03.10.24 – 5 tonnes of trafficked glass eels seized and new smuggling routes identified in global operation. A Europol-supported operation against glass eel trafficking involving over 30 countries worldwide has unveiled, for the first time, two new smuggling routes passing through Sub-Saharan countries. Up until now, glass eels were illegally fished in Europe, mainly in France, Spain and Portugal, and then shipped to Asia. In some cases, criminal groups even used mules to transport the eels. Smugglers are still using these routes. However, pressure from law enforcement has forced criminals to look for alternative routes and use Mauritania and Senegal as new countries of transit. Despite the criminals’ adaptability, police authorities managed to seize five tonnes of trafficked eels in the past few months only. Cooperation with the new transit countries on the newly identified smuggling routes is essential to combat organised criminal groups engaged in glass eel trafficking.
02.10.24 – Lorry driver had £620k drugs hidden under chicken. A lorry driver who tried to smuggle £620,000 worth of cannabis from Holland to Northern Ireland has been jailed. Sergei Bacaianov, 42, of no fixed abode, was travelling by ferry from the Netherlands to Killingholme on 4 May 2023, carrying a load of fresh chicken in his trailer. National Crime Agency (NCA) Belfast branch commander David Cunningham said Bacaianov was “not only aware of the illegal load he was smuggling but involved in loading the drugs into a sophisticated hide beneath the floor of his trailer”. He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison at Grimsby Crown Court earlier, having previously pleaded guilty to a charge of drugs importation on 25 September.
01.10.24 – Three arrested as part of operation targeting organised crime in Cork. Three people were arrested and €7,000 of suspected illegal drugs were seized during the course of searches in Cork city and Cobh today. The searches were carried out as part of ongoing investigations targeting organised crime in Cork region. Gardaí attached to Cork County Division arrested a woman and two men, all aged in their 30s, during the course of the operation. The operation was led by the Cork Crime Office, supported by gardaí from Community Engagement, the Armed Support Unit, the Garda Dog Unit, Divisional Search Units, and specialist regional units.
01.10.24 – ‘Keep organised crime out’: Criminal record extract now needed for port jobs. This is one of a slew of measures covered by the Maritime Security Act, which came into force on 1 January 2023 and was extended on 1 June this year. The extension has been branched out to also protect inland shipping, barge terminals and other establishment units that impact maritime security. Another key element is mandatory security verifications, which will gradually enter into force from 1 January 2025. This will see police and intelligence agencies screen employees in “critical positions” (clerks, administrative staff, port workers, ship’s agents, freight forwarders and security guards) to discover if they have links to criminal networks.
30.09.24 – Italian police arrest 19 people in massive probe targeting mafia links to Milan soccer ‘ultra’ fans. Italian police arrested 19 people, accused of criminal ties with the powerful ‘Ndrangheta mafia group, in a move that decimated the fan clubs backing Serie A teams Inter Milan and AC Milan. Prosecutors said at a press conference on Monday that possible charges include criminal association, with the use of “mafia methods,” extortion, assault and other serious offenses. According to the wide investigation, the criminal ring was linked to ‘Ndrangheta – the Italian mafia organization that has emerged in recent years as one of the most powerful crime syndicates in the world, rivaling the better-known Sicilian mob.
