18.07.23 – End of the road for 6 suspects smuggling migrants in rental cars. With the support of Europol in the field, the Portuguese Judiciary Police (Polícia Judiciária Portuguesa) carried out on 17 July a series of actions against a prolific criminal network. This criminal group were facilitating the illegal obtainment of Portuguese residence permits for Asian irregular migrants across Europe with the use of fake documents. A total of 6 suspects have been arrested, and searches conducted at 12 houses and 6 hostels, following action involving 110 officers from the Judiciary Police (Polícia Judiciária) and 12 officers from the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras). This action is the result of a joint investigation started one and half years ago between France and Portugal, with the support of Spain and Germany, together with Europol and Eurojust.
19.07.23 – Honduras wants to build West’s only island prison colony and lock gangsters inside. Tegucigalpa, Honduras (AP) — Honduras plans to build the only island prison colony in the Western Hemisphere and send its most-feared gangsters there, tearing a page from neighbouring El Salvador’s unforgiving approach to murder, robbery, rape and extortion. Honduras’s progressive president once promised to address gang violence through systemic reforms to governance and the criminal justice system. Now, President Xiomara Castro plans to build an isolated prison for 2,000 gang leaders on the Islas del Cisne archipelago 155 miles off the coast, part of a larger crackdown following the gang-related massacre of 46 women in one prison.
20.07.23 – The hunt for India’s timber trafficking kingpin. 101 East investigates the rise of India’s alleged kingpin of red sandalwood smuggling and the fight to capture him. India’s red sandalwood is one of the most expensive timbers in the world. It is also an endangered species. An international black-market trade in it has decimated valuable forests, with armies of smugglers terrorising local law enforcement. One man stands accused of being at the top of the trade – Sahul Hameed.
20.07.23 – Alleged drug baron coordinating drug production in Europe is arrested in Colombia. On 18 July 2023, a fugitive wanted by the Netherlands has been arrested in Tulua, Colombia, following a complex intelligence-led investigation spanning across four countries. The suspect, a Colombian national, is believed to have been coordinated cocaine and methamphetamine production in the Netherlands for Mexican cartels. The suspect is also associated with the import of large amounts of cocaine and with various drug labs in the Netherlands. The 43 year-old man, who was arrested on a Dutch arrest warrant, is now in custody awaiting his extradition to the Netherlands. The Dutch-led investigation was able to tie this suspect to a seizure of 2.5 tonnes of methamphetamine in 2019. He is also associated with laundering large amounts of money. A total of EUR 20 million transferred from the Netherlands to Mexico and Colombia have been linked to him.
20.07.23 – Mexican officials unveil new strategy to battle organized crime in Juarez. JUAREZ, Chihuahua (KVIA) — On Tuesday, Mexican authorities from all three levels of government, federal, state, and local, presented this new strategy at Juarez’s mega bandera. The initiative comes after an increase in human smuggling, homicides, reports of drug use, and drug trafficking in Juarez. Mexico’s National Defense Secretary or ‘SEDENA’ coordinated this strategy with Chihuahua and Juarez government officials.
