12.02.24 – International cybercrime malware service targeting thousands of unsuspecting consumers dismantled. On 7 February, two suspects were arrested in Malta and Nigeria in the framework of the operation. The suspects are accused of selling the malware and supporting cybercriminals who used the malware for malicious purposes. Europol provided analytical support to the investigation which…
05.02.24 – 22-year-old convicted after 70 migrants rescued from the Channel. A man from Sudan has been sentenced to 18 months in jail after a National Crime Agency investigation into people smuggling. Howmalow Mawum-Duop, 22, was identified piloting a large rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) on its interception by UK Border Force off the Kent…
29.01.24 – Husband and wife convicted of exporting £57 million cocaine haul to Australia. A married couple have been convicted of exporting more than half a tonne of cocaine to Australia, after a National Crime Agency investigation found they were behind a front company that had sent the drugs by plane under a cover load…
23.01.24 – Peruvian Gold Mining Gangs Launch Increasingly Brazen Attacks. The growth of gold mining gangs in Peru’s La Libertad province has led to a deteriorating security situation, with unprecedented attacks on security forces and one of the country’s largest mining companies on the rise. A group of approximately 100 armed actors stormed a police…
18.01.24 – Convicted – the east London money launderer who took payments for small boats crossings. A man who laundered money for people smuggling networks involved in small boats crossings has been found guilty, following a National Crime Agency investigation. Iranian Asghar Gheshalghian, 48, ran an unregistered money services business from an office block in…
10.01.24 – Ecuador declares war on armed gangs after TV station attacked on air. Ecuador’s president has ordered that criminal gangs be “neutralised” after days of violence culminated in an attack on a television studio.Masked gunmen broke into public television channel TC’s live studio during a broadcast, forcing staff to the floor. Police made 13…
20.12.23 – Why Have Ecuador’s Drug Trafficking Gangs Turned to Extortion? The number of extortion cases recorded in Ecuador has skyrocketed over the past year, suggesting that the country’s fragmenting criminal gangs are seeking new sources of income. Extortion in Ecuador rose by more than 65% between 2022 and November 2023 and by almost 400%…
04.12.23 – Mint shop for counterfeit euro coins dismantled in Italy. On 1 December 2023, Europol supported the Italian Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri) in dismantling an organised crime group involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit euro coins. The European Commission’s European Technical and Scientific Centre also supported this investigation, which was coordinated…
04.12.23 – Mint shop for counterfeit euro coins dismantled in Italy. On 1 December 2023, Europol supported the Italian Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri) in dismantling an organised crime group involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit euro coins. The European Commission’s European Technical and Scientific Centre also supported this investigation, which was coordinated…
27.11.23 – Suspected ringleader arrested in EUR 85 million VAT fraud scheme. Europol has supported an action across eight countries which targeted criminal groups under investigation for VAT fraud amounting to EUR 85 million. On 22 November, 59 searches were carried out, resulting in the arrest of one of the alleged ringleaders. Seizures included: a…
