05.09.23 – Irish police chief in Dubai to discuss criminal gangs. The head of the Irish police has travelled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to discuss tackling international organised crime. The leaders of the Kinahan crime gang, which originated in Dublin, are believed to be based in the UAE. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Assistant Commissioner Justin Kelly are to attend a series of meetings as part of an ongoing operation.
06.09.23 – Op Venetic: Drug supply ringleaders sentenced after EncroChat takedown. A West Yorkshire-based organised crime group that trafficked cocaine have been sentenced to a combined 49 years behind bars. Their prison terms follow a National Crime Agency investigation under Operation Venetic – the UK’s response to the takedown of the encrypted communications platform EncroChat. Carl O’Flaherty, 38, Paul Shepherd, 45, Clinton Blakey, 38, and Dane Marshall, 42, all from Leeds, were found to be members of the crime group that supplied class A drugs across north west England.
07.09.23 – Russian ransomware group hit with new sanctions. A further eleven members of the prolific Conti/Trickbot ransomware group have been exposed and sanctioned by the UK and US, as part of a joint campaign targeting international cyber criminals. The US Department of Justice is concurrently unsealing indictments against nine individuals in connection with the Trickbot malware conspiracy and Conti ransomware conspiracy, including seven of the individuals designated today. Investigations by the NCA and FBI identified that these men, all Russian nationals, were influential members of the group, working as developers, administrators who facilitated payments to the group from ransom funds, and managers who recruited new members from cyber crime forums.
08.09.23 – Israel’s Arab citizens demand justice after alarming rise in gang-related murders. The rise in violence is fueled by organized crime, Israeli officials say. Activists claim gangs prey on the high unemployment rate among young Arab-Israeli men, acting as loan sharks, and force shop keepers and others to pay protection fees. Illegal guns have also flooded Arab towns across Israel, they add, and people are afraid to cooperate in police investigations for fear of reprisal attacks. Thabet Abu Rass, the co-executive director of Abraham Initiatives, an organization that promotes equality among Israeli Arabs and Jews, says a lack of adequate policing has created a “vacuum” in Israel’s Arab community.
10.09.23 – Millions of pounds worth of illegal drugs seized as serious organised crime disruption continues. Pro-active action by officers saw millions of pounds worth of illegal drugs recovered, between April and June 2023, as Police Scotland’s efforts to disrupt serious organised crime continues. The Quarter 1 2023-24 Performance Report, presented to the Scottish Police Authority on Tuesday, 12 September 2023, details seizures of cannabis, cocaine, heroin and street Valium tablets as well as a number of arrests being made.
