06.12.24 – International operation against ‘phone phishing’ gang in Belgium and the Netherlands. Europol has supported Belgian and Dutch authorities in an international operation against a ‘phone phishing’ gang that has led to the arrest of 8 suspects. On the action day, law enforcement also carried out 17 searches in different locations in Belgium and…
29.11.24 – Hitman offered $71,000 for Canadian reporter’s assassination. A hitman offered C$100,000 ($71,400; £56,000) for the assassination of a crime reporter at Montreal newspaper La Presse, the outlet has reported. Convicted killer Frédérick Silva confessed to La Presse that he had offered the contract to anyone willing to carry out the hit on Daniel…
21.11.24 – Spanish police bust gang that recruited Swedish and Danish minors as hitmen. Spanish police have dismantled a gang based in the eastern city of Alicante that allegedly recruited Swedish and Danish teenagers to carry out murders as hitmen. Police said on Wednesday they had arrested a married Swedish couple and their 15-year-old son,…
14.11.24 – Europol supports EPPO-led investigation into EUR 520 million VAT fraud involving mafia networks. Europol has supported the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in a major cross-border operation against VAT fraud, dubbed ‘Moby Dick’. The operation has resulted in detention orders being executed against 43 suspects linked to a criminal enterprise of an estimated…
03.11.24 – Lure of money, dream of settling abroad draw women to world of organised crime. The lure of becoming rich and then settling abroad is drawing several young and ambitious women to the world of organised crime, where they act as a conduit to transfer weapons to sharpshooters and honey trap the targets, according…
25.10.24 – Two Key Figures of Notorious Serbian Clan Arrested in Barcelona. The Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), in collaboration with Europol and six other European partners, have arrested two senior members of the notorious Serbian “Vračar Clan”, dismantling a key faction of the group. The clan leader was apprehended in Barcelona on 18 October,…
10.10.24 – Europol supports Latvia in dismantling major synthetic drug lab network. The Latvian State Police (Valsts policija) in collaboration with Europol, has successfully dismantled a large-scale clandestine laboratory involved in the production of synthetic drugs across the European Union. The illegal laboratory was a key site for synthetic drug production in Europe, highlighted by…
03.10.24 – 5 tonnes of trafficked glass eels seized and new smuggling routes identified in global operation. A Europol-supported operation against glass eel trafficking involving over 30 countries worldwide has unveiled, for the first time, two new smuggling routes passing through Sub-Saharan countries. Up until now, glass eels were illegally fished in Europe, mainly in…
28.09.24 – Peru ‘losing the battle’ by organised crime, business groups fear economic fallout, call for action. Peru’s business associations said yesterday that the country is “losing the battle” against organised crime, after an escalation in extortions forced the government to call in the military to help police bolster security in the capital Lima. The…
20.09.24 – 8 arrested for smuggling migrants across the Turkish-Bulgarian border. On 19 September, Bulgarian authorities, supported by Europol, dismantled a criminal network smuggling migrants from Türkiye via Bulgaria and Serbia towards Western Southern Europe. The investigation, involving Greek and Romanian authorities, was conducted in the framework of a regional Operational Task Force set up…
