News briefing week of 27 September

27/09 U.S. Coast Guard crews stopped a speedboat off the Dominican Republic that the agency said was hauling around 250 kilos with a wholesale value of about $7.5 million. 27/09 World Bank: Global illegal tobacco trade estimated at $50 billion annually, global counterfeit trade to reach $4 trillion by 2022. 27/09 Law enforcement agencies from…

News briefing week of 20 September

21/09 Nearly three tonnes of heroin with a street value of $2.7bn (£2bn) from Afghanistan have been seized from a western Indian port in a major bust, officials said. Two Indians were arrested after the heroin, which was kept in two containers marked as carrying talc, was found by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)…

CRIMJUST launches the first issue of the new “Cocaine Insights” publication series – The illicit trade of cocaine from Latin America to Europe: from oligopolies to free-for-all?

On 7 September 2021, CRIMJUST launched the first issue of a new publication series “Cocaine Insights” in an online event during which UNODC and EUROPOL presented the main findings. In the opening remarks, Ms Chloé Carpentier, from the UNODC’s Drug Research Section, noted that while the cultivation and production of cocaine is concentrated in Latin…

News briefing week of 13 September

13/09 The Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has intercepted more than 24,311 kilos of different hard drugs at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MIIA), Ikeja and the Tin-Can Seaport, Apapa, Lagos respectively. The substances were suspected to be heroin, codeine, Arizona and Colorado variants of cannabis. 13/09 Colombian Defence Minister announces seizure of…

News briefing week of 06 September

06/09 Heroin worth $2.4 million seized in southeastern Turkey. Turkey, a transit route in drug smuggling between Asia and Europe. 07/09 Indian agencies track huge heroin seizure off Sri Lanka. More than 600 kilos of heroin seized, and seven Pakistani nationals arrested. 08/09 Netherlands, Belgium overtake Spain as main gateways into Europe for cocaine. In…