06.08.24 – ‘Your reign of terror must end’: Premier Alan Winde’s warning to organised crime syndicates after eight suspects killed. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has welcomed police action in swiftly foiling an alleged cash-in-transit heist that left eight suspects dead. The intelligence-driven operation took place on Monday in Town Two, Khayelitsha. The team comprising of various units were following up on vital information about a possible cash-in-transit robbery. Western Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said as the team approached the suspects, the would-be robbers started firing shots at police who retaliated. As a consequence, eight suspects were shot dead and five were arrested.
07.08.24 – AI can turn the tide on organised environmental crime in Africa. Effective law enforcement depends on accessing and analysing vast amounts of data that can be acted on timeously. For police facing skills and funding limitations, such as many in Africa, managing data to generate outcomes is time consuming and expensive. Artificial intelligence (AI) can alleviate this burden. By processing massive amounts of data quickly, it can map the movements of offenders and illicit goods, identify patterns in criminal behaviour and activities, and make focused connections. AI has been recognised globally for its potential to save police hours of search and analysis work. In April, Britain’s government outlined how £230-million would be spent on AI technology to help the police save 38 million hours of police time. The European Union is implementing a project that uses AI to provide comprehensive intelligence to detect organised crime.
08.08.24 – Man arrested in Essex in connection with organised waste crime. A second man has been interviewed about the large-scale fly-tipping that occurred across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Essex. One man was arrested on 1 August in Harlow, Essex, and a second man was interviewed on 8 August in relation to large-scale, organised fly-tipping across several counties including Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Essex. In addition, three warrants were executed by Hertfordshire Police. The arrest was part of an Environment Agency investigation into the large-scale, organised dumping of waste across East Anglia and the Home Counties, named Operation Eagle.
09.08.24 – Corrupt Spanish lawyer arrested for EUR 4.5 million fishery project bribe in Equatorial Guinea. The Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) have arrested a lawyer suspected of corrupting high-level officials close to the Equatorial Guinea government. Europol supported this investigation, which uncovered that the suspect had transferred around EUR 4.5 million via his project development company. Allegedly, the aim was to obtain an agreement to build a factory catering to the African country’s fishing sector. Law enforcement conducted two house searches on the action day, which took place in Asturias (Spain) on 2 July 2024 and led to the lawyer’s arrest. Five pieces of real estate valued EUR 4.5 million were seized, along with EUR 30 000 in cash and 21 bank accounts containing over EUR 2 million.
10.08.24 – Reputed cartel boss Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada reiterates claim he was ‘ambushed’ and ‘kidnapped’ by El Chapo’s son. Alleged Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, in a statement released by his attorney, reiterated the claim he was “ambushed” and “kidnapped” by a son of notorious drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán and hand-delivered to US authorities. The long statement, the first directly attributable to the man US officials call a major cartel figure who had evaded capture for more than half a century, comes as the 76-year-old Zambada awaits prosecution in the same federal courthouse in Brooklyn where El Chapo was tried and convicted in 2019.
