The national audience in focus involved judge Ismael Moreno presenting findings on a case that centers on a group of fourteen individuals, mainly Ukrainian and Latvian nationals. These people are accused of forming part of an international network engaged in illegal arms trafficking and the laundering of illicit funds through a Barcelona and Alicante based corporate framework. In November 2020, two suspects were already detained in Calp and El Campello as part of this ongoing investigation.
The evidence was gathered by the head of a European publishing body, who reported the matter to the Central Court of Instruction No. 2. The court notes that this group may be attempting to create a legal screen for acquiring the assets of shipping firms that charter vessels used to move weapon supplies toward conflict zones.
In the magistrate’s decision, the mechanisms of the investigation are described through a corporate entity named Lumar and its various branches connected to a network involved in sending ships to transport arms to war-torn regions without proper authorization from authorities at customs or other controlling bodies.
international embargoes
The magistrate emphasizes that the activities violate international embargoes, as the network delivers military supplies while evading customary checks and incurring potential sanctions.
The judge explains that the accused have run this operation for two decades. Among the most accountable individuals are Alexejs Dircenkolike, identified as President of the Lumar Shipping Group, and Victor Murenko, noted as a director, together with other implicated parties. They would have established an economic framework designed to move assets and capital that were sourced illegally into the Spanish financial system.
The “ultimate goal” of the network
The judge records that each participant played a defined role in a sophisticated scheme whose stated aim was the laundering of proceeds from organized fraud and arms trafficking. The investigation indicates that the network, allegedly led by figures such as Oleg Etnarovych and Sergi Motsman from Ukraine, remains a core component of a larger operation. Viktor Murenko, the inquiry notes, may occupy a middle or higher tier tasked with concealing profits from criminal activity on Spanish soil.
According to the magistrate, the methods used to move capital abroad into Spain involved international transfers that were later settled in cash through automated teller machines. The document states that the individuals under scrutiny undertook extreme measures to avoid attracting attention from authorities during the movement of funds.
As part of these strategies, cash movements between France and Spain were described, along with financial maneuvers to keep reimbursement or payment limits within thresholds and to operate in financial institutions that employ fewer staff at certain times. These choices were intended to reduce the chances that banking monitors or supervisory authorities would detect irregular activity.
The investigation indicates that those under scrutiny face charges including affiliation with a criminal organization and money laundering, alongside offenses related to corruption and illicit trade in defense and dual-use military materials as the underlying premises of the case.
Finally, Judge Moreno directs the prosecution to file a formal request within ten days. The request should either initiate oral proceedings or present a written indictment, or alternatively seek dismissal of the case.