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…
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…
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…
21/03 CRIMJUST organised its first capacity-building on “Cyber Elements of Drug Trafficking Investigations” under the framework of its new INL-funded project in West Africa. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) held a training on “Cyber Elements of Drug Trafficking Investigations”, in Cotonou, Benin for law enforcement officers from the Republican Police of Benin and…
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…
On 17 February 2022, MASIF organised its third Steering Committee. This hybrid meeting was held both in Brussels and remotely, bringing together all the projects constituting the GIFP. On this occasion, AIRCOP, SEACOP, COLIBRI, DISRUPT, EU-ACT, CRIMJUST, MASIF and FIREARMS provided updates on their progress, achievements, and responses to tackle illicit routes and organised crime.…
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…
17/01 NDLEA intercepts cocaine, cannabis, 1.5m tramadol tablets, others in nationwide raids. The NDLEA spokesman also said the same day, 425,000 Diazepam tablets were recovered at Segemu, Kano. He said in the past week, N1,413,344 was seized along with arms and ammunition from a suspected bandit and a drug kingpin in Plateau State while over…
03/01 Niger police seize more than 200 kg of cocaine from mayor’s truck. The mayor and his driver, who were in the vehicle at the time, were arrested with 199 bricks of cocaine at a checkpoint on the road heading north out of the desert trading hub of Agadez, the sources said. 03/01 Nigerian police:…
As part of the business of organised crime groups (OCGs), firearms are a tool for criminal violence enabling OCGs to leverage other forms of criminality, like gang violence, intimidation, or coercion. Apart from the violence and tension that a high number of firearms in a region creates representing a major human security concern, it also…
