29.01.24 – Husband and wife convicted of exporting £57 million cocaine haul to Australia. A married couple have been convicted of exporting more than half a tonne of cocaine to Australia, after a National Crime Agency investigation found they were behind a front company that had sent the drugs by plane under a cover load of metal toolboxes. Arti Dhir, 59, and Kavaljitsinh Raijada, 35, from Hanwell, Ealing, were identified by NCA investigators after Australian Border Force intercepted the cocaine, worth £57 million, upon its arrival in Sydney in May 2021. The drugs had been shipped via a commercial flight from the UK and consisted of six metal toolboxes which, when opened, were found to contain 514 kilos of cocaine.
31.01.24 – Iranian hired Hells Angel to kill defector, US says. US authorities have charged three men with plotting to murder an Iranian defector living in Maryland. Naji Sharifi Zindashti, 49, who lives in Iran, allegedly asked Canadian Damion Ryan to help with an assassination. Mr Ryan, a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, then enlisted associate Adam Pearson, who is currently in prison. They are also accused of targeting the defector’s female companion. Mr Zindashti – who US and UK officials say operates a criminal network targeting Iranian dissidents around the world on behalf of the Iranian government – agreed to pay Mr Ryan, 43, and Pearson, 29, a total of $350,000 (£275,000) plus $20,000 (£15,750) in travel expenses for the murder-for-hire, according to an indictment released Monday.
01.02.24 – Europol supports EMPACT action week at 61 airports across 36 countries worldwide. Europol supported a Spanish-led action week targeting drug trafficking via airports, which focused on checks of passenger and cargo traffic on both direct and connecting flights, mainly from the Americas. The action week, which took place at 61 airports between 11 and 18 December 2023, also involved Frontex, INTERPOL through project AIRCOP and law enforcement authorities from 36 countries. During the action week, the involved authorities carried out checks on passengers and their luggage, as well as on parcels and cargo shipments, at 61 major airports. The checks aimed at detecting the possession or trafficking of drugs, especially cocaine, originating from Latin America. Another objective was to enhance the cooperation between police and customs authorities on both sides of the Atlantic.
02.02.24 – Pacific Islands: Spillover threats from transnational organised crime. Is the Pacific prepared for a potential spillover of transnational organised crime from Southeast Asia? This question has become more pressing in recent days following two massive drug busts in Fiji, where authorities seized an estimated 4.1 tonnes of methamphetamine. The investigation is still in its early stages, so the suspected source of the drugs has not been made public. Yet with Southeast Asia’s reputation as a hub for organised and transnational crime and proximity to the Pacific, it seems timely to prioritise discussions about spillover effects in the region.
03.02.24 – Italian mafia boss who escaped from prison using bed sheets recaptured in France. A leading Italian mafia boss who escaped a Sardinian prison using bed sheets has been recaptured in France. Marco Raduano, who was on Europol’s list of Europe’s most wanted criminals, was arrested in Corsica, officials in France and Italy confirmed. He had been serving a 24-year-sentence for drug trafficking and other crimes, according to Europol. Raduano fled the high security jail in February last year using knotted bed sheets to scale down the walls.
