16.05.24 – More than 100 arrested in suspected gang operation. More than 100 people have been arrested as part of a year-long operation targeting suspected organised criminal gangs. Cleveland Police carried out raids in Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Redcar and Cleveland in attempts to tackle those involved in drug dealing, exploitation and human trafficking. At one address, officers said they had received reports “12 people had been queuing in the street” to buy drugs. Insp Adrian Dack said Operation Artemis had made “a huge difference targeting criminals and helping those who have to live near them”.
16.05.24 – The main opposition candidate on how to fight organised crime in Mexico. In recent years Mexico has found itself grappling with a deep security crisis, threatening its very democratic foundations. As criminal organisations cast a shadow over society, the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has failed to fulfil its basic responsibility of protecting the life and freedom of citizens. Criminal violence remains unchecked, and the government increasingly resorts to post-truth politics and unlawful, undemocratic means to maintain power.
17.05.24 – Two arrested as Gardai seize cocaine and cash in operation targeting organised crime group. Two men have been arrested after Gardaí seized cocaine with a six-figure value alongside tens of thousands of euros in cash in Dublin. Gardaí attached to the Dublin Crime Response Team netted the haul on Thursday as part of an operation targeting an organised crime group involved in the sale and supply of controlled drugs in the South County Dublin area. During the search of a vehicle in the Sallynoggin area, Gardaí recovered cocaine with an estimated street value of €160,000. In a follow-up search at a residential property in the Ballybrack area, Gardaí seized €78,460 in cash.
17.05.24 – Sicilian man sentenced in Italy for organised crime, cocaine trafficking, arrested in Malta. A Sicilian man, wanted by the Italian authorities in connection with an investigation into organised crime and cocaine trafficking has appeared in court following his arrest in Malta. Gianluca Caruso, 32, had been living in Malta for seven years before his arrest and arraignment in court, Magistrate Joseph Gatt was told on Friday. The slightly-built defendant was accompanied in court by his partner, with whom, the court was told, he is expecting a child.
19.05.24 – French prison break: violent scenes are a symptom of authorities’ struggle with organised crime. A manhunt is underway in France after armed men held up a prison van to break out convicted criminal Mohamed Amra, nicknamed “the fly” (La mouche). They killed two offers and injured several more in the process. France may not be the first European country that springs to mind when organised crime is mentioned, but Amra’s case, and his audacious escape in broad daylight in front of multiple witnesses, is indicative of the pressures authorities currently face in trying to keep pace with the trade in drugs and arms.
