29 June – Thirteen arrested over German cashpoint explosions that netted gang over EUR 1.6 million. The German authorities, together with their Dutch and Belgian counterparts, have arrested thirteen members of a Dutch gang linked to 12 attacks against cash machines in Germany, causing millions of euros in damage. 1 July – Chile receiving synthetic…
12/06 Illegal donkey skin trade is a ‘trojan horse’ for wildlife trafficking, claims charity. Vast numbers of donkey skins are being sold illegally on social media sites, a new investigation has revealed. 13/06 A double-edged sword: The role of technology in combating wildlife crime. New approaches are needed to develop, procure and implement technology in…
28/03 Maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The rapid rise of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea poses a threat to regional security and could fuel jihadist movements coming from inland. 30/03 Armenian criminal gang dismantled in France over counterfeit cigarettes. A total of 11 individuals suspected of being part of an Armenian organised…
9/03 Arrests and seizures in a 28-country operation targeting trafficking in cultural property. A global operation targeting illicit trafficking in cultural goods has led to 52 arrests and the seizure of 9 408 cultural artefacts across the world. These priceless items include archaeological objects, furniture, coins, paintings, musical instruments and statuettes. 08/03 Southern Cone Ports…
28/03 Criminal network distributing fake dark web documents busted. An investigation by the French Border Police (Police aux Frontières/Police Judiciaire which forms part of the National Police) and the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), supported by Europol, led officers to the dismantling of an organised crime group involved in the procurement and distribution of forged…
A group of officers part of the Customs and Exercise Division -the Joint Maritime Control Units established with the support of SEACOP back in March 2016- has recovered 15 firearms, 12 magazines and 963 live rounds of ammunition hidden in several items in a cargo container on the port of Woodbridge Bay Port, Dominica, last week.…
31/01 The crime gangs cashing in by burying illegal waste. Organised crime gangs are illegally burying thousands of tonnes of waste across Scotland, a BBC investigation has found. Some of the rubbish is being brought up from the north of England by the gangs and is believed to include hazardous clinical waste from hospitals. 01/02…
25/01 Illicit gold mining in Ecuador – challenges and considerations. Although exploration of the country’s mineral resources is not complete, the government estimates that the mining of gold and copper will generate around USD $4 billion in tax revenue and about USD $40 billion in exports over the next decade. There are, however, challenges with…
This week, the Joint Maritime Control Unit operating in the port of Dakar 🇸🇳 (or UMCCN) was involved in the seizure of ammunition with an estimated value of almost 5 million Euros. Over the past two years, the SEACOP project has made a significant contribution to the training of Senegalese police, gendarmerie and customs officers assigned…
The Joint Unit for the Control of Containers and Vessels (Unité Mixte de Contrôle des Conteneurs et des Navires-UMCCN) in Dakar (Senegal) intervened on 18 October to carry out a search on the yacht “La Rosa” in the port of Dakar. The UMCCN trained in ship searches by the SEACOP project found a hideout behind…
