The revelation two days ago of the dismantling of an international network accused of laundering drug trafficking proceeds between Europe and Africa is no longer just a legal case being handled by French courts. In recent days, it has become one of the most controversial topics in Mauritania. Investigations have highlighted the existence of what some French media reports have described as a “mastermind” or “big baron” who is believed to be managing part of the network from Mauritania.
The case sparked a wide debate on social media platforms and in political and media circles, as many were preoccupied with trying to find out the identity of the person the investigations were talking about, the extent of his financial influence, and the degree of his connection to the transnational criminal networks that operate between Europe, the Sahel region, and West Africa.
Public interest in the case increased after French authorities announced the pre-trial detention of Mauritanians in Paris on charges related to “money laundering” and belonging to an organized criminal network, as part of a broad security and judicial operation that extended between France and Belgium, and resulted in the arrest of a number of suspects and the confiscation of millions of euros of money and assets.
The beginning of the thread
According to French media reports, the case began in late 2023 when authorities arrested two Mauritanians in possession of nearly 200,000 euros in cash, which aroused the suspicions of investigators and prompted the prosecutor's office specializing in combating organized crime to open an in-depth investigation into the source of the funds and the parties behind them.
The arrests in this case at the Belgian security level included Hamadi Ould Bakar, Ould Omar, and Al-Hassan Bousati, while those detained in France are Sidi Ould Entaha and Mohamed Ould Allal.
The funds raised by the network were not exclusively linked to drug trafficking, but also included proceeds from other criminal activities.
As the investigation progressed, investigators uncovered what they believe to be an organized network for collecting, recycling, and secretly transferring funds from the drug trade in France and Belgium outside the traditional banking system.
Data published by the French press indicates that the detainees were making frequent trips between French and Belgian cities to collect cash amounts ranging between 100,000 and 200,000 euros per trip, before transferring it to higher levels within the network.
Investigators believe that tens of millions of euros have passed through these channels over the past three years, making the case one of the largest drug money laundering cases recently uncovered.
“ Bankers” of the criminal world
According to French authorities, the money raised by the network was not exclusively linked to drug trafficking, but also included proceeds from other criminal activities, leading investigators to describe members of the network as “secret bankers” for the criminal world, providing parallel financial services to outlaw networks.
During the searches carried out in conjunction with the arrests, police found 377,000 euros hidden inside a room in a communal residence in the suburbs of Paris, in addition to other sums distributed in different locations, while investigators believe that a significant portion of the money has not yet been found.
According to French reports, the two detainees also confessed that they were receiving about five thousand euros a month for collecting, transporting and temporarily storing money before handing it over to other intermediaries working within the network.
Money transfer system
French authorities suspect the network relied heavily on the traditional “hawala” system, an informal financial system widely used in a number of African and Asian countries to transfer money outside of traditional banking channels.
The investigations suggest that some of the funds may have been used to purchase European cars and goods for re-export to African markets.
Although this system is often used for legitimate purposes, especially in areas with poor banking services, crime enforcement agencies sometimes consider it a preferred method for concealing the trails of money derived from illegal activities.
The investigations also mention the possibility that part of the funds were used to purchase European cars and goods and re-export them to African markets via the Belgian port of Antwerp, thus allowing the suspicious cash to be converted into commercial assets whose original source is difficult to trace.
Who is “the Baron”?
Despite the wealth of information uncovered by the investigations, the most intriguing question remains unanswered: Who was the person or entity receiving these funds and running the network behind the scenes?
French reports indicate that there is a higher leadership level among the people who were arrested in Europe, but their identities have not yet been officially revealed.
In this context, a blog post by the well-informed Mauritanian writer and blogger Habibullah Ahmed attracted widespread attention after he suggested that the French investigations could lead to the exposure of influential financial figures within Mauritania if the investigations develop into a stage of international judicial cooperation and information exchange between the countries concerned.
He pointed out that those arrested in France and Belgium represent only the executive branch of the network, while the entity that makes the decisions and manages the movement of funds remains out of the spotlight.
sudden wealth
The case has brought back to the forefront an old debate within Mauritania about the sources of some of the rapid wealth that has emerged during the last two decades, especially in light of the regional expansion of smuggling networks and organized crime in the Sahel region.
The case reflects the growing role played by Mauritania, by virtue of its geographical location.
Observers believe the issue goes beyond simply searching for a specific individual, raising broader questions about the ability of states to monitor informal financial flows and confront networks that exploit porous borders and the overlap between legitimate and illegitimate business activities.
The case also reflects the growing role that Mauritania plays, by virtue of its geographical location, in the trade and financial routes that link Europe with West Africa, which makes it directly concerned with the security challenges related to combating money laundering and the financing of organized crime.
Potential repercussions
Observers predict that the scope of the investigations will widen in the coming months, especially if the French authorities manage to reach higher levels within the network or request judicial cooperation from other African and European countries.
The importance of this issue stems not only from the amount of money involved, but also from its connection to deeper transformations that the Sahel and West Africa region has witnessed over the last two decades. With increased security control over some traditional drug smuggling routes to Europe, parts of West Africa have become transit, storage, and redirection areas for cocaine shipments coming from Latin America, before they reach European markets.
Due to its geographical location between North and West Africa, and as one of the natural gateways to the coastal and desert space, Mauritania found itself within the regional environment in which cross-border smuggling networks are active, whether it concerns drugs, irregular migration, or trafficking in prohibited goods.
While awaiting the results of the ongoing investigations, the case remains open to numerous possibilities.
From this perspective, the interest in the case within Mauritania is not only related to the search for the identity of the alleged “baron,” but also reflects a growing concern about the possibility of exploiting the informal economy and unconventional financial transfer networks to funnel the proceeds of transnational criminal activities, and the long-term security and economic repercussions that may result.While awaiting the results of the ongoing investigations, the case remains open to numerous possibilities, ranging from revealing new names linked to the network to reaching capital and figures who have remained out of sight for years.
But what is certain is that the case has indeed turned into a real test of the effectiveness of international cooperation in confronting cross-border money laundering networks, and into a file that arouses the curiosity of the Mauritanian public, which follows with great interest every new development related to the identity of the person or persons believed to be at the top of this complex network.
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