News briefing week of 13 June

12/06 Illegal donkey skin trade is a ‘trojan horse’ for wildlife trafficking, claims charity. Vast numbers of donkey skins are being sold illegally on social media sites, a new investigation has revealed. 13/06 A double-edged sword: The role of technology in combating wildlife crime. New approaches are needed to develop, procure and implement technology in…

News briefing – Week of 6 May

06/06 International Maritime Organization adopts new guidelines to combat wildlife smuggling. The 46th Meeting of the Facilitation Committee (FAL46) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted new ‘Guidelines for the Prevention and Suppression of the Smuggling of Wildlife on Ships Engaged in International Maritime Traffic’. 06/06 Team Europe strengthens cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean…

News briefing – Week of 23 May

23/05 EUROPOL’ s operation: Nearly 40 tonnes of counterfeit cigarettes were seized in France. The investigation, involving several customs services and the assistance of the French network of customs attachés (especially in Dubai), led to the seizure of 40 tonnes of counterfeit cigarettes in the Marseille and Paris regions. 23/05 Trafficking of Illegal Firearms Severely…

News briefing – Week of 9 of May

09/05 Interpol Finds Organized Crime’s Fingerprints on Gold Mining. Interpol’s new analysis for law enforcement, the international police force, shows “the clear involvement of organised criminals in illegal gold mining, taking advantage of surging gold prices and leaving severe environmental degradation in their wake.” 10/05 Organised crime in Kenya and new technology. The advancement of…

News briefing – Week of 25 of April

26/04 Surge in drug abuse strains Zimbabwe’s health system. Zimbabwe does not have official data on drug or substance abuse, but organisations such as ZCLDN say anecdotal evidence points to high illicit drug use in the country, especially after the outbreak of Covid-19. 29/04 New Europol and EMCDDA Analyses of the European Drug Market. Europol and…

News briefing – Week of 18 of April

18/04 The global environmental impacts of cocaine. The environmental impacts of cocaine have long been known. Studies raised alarm bells in the 1990s over narco-driven deforestation, soil degradation and pollution in Latin America. Today, the impacts all along the illegal drug supply chain are even better understood and documented but remain underrecognized and underreported. 21/04…

News briefing – Week of 4 April

07/04 Cape Verdean police seize over 5 tonnes of cocaine. Cape Verdean police seized more than five tonnes of cocaine at sea onboard a fishing boat from Brazil, with the help of American agents. 09/04 Major cocaine smuggling gang busted in Algeciras with 3,500 kilos of the drug found. A joint operation involving officers from…

News briefing – Week of 7 March

9/03 Arrests and seizures in a 28-country operation targeting trafficking in cultural property. A global operation targeting illicit trafficking in cultural goods has led to 52 arrests and the seizure of 9 408 cultural artefacts across the world. These priceless items include archaeological objects, furniture, coins, paintings, musical instruments and statuettes. 08/03 Southern Cone Ports…

News briefing – week of 21 February

21/02 Tobacco smuggling ring brought down in Spain and Portugal. With the support of Europol’s European Financial and Economic Crime Centre, a joint investigation between Spain’s Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) and Customs Surveillance Directorate (Dirección Adjunta de Vigilancia Aduanera) and Portugal’s Republican National Guard (Guardia Nacional Republicana) has led to the dismantlement of a criminal…