MADRID, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish National Police's Economic and Fiscal Delinquency (UDEF) unit launched an anti-fraud operation on Thursday, and arrested 22 people on charges including trafficking and misuse of public funds, police sources have confirmed in Spanish media.
The El Pais newspaper reported that over 500 police officers and 30 judicial agents have taken part in the operation named 'Estela,' which covers the Catalan cities of Barcelona, Tarragona and Girona, which are located in northeast Spain. The number of detainees is expected to rise to over 30.
The operation is investigating the possible channeling of funds worth at least 2 million euros (about 2.34 million U.S. dollars) supposedly destined for private accounts in developing countries, perhaps in support of the pro-Catalan independence movement.
The newspaper El Correo quoted members of the UDEF as saying that at least 10 million euros (about 11.71 million dollars) could have been defrauded, adding that the money could have been used to fund the Catalan independence process.
