Police in 26 countries have arrested 1,013 individuals suspected of having moved money derived from illegal activities in exchange for petty cash. This marks the largest international operation targeting so-called money mules, the European Union's law enforcement agency, Europol, said on Monday.

More than 17.5 million euros (US$18.39 million) have been confiscated from “money mules” and nearly 2,500 suspects have been arrested in a worldwide three-month action involving law enforcement from 25 countries.