Eleven arrested in 1xBet network in Akbou
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Algérie 360
Algerian police have arrested eleven people in Akbou, Béjaïa Province, over operations linked to online betting and the conversion of funds through several digital platforms. Searches resulted in the seizure of 900 million centimes, 2,510 euros and equipment, according to Algérie 360.
Eleven people have been arrested in Akbou, Béjaïa Province, Algeria, as part of the dismantling of a network linked to online betting on 1xBet, reports Algérie 360. The alleged members converted players’ funds into digital dollars, notably through Binance, RedotPay and Mobcash.
The investigation, initially opened by the Akbou mobile judicial police brigade over psychotropic drug trafficking, led to a 25-year-old man who was carrying out large foreign-exchange operations. Searches resulted in the seizure of 900 million centimes in dinars, 2,510 euros, banknote counters, counterfeit-money detectors, computers and phones.
The suspects are being prosecuted for money laundering, breaches of foreign-exchange regulations and the operation of virtual-currency platforms within a transnational criminal group. Two were placed in pre-trial detention and the others under judicial supervision, according to Algérie 360.
The 1xBet platform, operated from abroad, is not authorised in Algeria. Local agents top up players’ accounts in exchange for a commission, before the dinars collected in cash are converted into digital dollars. These operations also fuel the parallel currency market, reports Algérie 360.
The case is part of a series of money-laundering cases and seizures in Algeria, including the seizure of 250 billion centimes reported on 2 October in a money-laundering case.
