On 4 November, Georgia and 15 other states arrested 20 individuals suspected of belonging to the QQAAZZ criminal network which has laundered tens of millions of euros on behalf of the world’s foremost cybercriminals. 

Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) stated that as a result of the international police cooperation coordinated by Europol, an unprecedented international police operation, 2BaGoldMule was held. The operation was preceded by a complex investigation conducted by the police of Portugal, the United States and Spain, as well as the law enforcement agencies of the United Kingdom, Georgia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Australia, Sweden, Austria and Belgium under the coordination of Europol. 

It was established that QQAAZZ network, whose members were from Latvia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania and Belgium, had opened hundreds of corporate and personal bank accounts around the world, where money illegally appropriated from the accounts of victims was transferred by cybercriminals. According to the National Crime Agency, QQAAZZ group advertised its money laundering services on various Russian-speaking online cyber-crime forums and since 2016, laundered tens of millions on behalf of prolific cyber criminals, including criminals behind Dridex and Trickbot malware. The mentioned funds were then transferred to QQAAZZ-controlled accounts and often converted into cryptocurrencies.