News Briefing – Week of 29 June

29/06/2020 – A joint investigation between Spanish and Italian law enforcement enabled the dismantlement of an organised crime group trafficking waste from the canary islands to Africa. It is estimated that the organised crime group trafficked around 250 tonnes of hazardous waste. 29/06/2020 – Greek authorities arrested two suspected traffickers after the discovery of 11kg of heroin…

News Briefing – Week of 22 June

22/06/2020 – French customs seized 552 kg of cannabis in a lorry that left Spain and was transporting fruits and vegetable to the Rungis market. 23/06/2020 – Wildlife trafficking in Colombia is prolific. The fight against the wildlife trafficking industry is not yet fully operational because the country is not yet equipped with the adequate legislation and technologies…

News Briefing – Week of 1 June

  1/06/2020 – As law enforcement focuses of the Coronavirus lockdown measures, a substantial increase in cannabis cultivation in Albania is anticipated. Recent seizures indicate that the Balkan route remains a favoured trafficking route for Europe destined cannabis. Albania is also about to conclude a draft law which allows for the cultivation of medical cannabis in…

News Briefing – Week of 25 May

  25/05/2020 – Moroccan authorities are analysing seizures made in 2019. It is reported that 119 tonnes of cannabis were seized as well as 13.5 million cigarettes and 680 000 pills that indicate psychotropic substances.   25/05/2020 – The Colombian army discovered 516kgs of cocaine hidden in 5 plastic containers. It is believed that the now seized drugs were…

News Briefing – Week of 18 May

The lock-down measures adopted in Morocco have disrupted the usual routes used to traffic cannabis towards Europe. Indeed, traffickers were previously relying on the commercial shipping vessels or high-speed boats crossing the Mediterranean. So as to avoid detection, they are favouring longer and more expansive routes however such methodology requires drug hand-overs at high sea.  Burmese authorities…

News Briefing – Week of 20 April

As the Mexican government concentrate its resources on pandemic control, with the peak of COVID-19 expected in May, criminal groups continue to position themselves so as to strengthen their control and influence within the states, cities and regions they operate in. The COVID-19 pandemic in Peru has hit the cocaine trade in Peru. Cocaine prices have sharply…

News Briefing – Week of 13 April

700 kg of cocaine was seized at the Yokohama seaport in Japan in March 2020. The drugs were hidden in a container transporting boxes of bananas. According to the Japanese authorities, the drugs more than likely arrived by mistake as a result of traffickers not being able to unload at ports prior to Yokohama.    Over 1600…