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Mastermind no more
Authorities in Argentina have frozen the assets of the alleged brains behind an illegal online gambling network in operation since 2020.
According to reports, assets worth ARS$7bn ($4.8m) belonging to Roberto Javier Zuco, 54, are on ice for allegedly masterminding an illegal online gambling operation that “functioned outside state regulation and tax oversight.”
raids on “exclusive gated communities” in the upmarket Buenos Aires province of Canning
Federal judge Jorge Rodríguez charged Zuco with money laundering and running an illegal gambling organization after October raids on “exclusive gated communities” in the upmarket Buenos Aires province of Canning.
In addition to the asset freeze, Judge Rodríguez ordered Zuco to remain in pretrial custody.
According to La Nación, Zuco operated an illegal gambling platform branded Celuapuestas, which allegedly offered gambling via sites and social media networks outside of official regulation.
Informant triggers probe
The potential end of the line for Zuco’s operation began after an informant revealed the existence of a “structured network,” prompting authorities to launch an investigation in May 2023.
Fast-forward to the October 15 raids in Buenos Aires, where National Gendarmerie forces arrested 19 suspects and seized 60 vehicles, ARS$120m ($82,615) in cash, 40 computers, storage devices, mobile phones, guns, and 12 kilograms of cannabis.
Reports state that the raid force used drone surveillance to arrest one suspect, 48-year-old Jorge Valdivia, after he was filmed loading a suitcase containing ARS$12m ($8,260) “into a vehicle as he attempted to leave a gated community.” Authorities charged Valdivia as an accomplice and ordered him under house arrest along with an ARS$2bn ($1.4m) asset freeze.
In his ruling, Judge Rodríguez said the case revealed how technology and small cash deposits could be combined to hide illegal gambling proceeds.
Sophisticated crime
The judge gave an insight into the sophisticated structure of Zuco’s criminal brainchild, stating the operation “included a network of tellers and ‘mules’: people who made small, fragmented deposits at different banks, thus circumventing the automatic controls of the financial system.”
Judge Rodríguez said the gang then laundered the money via multiple channels including “cash withdrawals, purchases of registered assets – such as vehicles or real estate – and investments in cryptocurrencies.”
According to La Nación, police are still seeking 19 fugitives.
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