Berlin, Oct 6 (IANS): In a major raid against organised crime, German police forces searched homes and offices and made ten arrest warrants in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Bremen on Wednesday.

The operation was directed against "members of an internationally operating money laundering and hawala network," Duesseldorf police said in a statement.

More than 1,000 forces, including special units, have searched over 80 properties, Xinhua news agency reported.

Investigations already started in May 2020 after a gym bag with 300,000 euros (around $346,000) in cash was found in a crashed car by a customs patrol, public broadcaster WDR reported.

One of the two car occupants is said to have supported IS fighters in the Syrian province of Idlib.

According to the police, both men are believed to be part of a larger group that collects money from refugees in Germany, among others, to channel it to Turkey or Syria.

Police assume that at least 100 million euros have been laundered. (1 euro = $1.16)