Newsbrief – week of 28 November

Belgium, Bolivia, EU, EUROJUST, EUROPOL, News, Newsbriefings, Peru, The Netherlands

https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/international-operation-shuts-down-websites-offering-counterfeit-goods-and-pirated-content – International operation shuts down websites offering counterfeit goods and pirated content https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/heat-rising-european-super-cartel-taken-down-in-six-countries – Heat is rising as European super cartel is taken down in six countries https://insightcrime.org/news/lake-titicaca-smugglers-paradise-bolivia-peru/ Lake Titicaca: A Smuggler’s Paradise in Bolivia and Peru https://insightcrime.org/news/super-cartel-controlling-europe-drug-trade/ Was a Super Cartel Really Controlling Europe’s Drug Trade? https://www.eurojust.europa.eu/news/serbian-led-drug-smuggling-network-halted-belgium-luxembourg-and-netherlands Serbian-led drug smuggling network halted in…

News briefings week of 20 June

Belgium, Brazil, EUROJUST, EUROPOL, Human trafficking, Money laundering, Newsbriefings, Paraguay, The Netherlands, Wildlife trafficking

21/06 Phishing gang behind several million euros worth of losses busted in Belgium and the Netherlands. The suspects sent emails and text messages with phishing links to bogus banking websites. A cross-border operation, supported by Europol and involving the Belgian Police and the Dutch Police, resulted in the dismantling of this organised crime group involved…

News briefing – Week of 6 May

Caribbean, Cocaine, EU, EUROPOL, Hashish, Newsbriefings, opium, Wildlife trafficking

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 30 May

Africa, Conflicts, Cooperation, CORMS, EU, EUROPOL, Mexico, Money laundering, Newsbriefings, Peru

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…

News briefing – Week of 23 May

Africa, Cigarettes, Cocaine, EUROPOL, Firearms, Ghana, Peru, SEACOP

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 2 May

Drug policy, EUROPOL, Firearms, Ghana, INTERPOL, Latin America, Money laundering, Newsbriefings

05/05 Taliban opium ban could lead to increase in organised crime and terrorism. The Taliban’s recent ban on opium cultivation in Afghanistan, a repeat of previous attempts under Taliban rule up to 2001, shows how large-scale illicit drug economies are a fierce vector for organised crime and terrorism. The ban was announced last month in response to…

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

Belgium, Caribbean, Cocaine, Cooperation, EU, EUROPOL, Newsbriefings, Nigeria, The Netherlands

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…

Newsbriefing – week of 11 of April

Africa, Airport, Conflicts, Drug war, EU, EUROPOL, Nigeria, Peru, Ukraine

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…