29.04.24 – Almost 1 400 firearms removed from circulation in 16 European countries. A total of 1 388 firearms were seized during an operation led by Romania and coordinated by Europol, spanning across 16 European countries. After months of intelligence gathering to identify key targets, an action took place in February, the details of which could only be made public now due to operational reasons. During the action week, hundreds of law enforcement officers carried out more than 630 house searches and 107 arrests. Nearly 500 converted – or ready to be converted – firearms were recovered during the operation, together with almost 900 firearms. Other weapons, such as air guns or rifles designed to fire metal pellets, were also recovered, along with over 60 000 rounds of ammunition.
29.04.24 – High-ranking Hells Angels member busted in drug trafficking operation in Marbella. A German-Spanish investigation, supported by Europol, targeted a criminal network involved in the trafficking of drugs and firearms. The leader of the network coordinated the criminal activities from Spain, where he had established his base. The investigation, initiated in mid-2023 under the General Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt, Germany, targeted a criminal network currently going by the name Bandidos. The gang are suspected of trafficking large amounts of cannabis and cocaine from Málaga, Spain, to Germany. The group also smuggled weapons along the same route. The leader of the network, a German national based in Spain, is considered a High Value Target in this investigation. Investigators from the German Federal Police and the Spanish National Police, working jointly on this case, have identified him as a high-ranking member of the outlaw motorcycle gang Hells Angels in Marbella.
30.04.24 – Belgium and UN boost collaboration on drug trafficking and organised crime. The UNODC is a key player in the international fight against drug and human trafficking, corruption and organised crime. In 2023, the agency seized 250 tonnes of cocaine in source ports, often in South American countries such as Colombia and Ecuador. It also provides training and technical support for authorities in various countries and brings them together in port control units to promote cooperation and exchange of information. Belgium is releasing 250,000 euros to strengthen its work with the UNODC and exchange information more efficiently with source countries about suspicious vessels or cargoes.
01.05.24 – Member of ransomware gang sentenced to more than 13 years in prison over 2021 attack. A Ukrainian national was sentenced on Wednesday to more than 13 years in prison and ordered to pay $16 million in restitution for helping to conduct a 2021 ransomware attack that infected hundreds of businesses in the US and abroad. Yaroslav Vasinskyi, 24, who is associated with the ransomware gang REvil, played a role in conducting over 2,500 ransomware attacks and demanding over $700 million in ransom payments, according to a Justice Department news release.
02.05.24 – Operation PANDORA shuts down 12 phone fraud call centres. In the early hours of 18 April 2024, German, Albanian, Bosnian-Herzegovinian, Kosovar* and Lebanese police forces raided 12 call centres identified as the source of thousands of daily scam calls. 21 persons were taken into custody during this Europol-supported action day, which took down a criminal network responsible for defrauding thousands of victims through the use of various modus operandi. The callers’ playbooks would range from shocking fake police calls, persuasive investment fraud or heart-wrenching romance scams. In an unprecedented law enforcement effort, a large-scale German investigation evolved into Operation PANDORA, which identified 39 suspects.
