Largest Operation in Sharjah Police History: Dismantling 4 International Criminal Networks

In what is the largest operation in its history, Sharjah Police, in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, has secured company assets valued at around AED 65 billion and arrested 33 accused of 12 nationalities, among them the leaders of one of the largest organised international criminal networks involved in cybercrime and cross-border activities, in an operation codenamed "End of Battle". His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, explained during a media briefing that the operation led to the dismantling of 4 interlinked international criminal networks specialising in organised cybercrime, money laundering, digital wallet theft, online fraud and trafficking in hacked data, in addition to committing violent assaults.

Sharjah 24: His Excellency Lieutenant General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, affirmed during a media briefing held at noon on Thursday at Sharjah Media City (Shams) that the support, patronage and continuous follow-up of the wise leadership, together with its directives to enhance security and stability and to empower police and security institutions to fulfil their responsibilities and carry out their mission with the highest levels of efficiency and readiness, have formed a fundamental pillar in establishing a security system capable of keeping pace with changes and challenges and of strengthening the security and stability of society.

He added that these efforts are an extension of the integrated national security framework under the umbrella of the Ministry of Interior, with the support and close follow-up of Lieutenant General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and His Highness's keenness to enhance the efficiency and readiness of police agencies, develop their capabilities in law enforcement and combating crime, and support the criminal justice system, thereby strengthening their ability to confront all forms of crime, particularly new, organised and cross-border cybercrime, in line with the directives of the wise leadership to consolidate the security of society, protect its resources, and reinforce the UAE's standing as a leading model of security and stability.

Lt Gen bin Amer pointed out that the Digital Crimes Combating Department at Sharjah Police General Command uncovered the infrastructure and hidden structure of the highly complex organisation, whose members had made the depths of cyberspace the home of their activities. Their operations were concealed behind encrypted layers of secrecy, and they moved through closed-circle networks and platforms accessible only to their members, far from the eyes of law enforcement. In public, they made a point of displaying signs of wealth, travelling between capitals and flaunting a lavish lifestyle that masked a covertly run system, to the point that they appeared to be businessmen and investors, while their illegal activities extended across countries.

He explained that the results of the security operation were not limited to arresting those involved and halting their criminal activities, but extended to protecting interests and assets and limiting potential economic and security repercussions, in an operation that reflected an advanced level of proactive policing, integration between the competent agencies, and effective cooperation with partners at the local and international levels.

He extended his sincere thanks, appreciation and pride to the men of Sharjah Police, who in this operation embodied the highest meanings of dedication, professionalism and devotion, and carried out their duty with determination and competence, placing the security of the United Arab Emirates and the safety of its society at the top of their priorities until these distinguished security results were achieved.

His Excellency commended the role of the Ministry of Interior and the security agencies in supporting and coordinating local and international efforts, strengthening the cooperation framework and facilitating the exchange of information with the competent authorities, which contributed to the success of this operation. He stressed that integration and cooperation are the fundamental pillars for confronting cross-border organised crime and for strengthening our joint capacity to address the various emerging security challenges.

He also praised the role played by the Sharjah Public Prosecution and its continuous efforts in supporting the security system, consolidating the rule of law, laying the foundations of justice, and safeguarding the rights of individuals and society. He emphasised the importance of institutional integration and continuous coordination between the Public Prosecution and the security and police agencies in enhancing the efficiency of the law enforcement and criminal justice system, unifying efforts to combat crime, consolidating security and stability, and improving the quality of life in terms of security in the emirate.

The Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police revealed details of one of the most complex cross-border security operations worldwide, codenamed "End of Battle", which led to the dismantling of 4 interlinked international criminal networks specialising in organised cybercrime, money laundering through virtual assets, digital wallet theft, online fraud and extortion through social engineering, and trafficking in hacked data via dark web networks, in addition to committing violent assaults, all while harnessing artificial intelligence technologies to carry out their criminal activities. The operation resulted in the arrest of the networks' 33 members, of 12 different nationalities, including the heads of those networks. This helped safeguard and protect more than 30 companies and institutions around the world, secure assets estimated at more than AED 65 billion, and limit potential economic repercussions that could have affected digital asset markets globally. The value of the confiscated funds exceeded AED 200 million, and more than 3,000 digital wallets were subjected to auditing and verification.

