14.11.24 – Europol supports EPPO-led investigation into EUR 520 million VAT fraud involving mafia networks. Europol has supported the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in a major cross-border operation against VAT fraud, dubbed ‘Moby Dick’. The operation has resulted in detention orders being executed against 43 suspects linked to a criminal enterprise of an estimated value of EUR 520 million. The investigation, led by the EPPO offices in Milan and Palermo, targeted an organised crime network spanning multiple EU Member States and non-EU countries.
14.11.24 – Rare look inside prison that holds El Salvador’s most dangerous criminals. CNN’s David Culver and his team were the first major US news organization to capture the inside of Cecot — El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center. The facility houses some of El Salvador’s most hardened criminals. Opened less than two years ago, it is already an iconic feature of the “new El Salvador” of President Nayib Bukele. Critics argue the facility has crossed the line into human rights abuses for its strict control and isolation of prisoners.
14.11.24 – Transnational organised crime: ‘It’s time we pull together to push back’. Marking the inaugural International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organised Crime on Friday, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has called for unified global efforts to counter these pervasive threats. Proclaimed by the General Assembly in March 2024, the observance honours victims of organised crime – including law enforcement and judicial personnel who have lost their lives in pursuit of justice. The inaugural theme: Organised crime steals, corrupts and kills. It’s time we pull together to push back, underscores the urgency of collective action.
12.11.24 – Europol warns of organised crime networks recruiting minors for criminal acts. Europol has today issued an intelligence notification on the recruitment of minors by criminal networks across Europe. Developed using information contributed to Europol from law enforcement authorities, the notification exposes how criminal organisations target young people via social media and encrypted messaging to recruit them to commit acts of serious organised crime.
11.11.24 – Huge crime network forging Banksy, Warhol and Picasso uncovered in Italy. Italian police have uncovered a large-scale pan-European forgery network making and selling fake artworks attributed to some of the biggest names in modern and contemporary art including Banksy, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. Some 38 people were placed under investigation in Italy, Spain, France and Belgium on suspicion of conspiracy to handle stolen goods, forgery and illegal sale of artworks, the paramilitary Carabinieri art squad and the Pisa prosecutors’ office said in a joint statement on Monday.
