6 tonnes of cocaine destined to Lomé, Togo, were seized in Uruguay. 4.4 tonnes were found and seized by the Navy and the customs authorities in four containers at the Montevideo seaport. In relation to this seizure, 1.5 tonnes of cocaine were further discovered and seized in a ranch. The Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro signed…
The Irish Guarda considers expanding its network of liaison officers in South American countries. Organized crime groups in Ireland operate worldwide and almost of the cocaine trafficked in Ireland comes from South America. This is all the more a worrying trend as the volume and purity of cocaine have both increased. For the time…
The Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly 12th Ordinary Plenary session took place in Panama City, Panama, on 12 and 13 December. The Assembly, through its Co-Presidents’ declaration, expressed “concern at the alarming rise in organised crime and the complex international networks behind it, as well as the enormous capacity it has to corrupt officials at all…
The national authorities of Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and Norway, have taken down an organised crime group involved in drug trafficking. The investigation showed that a transport company based in the Netherlands was involved in smuggling large quantities of drugs to several European countries. Turkish authorities have seized…
The Italian Carabinieri (Carabinieri) and the Italian Finance Corps (Guardia di Finanza), supported by Italian Customs, Europol and Frontex, seized 1 176 kg of cocaine worth €250 million in the Port of Gioia Tauro, southwest Italy. The shipping documents show that the container was destined for Germany. The drug was hidden in a case of…
Japanese authorities have seized a record shipment of 400kg of cocaine, worth $73 million, in the port city of Kobe. The shipment may have reached the city by mistake. Turkish authorities seized 115 kg of heroin in the Konya province. The drug was hidden in a truck. 21 police officers in Paraguay are accused of receiving bribes…
Italian interior minister Luciana Lamorgese alerted over mafia network transformation and diversification. OCGs in Italy are less high profile in recent years as they spread into new economic sectors, but they remain a threat to Italy’s institutions and economic system. The Ndrangheta mafia is estimated to weight around 54 billion euros, more than Deutsche Bank…
In its 2019 report on cybercrime, Europol highlights that cybercriminals are becoming bolder and more innovative to circumvent law enforcement and maximize profits. One new prominent practice is crypto ransomware, targeting private organisations using phishing emails. Europol identifies crypto ransomware as the top priority threat facing European Law enforcement officials. The British government invests in…
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez faces street protests calling for his ouster after a US court found his brother guilty of cocaine and weapons trafficking. The US Justice Department also concluded narcotraffickers had bribed the president and his party for his 2014 election campaign. The Financial Action Task Force, the intergovernmental body dedicated to combatting…
Drug trafficking in Central America is damaging the Amazon forest. Traffickers are cutting down trees to build illegal roads and airstrips to transport cocaine. Narco-deforestation now affects large tropical forests in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Protected wetlands and coastal areas are also used to supply maritime routes. Environmental degradation caused by drug trafficking leads to…
