The Court of First Instance with General Jurisdiction of Tirana, the capital of Albania, has ordered the seizure of assets worth 30 million euros belonging to Álvaro Romillo Castillo, known in Spain by the nickname “CryptoSpain”, as part of an investigation into money laundering, a criminal offense provided for in Article 287 of the Albanian Criminal Code, which punishes the concealment, conversion or transfer of assets of illegal origin.
"Operation Capital" was conducted in the Dhërmi area by the Money Laundering and Criminal Assets Investigation Section of the State Police, under the direction of the Tirana Prosecution Office, following an in-depth investigation focused on locating and securing assets of illegal origin.
Dhërmiu is a coastal area in southern Albania, located in the Vlora district, on the shores of the Ionian Sea, part of what is known as the Albanian Riviera, an area of high tourist and real estate value.
The seizures include two parcels of agricultural land measuring 13.6 and 9.5 hectares, three commercial companies, a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Mercedes-Benz AMG G 63, as well as a number of bank accounts, according to local media reports.
The procedural actions, registered within the framework of criminal proceedings no. 6905/2025, identify as involved Álvaro Romillo Castillo, his father Domingo Romillo Iriarte and his partner, Romanian citizen Mihaela Munteanu Manole.
In Albania, money laundering activities are mainly channeled through three companies: Wingwort, Wortend and Wortnova.
All had the same object of activity: "Activity in the field of tourism, opening and management of hotels, buildings, etc.", "Real estate management, tourist agency services", through companies created and involved in contracts, transfers and commercial exchanges with foreign companies registered in Bulgaria, Slovakia and Malaysia (Labuan, offshore jurisdiction).
Through these three companies, Romillo, his father and his partner purchased property in Dhërmi through purchase and sale contracts at values far below the real market price, a common practice in money laundering schemes to give legal appearance to illicit funds.
The authorities found that these companies had the same address, shared administrators, and were in "suspended" status, which strengthens suspicions of their purely instrumental use.
Based on the evidence collected, the Albanian Prosecutor's Office has requested that the case be sent for trial.
"Operation Capital" was led by the Prosecutor's Office of Tirana, the capital of Albania.
Álvaro Romillo, in prison in Spain
Álvaro Romillo is currently in custody in Spain and is awaiting the decision of the judge of the Central Court of Investigation No. 4 of the National Audience, José Manuel Calama, to open the trial regarding one of the largest suspected cryptocurrency-related frauds investigated in Spain in recent years.
Romillo is being investigated for allegedly creating a fraudulent investment scheme through the Madeira Invest Club (MIC) platform, which allegedly collected funds from thousands of investors with promises of high and stable profits.
According to judicial estimates, the value of the fraud could exceed 250 million euros, with over 3,000 victims, represented mainly by the law firm Zaballos Abogados.
In December 2025, the investigating judge of the National Audience filed an indictment against Romillo and other persons involved for alleged criminal offenses of aggravated fraud, criminal organization and money laundering, also setting a very high financial guarantee to cover possible civil liabilities.
The magistrate assessed that there was a high risk of flight, based on the existence of assets and bank accounts abroad, which led to the imposition of a pre-trial detention measure without the right to parole.
The investigation describes a mode of operation similar to a pyramid scheme, where payments to early investors were allegedly financed by contributions from new investors, without any real investment activity to justify the promised profits.
The issue also has an international dimension, with companies and financial flows in different jurisdictions. Albania is just one of the cases involved.
Currently, the proceedings are in the interim phase, awaiting the concretization of the final charges and the decision to hold the trial.
Meanwhile, investigations continue to locate assets, determine responsibilities, and fully assess economic damage.
The CryptoSpain case has become a judicial symbol of the growth and risks of the cryptocurrency market in Spain and is expected to set an important precedent in the prosecution of fraud related to digital investments./CONFILEGAL
