Spain arrests 83 people, including 28 players, in fixing probe

[January 10, 2019]  MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish Civil Guard has arrested 83 people, including 28 professional players, following an investigation into match-fixing by an organized Armenian criminal gang, the European Union's Europol agency said on Thursday.

Eleven house searches were carried out in Spain in which 167,000 euros in cash were seized, along with a shotgun, more than 50 electronic devices, credit cards, five luxury vehicles and documentation related to the case. Also 42 bank accounts and their balances have been frozen.

One of the 28 players took part in the last US Open, although their identity has not been revealed.

(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Gareth Jones)

[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.