This is how Tania (30) became Europe’s most wanted

On 23 September, Europol started its annual Most Wanted campaign.

The aim is for the general public in all European countries to help the authorities find wanted persons.

This year’s campaign focuses on leaders and key people in organized criminal gangs.

Of the hundred people Europol has on its list, only six are women.

One of them is Swedish Tania Gomez (30).

Illegal dog trade

– Gomez is wanted for serious drug-related crimes and serious money laundering, Europol states on its website.

They write that she is 30 years old and 160 centimeters tall – and associated with a criminal organization in Stockholm.

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According to Aftonbladet, Gomez portrays himself as a committed dog rescuer in social media, but Europol has a completely different picture of the 30-year-old.

– Her role has been to deliver and transport large quantities of drugs and money, says Europol.

Furthermore, they write that she is also suspected of having engaged in illegal animal trading.

Because of all this, she is now one of Europe’s most wanted people.

Hells Angels and Bandidos

In June 2020, the police raided the premises of the exchange office World Exchange on Södermalm in Stockholm.

According to Expressen, the police found 15 million Swedish kroner in cash that had been hidden in various places in the venue.

The police had then scouted the exchange office for around a year, and saw several known criminals coming and going.

The regular customers were members from both the Hells Angels and Bandidos, as well as the notorious criminal network Vårbynävretvet and the gang Lejonen.

In addition to these, the police also noticed a brunette who kept visiting the office.

According to the police, it would turn out to be Tania Gomez.

Will not comment

Gomez is the founder of the popular dog rescue organization HundGärin, which has over 5,000 followers on social media.

She has never previously been suspected of serious crime.

It is not known how she reacts to the suspicions and the Europol wanted list.

Her lawyer Mia Joleby does not want to comment on either the accusations or the search warrant.

– We have no comment, says Joleby to Dagbladet.

Found the leader

During the raid of the exchange office, the police discovered that one of the World Exchange accounts was named Nero.

Police linked a 31-year-old man to the Nero account. He was appointed as the group’s leader.

The police dug further into the Nero network, and that’s when Tania Gomez came into the picture. She has reportedly known the Nero leader for a long time.

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Hidden in bags and above ceilings

In total, the network is said to have laundered close to 90 million Swedish kroner on the World Exchange, according to Aftonbladet.

According to the police, Gomez had constantly exchanged money at the office.

In just one visit, she was allegedly able to exchange millions.

– We have connected 16 criminal networks to this office, and they have kept money and made transactions. So through this, drug dealing has been made possible, both in Sweden and abroad. It would not have been possible without this office, said Attorney General Arne Fors to the Swedish news agency TT.

Secret chats

The police suspect that Tania Gomez has been central to the money management – as well as the storage, delivery and sale of large quantities of drugs.

According to the police, Gomez and the leader of the Nero organization communicated in the encrypted messaging system EncroChat.

The former allegedly sent pictures of drugs several times.

Tons of dope and money

Dagbladet has previously written about how criminal organizations collapsed throughout Europe in the spring of 2020.

French and Dutch police had managed to hack into EncroChat, and were therefore able to expose thousands of criminals who used the service.

Norwegian Police was involved in the operation, which led to several hundred cases.

In June 2021, 750 people were arrested in a huge police operation in Germany.

Among other things, the Germans seized 3.2 tonnes of cannabis, 400 kilograms of cocaine and 168 million euros.

Just before Christmas last year, it emerged that 2,631 people were suspected as a result of the police gaining access to EncroChat.

Tonnes of drugs and millions of pounds were seized, and over a thousand people have so far been charged, according to the BBC.

In Sweden, murders have been prevented, and last summer as many as 155 people were arrested as a result of the EncroChat disclosure.

Twelve convicted

In February this year, twelve people were sentenced for having been involved in the World Exchange scandal, according to the Swedish national broadcaster SVT.

Four of the convicted have been active at the exchange office, while the other eight, according to SVT, have connections to criminal networks that used the office to launder money.

In court it emerged that between January 2019 and June 2020 a total of SEK 200 million was laundered at the office.

– Bank for criminals

– The people at the exchange office have been convicted of extremely extensive and systematic money laundering. The crimes involved very high values, and meant that the exchange office in practice functioned as a bank for criminal networks and others active in the drug trade. The crime is therefore so serious that long prison sentences have been handed down, said councilor Erland Koch.

The district court judgment has been appealed, and the Supreme Court’s decision is expected, according to Aftonbladet, at the beginning of November.

– We don’t know where they are

After the World Exchange raid, Gomez and the Nero manager exchanged a series of intense messages, according to police.

– They are all over the place. Spain, customs, here, everywhere, Gomez wrote.

Until December 2020, the dog rescue organization HundGärin was very active on Instagram and Facebook.

Suddenly all activity stopped.

This is the latest post they posted on Facebook:

Both Gomez and the Nero leader are now on the run, and a search is underway for them with lights and lanterns.

Authorities have no idea where the duo may be in the world.

– We don’t know where they are, says Attorney General Arne Fors.