02.09.24 – A 3-Ton Cocaine Seizure in Venezuela Highlights Asia Trafficking Routes. The seizure of a three-ton cocaine shipment at Venezuela’s main airport highlights the role of airport infrastructure in international drug trafficking and exposes an unusual drug trafficking route. On August 24, the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) seized three tons of cocaine that was to be shipped on an EMTRASUR (a state-owned Venezuelan airline) cargo flight from the Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetía, located in the state of La Guaira, near Caracas. The shipment was destined for Afghanistan but was to make a stopover in Russia, according to a media report.
03.09.24 – 19 migrant smugglers detained in Romania. On an action day conducted on 2 September 2024 across Romania, law enforcement executed 40 search warrants and intercepted 19 members of a criminal network engaged in migrant smuggling. Europol supported this operation, which is the result of a common investigation between Hungarian, Italian, Romanian and Slovenian authorities. The criminals concealed the migrants among merchandise or squeezed them into compartments in modified vehicles, displaying the utmost disregard for their safety and well-being.
03.09.24 – Wickford man arrested in Thailand over organised crime investigation. A Wickford man has been arrested in Thailand in connection with a years-long Essex Police investigation into the wholesale supply of cocaine across the South East of England. Essex Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) has been carrying out enquiries into a suspected drug supply network, focusing on the sale of large quantities of Class A and B substances. The investigation focused specifically on supply activity between July 2021 and May 2022.
04.09.24 – Four guilty of 1.5 tonne cannabis importation after NCA sting operation. A group of men from south east England have been found guilty of smuggling 1.5 tonnes of cannabis from Ghana to the UK hidden in sacks of Gari powder. Cannabis 1Their convictions follow a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation that led to NCA and Border Force officers discovering the drugs haul inside a shipping container at Tilbury Docks, Essex.
06.09.24 – Brave words, Yvette Cooper – but refugees like me know Britain can’t stop people traffickers. The home secretary is holding a “landmark” summit on Friday aimed at smashing people-smuggling gangs all over the world. I am a Syrian refugee in the UK and I believe this will lead to more people like me becoming slaves in countries such as Libya, or losing our lives in the sea.
