16.10.23 – Organised crime group caught with £400k worth of cocaine jailed for 47 years. Members of an organised crime group (OCG) who dealt wholesale amounts of cocaine throughout south Wales have been jailed for a combined total of 47 years. Cocaine worth a total street value of £400,000 was recovered by a police operation. Joshua Matthews, 27, headed up the OCG having bought drugs from several upstream suppliers. He was seen by police receiving a bag containing 4kg of cocaine from associate Vincent Aquilina, 25, at an address in Cardiff on July 21.
16.10.23 – 38 arrests in action against agricultural labour exploitation. Between 13 and 21 September 2023, Europol and the European Labour Authority supported Europe-wide coordinated action days against human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation in the agricultural sector. The operation was led by France and involved a wide range of law enforcement authorities, including police, immigration and border guards, labour inspectorates and tax authorities from 17 countries. 6 847 officers from national authorities took part in operational activities on the ground.
17.10.23 – Thames Valley Police participates in large scale operation leading to 68 arrests. Thames Valley Police was one of nine forces involved in a large scale operation combating organised crime. Over three-day period 68 arrests were made in connection to a roads policing sting. Between 10 and 12 October intelligence was shared among police teams, leading to the seizure of weapons, money believed to have been gained through illegal activity, and vehicles.
19.10.23 – Horse racing industry not equipped to tackle money laundering, organised crime expert says. The Australian horse racing industry provides fertile ground for money laundering, with the limited regulatory remit of racing authorities potentially making it more difficult for the practice to be effectively policed, an expert on organised crime has warned. Nick McTaggart was Australia’s most senior operational officer investigating money laundering until he retired in 2016. He now runs a consultancy advising corporations on identifying financial crime.
20.10.23 – Ragnar Locker ransomware gang taken down by international police swoop. This week, law enforcement and judicial authorities from eleven countries delivered a major blow to one of the most dangerous ransomware operations of recent years. This action, coordinated at international level by Europol and Eurojust, targeted the Ragnar Locker ransomware group. The group were responsible for numerous high-profile attacks against critical infrastructure across the world.
