02.08.23 – El Salvador sends 8,000 troops and police officers to comb rural province in massive anti-gang raid. El Salvador sent about 8,000 soldiers and police officers to comb the rural province of Cabañas for street gang members Tuesday, in one of the most massive raids since President Nayib Bukele declared a crackdown on the gangs in March 2022.
02.08.23 – Operation Venetic: OCG that used fake company as front for massive cocaine smuggling are jailed. An organised crime group (OCG) set up a fake computer company to cover industrial supplies of cocaine it imported. The group leased premises in Widnes, Cheshire, bought stock and even had fleece jackets made with the company name on – Clarke Computers and Software Limited. The offenders – whose leader Craig Gallagher, 36, also supplied firearms – were caught by the National Crime Agency after EncroChat, the encrypted communications platform, was taken down in 2020.
03.08.23 – Lebanon hands over to Italy suspected drug dealer arrested near Beirut. Lebanon handed over to Italy on Thursday morning a suspected Italian drug dealer arrested last month north of the capital of Beirut, judicial officials said. Bartolo Bruzzaniti was flown to Italy on a private jet that took off from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
04.08.23 – Seven members of sexual exploitation ring arrested. Law enforcement from Romania and the United Kingdom have arrested seven members of an organised crime group responsible for human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. On an action day carried out in August 2023, police apprehended the Romanian nationals in multiple simultaneous raids carried out in London, UK, and Iași, Romania. The investigation, which was supported by Europol and Eurojust, revealed that the suspects had been bringing vulnerable women from Romania to the United Kingdom. In total, eight victims were safeguarded as a result of the coordinated operation, which was in part funded by EMPACT. Law enforcement seized a range of weapons, massive amounts of cash, jewellery and a luxury vehicle.
05.08.23 – A fugitive mob suspect in Greece is betrayed by his passion for hometown Naples soccer champions. Hometown passion for this year’s soccer champions from Naples has betrayed the hideout of a longtime crime fugitive from Italy, who was captured while riding a motor scooter on a Greek island, Italian police said Saturday. Naples-based Carabinieri paramilitary police said the man, who was on Italy’s list of 100 most dangerous fugitives, was spotted in a photo of fans in a restaurant in Corfu, who were celebrating after the Napoli soccer squad clinched Italy’s top league championship a few weeks ago.
