22.08.23 – 700kg of cocaine caught en route to the Canary Islands. Europol has supported the Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) in dismantling a criminal organisation smuggling large quantities of cocaine from South America to the EU via the Canary Islands. The operation also involved law enforcement authorities from Croatia, Italy and Serbia. The investigation identified a significant threat; criminal organisations’ increasing ability to collaborate closely and deploy members to different locations for longer periods to enable large-scale drug trafficking. The international cooperation of law enforcement authorities across the EU was therefore crucial for intercepting the suspects and halting their criminal activities.
24.08.23 – More than a tonne of cannabis is seized in Melbourne: Drugs alleged to be linked to Albanian organised crime syndicate. More than a tonne of cannabis alleged to be linked to an Albanian organised crime syndicate has been seized in Melbourne’s northwest. A man and a woman have been arrested after officers descended on five homes in Deer Park, Rockbank, Greenvale, Taylors Hill and Taylors Lake on Tuesday. A 47-year-old Albanian man who police will allege was the ringleader of the syndicate was arrested, as well as a 44-year-old Columbian woman who police allege was a ‘crop sitter’.
25.08.23 – Small boats people smuggling network dismantled following covert NCA investigation. Three men who organised people smuggling crossings from France and Belgium to the UK have been sentenced to more than 14 years imprisonment. National Crime Agency officers established that Albanians Banet Tershana, Klodian Shenaj, Jetmir Myrtaj and British national Desmond Rice were responsible for a number of crossings in October 2022.
27.08.23 – A gang in Haiti opens fire on a crowd of parishioners trying to rid the community of criminals. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — A powerful gang opened fire Saturday on a large group of parishioners led by a pastor as they marched through a community armed with machetes to rid the area of gang members. The attack was filmed in real time by journalists at the scene, and several people were killed and others injured, Marie Yolène Gilles, director of human rights group Fondasyon Je Klere, told The Associated Press.
