Police find record €12.6 million in cash hidden in Eindhoven home

When police and prosecutors raided a house in Eindhoven as part of a money laundering investigation, they discovered a massive 12.6 million euros in cash, the most ever found in a single place during a criminal investigation. The record sum was kept in a hidden room inside the house, and included paper bills with all denominations up to 500 euro notes.

It also had a considerable weight, police said. The combined total of 12.580 million euros weighed approximately 255 kilograms.

A 35-year-old man was arrested in the home at the time of the raid on May 1, police said. He was being kept in restricted custody and was only allowed contact with his attorney.

He was remanded into custody on Monday for an initial two weeks of pretrial detention, while the investigation into the case continues. Aside from the cash, police found a money counter, a mobile device using the Pretty Good Privacy protocol, and two loaded firearms.

“Every year, billions of euros in criminal money are laundered in the Netherlands. This happens, for example, with drug trafficking, fraud or financial fraud,” the police said in a statement. They said fighting money laundering and a system of underground banking to arrange payment for elicit activities is a high priority for them and prosecutors because it helps tackle other forms of criminal activity in the long run.