News briefing – Week of 30 May

30/05 Five arrests in Hungary for money laundering across three continents. The Budapest Metropolitan Police (Budapesti Rendőr-főkapitányság), supported by Europol, dismantled a criminal organisation involved in money laundering and perpetrating fraud using administrative documents. 01/06 Security Challenges Threaten to Derail Democratic Strides in Central African Region, Briefers Tell Security Council. Marking both democratic strides and…

Newsbriefing – week of 11 of April

11/04 Human trafficking gang exploiting South American victims busted in France and Spain. The French Border Police (Police National/Police aux frontiers) and the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), supported by Europol, dismantled a criminal network involved in human trafficking for sexual exploitation. The investigation resulted in a simultaneous action day in France and Spain on…

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 28 February

28/03 Criminal network distributing fake dark web documents busted. An investigation by the French Border Police (Police aux Frontières/Police Judiciaire which forms part of the National Police) and the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), supported by Europol, led officers to the dismantling of an organised crime group involved in the procurement and distribution of forged…

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…

News briefing week of 14 February

15/02 45 people arrested in the crackdown on Albanian-speaking criminals and cocaine trafficking. An international operation involving judicial and law enforcement authorities in eight countries has resulted in the takedown of one of Europe’s most active Albanian-speaking cocaine trafficking networks Europe. On this occasion, Eurojust and Europol supported a series of actions carried out in…

News briefing week 7 February

07/02 Ammunition seized in Dakar from a Guyanese ship. The Eolika, a cargo ship flying the Guyanese flag, was detained in the port of Dakar. When the authorities searched the vessel, three containers of Italian-made ammunition worth an estimated $5 million were seized. https://allafrica.com/stories/202202080183.html 07/02 The discovery of a torture chamber used by drug gangs. Seized in…

News briefing week of 31 January

31/01 The crime gangs cashing in by burying illegal waste. Organised crime gangs are illegally burying thousands of tonnes of waste across Scotland, a BBC investigation has found. Some of the rubbish is being brought up from the north of England by the gangs and is believed to include hazardous clinical waste from hospitals. 01/02…

Newsbriefing – Week of 18 February

The trial of the “Air Cocaine” drug-trafficking case started on 18 February in Aix-en-Provence, France. The case involves the seizure of 680 kilos of cocaine on board of a private jet in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic back in 2013. Both the pilots and passengers are facing up severe sentences. The kidnapping and assassination of three…