Two men charged 800 kilos of gold smuggled - now facing prison

A 56-year-old and a 63-year-old Swiss man have to answer to the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona for money laundering. According to the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, they allegedly smuggled millions in money and hundreds of kilograms of gold across the border over a period of years.

The two suspects were arrested in June 2023 as part of a joint operation with the Italian authorities, as announced by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) on Thursday. The two alleged perpetrators have confessed, which is why the trial is to take place in summary proceedings.

The OAG accuses the two men of having moved assets obtained from the international narcotics trade across borders for at least four years as part of an internationally active network in breach of applicable declaration obligations. According to the indictment, this involved money amounting to 34 million euros, one million Swiss francs and around 830 kilograms of gold.

From Holland to Dubai

Specifically, between spring 2019 and June 2023, the two men allegedly accepted assets of criminal origin, particularly in the form of cash, from persons unknown to them in Italy, the Netherlands and Germany and brought them to Switzerland.

According to the indictment, the suspects transported the money in specially constructed hiding places in vehicles. Primarily in Italy, they exchanged the money they collected for gold, which they then brought to Switzerland without declaring it.

According to the indictment, it was mostly the 63-year-old accused who carried out these trips on behalf of his younger partner. After a stopover at the 56-year-old accused's companies in Switzerland, the assets were again moved across borders by the two accused by plane to Istanbul or Dubai or by car and truck to Germany and Turkey.

In custody for months

According to the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, the assets moved originated from internationally organized drug smuggling or large-scale drug trafficking in Europe, which the two suspects knew or at least considered possible and condoned. The two men made a profit of around 500,000 Swiss francs and were guilty of qualified money laundering, according to the indictment.

The 63-year-old accused was remanded in custody from his arrest in June 2023 until the beginning of November 2023, his younger accomplice from his arrest in June 2023 until the end of September 2024. As always, the presumption of innocence applies until a final judgment is handed down.

SDA