Argentine authorities have frozen assets worth ARS$7bn (€4.1m) belonging to the alleged mastermind of an illegal online gambling operation that functioned outside state regulation and tax oversight.
Roberto Javier Zuco, 54, was formally charged with money laundering and organising illegal gambling following raids in October at exclusive gated communities in Canning, Buenos Aires province.
Federal judge Jorge Rodríguez ordered Zuco to remain in pretrial detention and imposed the asset freeze, according to local newspaper La Nación.
The case centres on an illegal online gambling platform operating under the trade name Celuapuestas, which allegedly offered gambling through websites and social networks outside official regulation.
The investigation began in May 2023 following information from an informant about the existence of the structured network.
Judge Rodríguez said the case demonstrated how technology and cash could be combined to conceal illicit proceeds.
He said in his ruling: “Throughout this case, the Prosecutor’s Office has shown that the defendants set up and operated a clandestine online gambling platform that functioned outside of any state regulation and without tax oversight.”
The ruling detailed how the alleged criminal structure operated through a network of individuals making fragmented bank deposits to circumvent financial system controls.
Judge Rodríguez added: “The criminal structure 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.”
“Subsequently, the money was laundered through various manoeuvres: cash withdrawals, purchases of registered assets – such as vehicles or real estate – and investments in cryptocurrencies.”
During raids on 15 October, authorities arrested 19 suspects and seized 60 vehicles and ARS$120m in cash.
National Gendarmerie forces also confiscated 40 computers, storage devices, numerous mobile phones, three firearms and 12 kilograms of cannabis.
One suspect, Jorge Valdivia, 48, was arrested after drone surveillance captured him loading a suitcase containing ARS$12m into a vehicle as he attempted to leave a gated community.
He was prosecuted as an accomplice and granted house arrest with a ARS$2bn asset freeze.
The illegal activity allegedly began in 2020, with the investigation led by Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Hurlingham prosecutor Santiago Marquevich. 19 fugitives remain at large.
#Argentina #IllegalGambling #MoneyLaundering #GamingRegulation #LawEnforcement
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