Hong Kong police have cracked a money laundering case involving cryptocurrency worth HK$230 million, with a mainland woman sentenced to 47.5 months in prison

According to HK01, the Hong Kong police have cracked a cross-border money laundering case. The involved group used 43 Hong Kong bank accounts to process funds from 34 fraud cases between June and September 2024, amounting to approximately HKD 18 million, and is suspected of laundering up to HKD 230 million in criminal proceeds through cryptocurrency transactions via bank accounts.

The police investigation found that a 34-year-old woman from mainland China is suspected of coming to Hong Kong to set up multiple puppet bank accounts, assisting the criminal group in laundering approximately HKD 9.29 million in criminal proceeds, and purchasing cryptocurrency through virtual asset exchange shops to disguise the source and flow of funds. The woman was sentenced to 47.5 months in prison.

The Hong Kong police remind that assisting a criminal group in handling funds could face up to 10 years in prison, and those involved in money laundering could face fines of up to HKD 5 million and imprisonment for up to 14 years.