NEW: OCCRP is part of the #FinCENFiles, an investigation led by @ICIJorg and based on a leak obtained by @BuzzFeedNews that exposes how illicit money flows have fueled criminality worldwide.
OCCRP’s initial investigations focus on Reza Zarrab, a Turkish money launderer who was arrested by the US for aiding in sanctions evasion.
In this story, we detail how Zarrab and his family used gold-for-cash schemes to funnel billions into Iran. 2/ occrp.org/en/the-fincen-…
The exact amount Zarrab made from money laundering may never be known, but much of his loot went towards big yachts and personal submarines.
In this story, reporters used social media posts and gov't records to chronicle his extravagant lifestyle. 3/ occrp.org/en/the-fincen-…
Zarrab is most known for money laundering for Iran. Little attention has been given to his shell companies that moved money into Russia.
This story shows how Zarrab exploited lax rules in Dubai and other hubs of financial crime for such purposes. 4/ occrp.org/en/the-fincen-…
OCCRP will continue to release more investigations from the #FinCENFiles.
Until then, follow this page for rolling coverage of smaller but notable banking irregularities — including one involving Paul Manafort — we found in the leaked documents. 5/ occrp.org/en/the-fincen-…
The #FinCENFiles is based on leaked documents obtained by @BuzzFeedNews. To learn more about this project — which involved 400+ journalists — read this overview from @ICIJorg, the group that led this massive effort. 6/ occrp.org/en/the-fincen-…
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Confidential documents show the inner workings of cocaine smuggling from Ecuador to Europe via fruit shipments — and reveal some of the alleged top bananas 🍌
Here’s how the documents connect cocaine, bananas, and a convicted Balkan drug lord.
In 2021, two alleged traffickers said on an encrypted message app that “no one but them” was allowed to smuggle cocaine in containers exported by Noboa Trading, according to Croatian prosecutors’ documents.
One of these alleged traffickers involved in loading the shipments was fugitive Nikola Đorđević, according to docs obtained by @KRIKrs.
A separate gang headed by convicted Montenegrin drug lord Darko Šarić was allegedly responsible for offloading cocaine in Croatia, files say.
Days before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Belarusian government sold a plot of land in an exclusive Russian ski resort town for 20 times cheaper than its market value.
Now an elite ‘hotel complex’ is being built on that land — but not just for anyone.
The development includes VIP villas and Turkish spas, as well as high-security features like guard posts and a drone suppression system.
It may be intended for Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
Last year, @osbbelpol and @Belsat_TV reported that the site had been transferred on Lukashenko’s orders to a private Russian company run by people tied to his “right-hand man,” Viktor Sheiman.
Now, @BelarusFiles has obtained new information on the money behind the complex — and whose name is on the documents.
Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Belarus
🌎Here's this week's round-the-world roundup of OCCRP's biggest stories and scoops
Newly obtained documents reveal the people and companies who paid for the elite development near the Russian resort city of Sochi. Many have ties to Viktor Sheiman, a regime enforcer often described as Belarusian Dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s “right hand" occrp.org/en/investigati…
Why are some European drug gangs burying cocaine instead of selling It? Wholesale prices are in the gutter across much of Europe, forcing drug smugglers to try to manipulate the market. OCCRP explains the factors affecting Europe's cocaine supply in 2025: occrp.org/en/feature/faq…
On September 28, World News Day unites newsrooms worldwide to showcase the power of fact-based reporting amid rising authoritarianism, misinformation, and Big Tech dominance. #WND2025
What would your feed look like without fact-based journalism?
Canada is trying to deport Jimmy DeMaria, allegedly a senior figure in the "Siderno Group,” which authorities say is a Toronto-based branch of Italy’s ’Ndrangheta mafia. As @CBC reports, the case hinges on foreign wiretaps — raising questions about foreign interference and constitutional rights in Canada. cbc.ca/news/politics/…
@CBC cites two OCCRP reports about the Siderno Group, including our 2024 deep dive, in collaboratiion with the @TorontoStar, into how Italy’s ’Ndrangheta mafia allegedly used personal ties inside two major Canadian banks: occrp.org/en/investigati…
One of the alleged leaders of the Toronto faction of the ’Ndrangheta was Italian immigrant Angelo Figliomeni, who appears to have had close relationships with employees at the Royal Bank of Canada and TD.
“You’re never busy for your banker. You know that, eh? Your accountant, your banker — even more important than the priest,” a financial planner at TD told Figliomeni’s senior associate.