La Tapadera II
Wild weekend down on Spain's Costa del Crime. That's the coastal strip stretching from Marbella to Malaga to you, mate. Spanish police said they smashed a massive international money-laundering ring suspected of processing some €250 million ($336 million) for gangs involved in murder, drug trafficking, arms dealing and prostitution. Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, French and Finnish nationals were hauled in and a boat, two planes and more than 40 luxury cars were also seized. Spanish authorities said they suspected some of the cash was siphoned from Russian oil company Yukos, then diverted to a Dutch company and then piped to one of its Spanish branches. Sounds very much like a hit film from 1993. Remember La Tapadera? Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Hal Holbrook, Tom Cruise (Mitch McDeere) and Gene Hackman (Avery Tolar), "el socio de la firma al que designan instructor de Mitch", as they say in Spain.
And the uncanny/delightful/predictable bit is that seven lawyers were among those rounded up in the raid. Very Grishamist. Let the casting commence!
