News briefing week of 10 January

10/01 Virtual currencies are being used increasingly in human and drug trafficking, the Government Accountability Office says in a new report. 10/01 Cocaine with a street value of over 5 billion euros was intercepted in the port of Rotterdam last year. A collaboration of customs, FIOD, Seaport Police, and Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam found…

News briefing week of 27 December

27/12 The National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) indicated that more than 25,300 kilos of different drugs had been seized during the operations carried out throughout this year in the Dominican Republic. 27/12 English authorities seize 1.2 tons of cocaine from Costa Rica. The value of the seizure was estimated to be 120 million U.S. dollars.…

News briefing week of 20 December

20/12 Interpol: illicit fishing trade fuels transnational organized crime. A global investigation showed that the illicit fishing trade fuels transnational organized crime activities such as the trafficking of humans, drugs, and explosives, Interpol reported. 21/12 Mexican cartels are turning to meth and fentanyl production. Mexican drug cartels are turning to bigger, more productive labs to…

MASIF presents research on rising polycriminality along the cocaine route

MASIF participated in this year’s 24-hour Conference on Global Organised Crime, presenting its research on rising polycriminality along the cocaine route. While previously focused on the cocaine and heroin routes, increasing recognition of the convergence of different illicit flows has resulted in the European Commission broadening its approach through the Global Illicit Flows Programme (GIFP).…

CRIMJUST and AIRCOP side event on integrity in border management during CoSP

GIFP components CRIMJUST and AIRCOP organised a side event on integrity in border management during the ninth session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (CoSP). The side event took place on 16 December 2021 and was held in a hybrid format with in-person and online participation. The…

News briefing week of 13 December

13/12 Ukraine arms-trafficking into Poland on rise. Attempts to smuggle illegal firearms into Poland from the Ukraine are on the rise, according to an internal EU document. “Although large-scale trafficking of firearms has not yet become apparent, an increasing number of attempts to smuggle firearms from Ukraine to Poland has already been observed,” notes the…