He affirmed that protecting society and safeguarding its security will remain a firm priority for the police agencies of the United Arab Emirates, and that anyone who attempts to exploit technologies or digital means to commit crimes or undermine the security of individuals and the stability of society will face a vigilant security system that possesses efficiency, expertise and advanced capabilities, and that will spare no effort in tracking them down, arresting them and bringing them to justice, so as to ensure the protection of society and consolidate the rule of law.

Public Prosecution

For his part, His Excellency Counsellor Anwar Al Harmoudi, Attorney General of Sharjah, explained that the Public Prosecution's investigations uncovered a cross-border criminal organisation with complementary criminal roles, starting with seizing victims' funds through fraud and hacking operations, moving on to concealing the sources of the illicit funds and obscuring their trails, and ending with converting them into properties and investments to give them a semblance of legitimacy. He noted that the value of the funds subject to money laundering offences amounted to AED 8,825,381,741.50, which were passed through bank accounts, digital wallets and multiple platforms, using companies and intermediaries to disguise their trails.

He added that the seriousness of the case lies in the enormity of the funds circulated, the precision of the criminal organisation, and the speed with which proceeds were moved across borders, which makes tracing them all the more complex and allows the proceeds of crime to be employed within the economy under a cover of legitimacy.

He explained that, in order to uncover the criminal organisation and trace its proceeds, the Public Prosecution launched a simultaneous judicial, digital and financial investigation through a team that examined more than 10,000 documents and reports, handled 142 official records and investigation sessions, and issued 385 decisions and 478 judicial orders, in addition to examining 103 electronic devices.

The case involved 33 accused, including 6 legal persons, and the accused were of 12 different nationalities.

The procedures extended to 12 search warrants, 109 requests in coordination with the Financial Intelligence Unit, and 8 international cooperation requests and procedures, in addition to coordination with judicial, security, technical and regulatory authorities in order to uncover roles, trace the movement of funds, freeze accounts, and reach the assets linked to the accused.

The procedures resulted in the seizure of more than AED 200 million, as well as the seizure and impounding of 17 luxury cars, 29 valuable watches, jewellery, a residential villa, two villas under construction and two residential plots of land. The searches also led to the seizure of cold digital wallets, narcotic substances, counterfeit currency and counterfeiting tools.

An Integrated Criminal System

In a related context, His Excellency Major General Omar Ahmed Bu Al Zoud, Director-General of the General Department of Criminal Security and Ports, explained that the organisation did not rely on a single criminal pattern, but rather on an integrated criminal system in which roles were divided among four interlinked networks. The first carried out hacking operations and data theft, the second specialised in money laundering through virtual assets, and the third undertook social engineering operations and digital wallet theft, while the fourth carried out violent physical assaults aimed at forcing victims to disclose the passcodes of their digital wallets, or threatening them and harming their relatives, in a number of countries. This precise division of roles contributed to building a cross-border system that enabled the targeting of individuals, companies and institutions, while preserving the cohesion of its structure and making it difficult to uncover its make-up or reach its leaders.

He noted that, by gathering evidence, tracing the accused's digital wallets and searching open sources, the team was able to uncover the involvement of a number of the accused in international crimes and in acts of violence and intimidation in cooperation with criminal gangs.

He added that behind this scene, the men of the Digital Crimes Combating Department were working according to highly precise plans: monitoring, observing, analysing, connecting the threads, extracting patterns, tracking digital evidence and coordinating with local and international partners, until they tightened the net around all members of the networks and brought down their leaders one after another. These efforts resulted in the arrest and repatriation of the main accused from abroad, until the pillars of the criminal organisation collapsed at the hands of men who carried the security of society on their shoulders and worked day and night, believing that justice would be served, however many identities there were, however complex the networks became, and however far the crimes crossed borders.

