transactions.
A third network was responsible for social engineering schemes, online financial fraud and the theft of digital wallet assets.
The fourth network allegedly employed intimidation, physical violence and threats to coerce victims into revealing their digital wallet passwords or surrendering control of their digital assets.
According to authorities, the division of responsibilities enabled the networks to coordinate their activities across different countries while attempting to conceal their identities and evade law enforcement scrutiny.
In some instances, suspects allegedly resorted to threatening or physically harming victims’ relatives, with violent incidents reported in several countries.
The networks’ clearly defined roles enabled them to target individuals, businesses and institutions while operating within a coordinated structure designed to conceal the identities of their leaders and obscure connections between members.
Major General Bu Al Zoud said investigators relied on a combination of digital forensics, financial intelligence, cryptocurrency wallet tracking and open-source information to identify suspects allegedly involved in cross-border cybercrime, intimidation and violent offences.
Police teams tracked suspects’ movements, examined communication records and analysed electronic evidence while working closely with domestic and international law enforcement agencies.
These coordinated efforts eventually led to the arrest of network members, including key suspects who were apprehended overseas and returned to the UAE.
Subsequent searches uncovered substantial assets allegedly linked to the criminal activities, including luxury properties, high-end vehicles, valuable watches, jewellery, cash and electronic equipment.
Investigators also discovered that digital wallets associated with the suspects had processed transactions worth billions of dirhams.
Authorities seized or imposed precautionary restrictions on assets as part of broader efforts to prevent suspected criminal proceeds from being hidden, transferred or used in further activities.
How Sharjah Police foiled an alleged kidnapping plot
Brigadier Dr Khalifa Yousif Belhai, Director of the Criminal Investigation Directorate at Sharjah Police, explained how investigators uncovered connections between the criminal networks and prevented an alleged kidnapping plot targeting individuals with substantial cryptocurrency holdings.
The investigation initially brought officers into contact with a minor who was found in possession of a digital wallet containing significant amounts of money.
Further inquiries uncovered suspected links to international criminals allegedly involved in stealing digital assets and laundering proceeds generated through cyber fraud, hacking and online extortion.
As investigators expanded their surveillance and analysis, they identified a key suspect believed to connect several networks engaged in assault, kidnapping, digital wallet theft and the trading of compromised information on the dark web.
Police also established suspected connections between the individual and international groups involved in cyberattacks, extortion and online financial fraud.
After closely monitoring the suspect’s movements and activities, investigators developed an operation to apprehend him.
According to police, the suspect was allegedly coordinating with a group of foreign nationals to identify individuals holding multiple digital wallets and kidnap them to gain access to their cryptocurrency assets.
Officers intervened before the alleged plan could be carried out, arresting the suspect and preventing the suspected kidnapping.
The investigation subsequently widened to identify additional members of the networks, establish their connections and determine their individual roles within the alleged criminal organisation.
Encrypted communications and AI-powered fraud
Brigadier Belhai revealed that the networks allegedly coordinated their operations through a concealed communication hub hosted on a social media platform.
To prevent unauthorised access and avoid detection, members reportedly used a security code that was changed every eight hours.
The organisation operated through a structured hierarchy, with individuals assigned specialised but interconnected responsibilities to maintain its criminal activities.
Some members allegedly focused on hacking systems and stealing confidential databases, while others organised and sold compromised information on the dark web.
The stolen data was then reportedly used to facilitate phishing attacks, online scams and other fraudulent activities.
Investigators also found that artificial intelligence tools had been used to enhance social engineering techniques, allowing suspects to manipulate victims into transferring money or disclosing sensitive personal and financial information.
Other members allegedly contacted victims directly, persuading them to make financial payments or resorting to intimidation, threats and physical violence to obtain access to their assets.
Meanwhile, another group managed cryptocurrency wallets used to receive stolen digital funds.
These proceeds were allegedly moved through multiple financial channels, distributed across different wallets and laundered before being divided among members according to their responsibilities within the organisation.
To reconstruct the networks’ operations, investigators examined financial transactions, electronic communications and organisational patterns, identifying connections between suspects and their alleged activities.
Brigadier Belhai said police specialists analysed hundreds of pieces of digital evidence, identifying recurring patterns and linking financial records with electronic information to establish how the networks functioned.
He attributed the operation’s success to the investigators’ methodical approach, specialised technical capabilities and ability to convert complex financial and digital information into evidence connecting suspects to specific activities.
He added that the case highlighted the importance of advanced investigative technologies, specialised national expertise and international cooperation in identifying criminal organisations that rely on sophisticated methods to conceal their operations.
UAE reinforces commitment to combating organised crime
Lieutenant General bin Amer said the operation demonstrated the UAE’s continued commitment to safeguarding public security, maintaining stability and protecting individuals, businesses and financial interests against emerging criminal threats.
He stressed that close cooperation among police forces, the Ministry of Interior, international law enforcement partners and the Public Prosecution remained essential to tackling organised criminal networks operating across national borders.
He also praised the Sharjah Public Prosecution for its role in upholding the rule of law, protecting individual and community rights and strengthening the criminal justice system.
Brigadier Belhai expressed appreciation for the officers and technical specialists involved in the investigation, commending their professionalism, coordination and attention to detail in connecting digital evidence, financial transactions and the activities of individual suspects.
He said the alleged offenders had relied on encrypted communications and advanced digital tools in an attempt to avoid detection, but sustained surveillance, technical analysis and coordinated enforcement efforts enabled investigators to uncover their activities.
Sharjah Police reaffirmed that protecting communities, safeguarding financial assets and combating technology-enabled crime would remain central to its security priorities.
Authorities also warned that individuals who exploit digital platforms and emerging technologies for criminal purposes would continue to be pursued and brought before the courts.
