The Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin Guzman, also known as “El Chapo”, was sentenced to life in prison in the US. He formerly ran the Sinaloa cartel in northern Mexico, which was the biggest supplier of drugs to the US. He was accused of trafficking hundreds of tonnes of cocaine into the country. A new aerial…
Joint INTERPOL-WCO operation against wildlife trafficking resulted in the seizure of large quantities of protected flora and fauna in 109 countries. The intelligence-led operation identified trafficking routes and crime hotspots enabling police and customs to seize protected products ranging from live animals to clothing and traditional medicine. In total, nearly 600 suspects were arrested, and…
The price of opium dropped by 90 percent over the past year and a half in Mexico, due to speculation, high heroin production and changes in the supply and demand of illegal drugs in the US. Fentanyl, a synthetic opiate, is increasingly replacing heroin. This is driving farmers away from poppy cultivation. Mexican law enforcement…
Senegalese customs have seized over a tonne of cocaine hidden inside cars on a ship in Dakar port. The ship was traveling from Brazil to Angola. Authorities first seized 238 kilos of cocaine, before discovering an additional 750 kilos of the drug. Drug seizures are on the rise in West African countries, which are used…
German authorities have seized 670 kilos of heroin in a truck at the Polish border worth €50 million. The drug most probably came from Afghanistan and was disguised as Turkish sweets. The illicit drug was heading towards Belgium. This is the largest heroine seizure ever made in Germany’s law enforcement history. Operation Tayrona has led…
French and Romanian authorities dismantled a vast human trafficking ring with the support of Eurojust and Europol. 13 victims of sexual exploitation were saved, and 13 suspects were arrested. Russian customs have seized 400 kilos of cocaine estimated around $70M hidden in St-Petersburg port. The illicit drug came by ship from Ecuador and was hidden…
Spanish Police arrested eleven suspects after custom officers seized one tonne of cocaine concealed inside fake stones. The organised crime group was working with the stone industry to smuggle large quantities of drugs from Colombia into the port of Barcelona, to be later distributed throughout Europe. Belgian authorities dismantled a major illegal cigarette factory and…
Turkish police have arrested twenty alleged smugglers, members of one of Europe’s largest human trafficking ring, as part of joint intelligence operations across Turkey. The organisation smuggled migrants from Afghanistan and northern Iraq to European countries, in exchange for large sums of money. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will provide support to countries of…
7,4 tonnes of cannabis were seized in the Mediterranean by French customs. The French Navy also took part in the operation, spotting and escorting the racing boat to Toulon military base. Three Turkish nationals suspected of drug trafficking were arrested in the operation.
Peru tries to curb illegal gold mining in the Amazon with new Operation Mercury. Since February 2019, authorities evicted 25.000 illegal gold miners and deployed hundreds of policemen and military troops for the long term in the Tambopata region, a centre for illicit mining. Illegal mining Madre de Dios is linked with drug trafficking and prostitution.