He explained that the fall of the networks was not the end of the operation, but rather the beginning of uncovering the scale of their financial empire. Following the arrest and search operations, the raids revealed the volume of illicit proceeds accumulated by the gang members: the luxury villas in which they lived were seized, and digital wallets that had recorded financial movements exceeding billions were found in their possession, along with luxury vehicles, valuable watches and jewellery, sums of money, some genuine and some counterfeit, and electronic devices, as well as other assets estimated at hundreds of millions, all of which were placed under custody.

A Precise Plan to Arrest the Perpetrators

Reviewing the details of the operation, Brigadier Dr Khalifa Yousif Belhai, Director of the Criminal Investigation Directorate at Sharjah Police, revealed that the competent security agencies followed the threads of the criminal network and continued analysing its movements until they were able to reach one of its members, a juvenile below the legal age, who was found in possession of a digital wallet containing vast sums. Investigations showed his links to international elements specialising in digital wallet theft, revealing that his activity was an extension of criminal operations run through communication channels spanning several countries. Inquiries also revealed that he played an important role in laundering money through virtual assets on behalf of those involved in online fraud, hacking and extortion crimes.

He noted that, through continuous monitoring, analysis and evidence gathering, the most important link between the criminal networks was identified. Investigations showed that this individual worked with the juvenile in laundering digital currencies and concealing the movement of funds, and also revealed his involvement in assault, kidnapping and digital wallet theft, as well as possessing and selling hacked data on the dark web, in addition to his links to international gangs active in hacking, extortion and online fraud.

The Director of the Criminal Investigation Directorate added that, once the picture was complete and the threads of the security operation had become clear, the police teams drew up a precise plan to monitor the suspect and arrest him, following a careful study of his behaviour and movements, marking the start of a new phase of evidence gathering.

Investigations revealed that he had been planning to target individuals who owned a number of digital wallets, in cooperation with a group of foreign nationals, as part of a criminal scheme that included kidnapping the targets. However, the investigation team managed to foil the scheme and arrested the accused before he could carry out his operations.

Brigadier Belhai stated that the investigations succeeded in uncovering the network's members, establishing the links between them and tracing the reach of their activities and movements, ultimately identifying the nature of their roles and responsibilities. He explained that the network was marked by a tight organisational structure and a precise distribution of roles, as shown after investigators reached a hideout the members used on one of the social media platforms, which confirmed the close ties between them that had enabled them to commit their crimes, using a code that changed every eight hours, through which they secured their criminal circle.

He noted that the network consisted of leaders and members assigned specific, interconnected tasks, operating at different organisational levels to ensure the execution and continuity of its criminal activities. Some of its members carried out hacking operations and database theft, then passed the data on to other members who managed, sorted and offered it for sale on dark web networks, which formed a fertile market for their activities. The data was also used in phishing and fraud operations targeting victims through social engineering methods supported by artificial intelligence tools, while others contacted the victims and lured them into completing financial transfers, using threats and violent assault to force them to comply.

He explained that, in parallel, the network managed digital assets and digital wallets, receiving illicit proceeds in the form of digital currencies obtained from the victims, then distributing, re-routing and laundering them through virtual assets before they ended up with the network's members according to their roles, in addition to the financial and organisational indicators that revealed the connections between those involved.

The Director of the Criminal Investigation Directorate at Sharjah Police expressed his thanks and appreciation to the team behind this distinguished achievement for the high professionalism, tight organisation and proactive, methodical handling of the case they demonstrated, analysing its finest details, connecting its threads and tracing its extensions until the full picture emerged in all its dimensions and its intricate, complex ramifications.

He noted that the team did not merely follow the evidence, but excelled in reading and analysing criminal patterns, linking digital and financial indicators, and turning scattered data into connected threads that led to uncovering the relationships between the accused and their roles. At a time when the accused believed that their use of digital tools and technologies would keep them beyond the reach of monitoring and pursuit, they came up against national talent in which Sharjah Police General Command had invested to train and empower, equipping it with science, knowledge, expertise and advanced tools, thereby enhancing its ability to anticipate crime, unravel its complexities and expose its methods, however sophisticated they may be.

Source: Sharjah 24