News briefing – week beginning 19 January
- Two people have been arrested as an international drug trafficking ring was dismantled in Taipei, Taiwan following joint efforts and cooperation between officials from Taiwan, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.
- 31 people have been arrested as 600 kilograms of drugs were seized by members of the Italian police disrupting an alleged plot of a mafia group to take control of Rome’s cocaine trade.
- The Jamaica Constabulary Force has formally established a Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch (C-TOC) to effectively tackle terrorism and organised crime in the country.
- Cocaine valued at £600 000 and £300 000 in cash have been seized as two people were arrested following a property search by authorities in Ballyhenry and Dalewood, UK.
- A Liverpool drug lord, Paul Scott, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for allegedly plotting to import 40 tonnes of cocaine estimated at £4 billion into the UK.
- A drug smuggling drone carrying six pounds of methamphetamine crashed in a supermarket parking lot in Tijuana near the Mexican border.
- Members of the police force and a prosecutor in the Dominican Republic have been arrested following the alleged disappearance of a seized ton of cocaine.
- Six people have been charged in Melbourne, Australia over drug trafficking charges reportedly linked to an international Vietnamese drug syndicate.
- The UNODC has reaffirmed its commitment to Nicaragua for regional cooperation in the fight against transnational organised crime, drug and violence.
- Organised crime gangs have been identified as responsible for supermarket ATM raids in Banchory and allegedly flooding the streets of Taysidem, Scotland with fake cigarettes
- Eight members of a Vietnamese drug smuggling gang have been sentenced to death following their role in the trafficking of 200 kilograms of heroin.
- East Africa is reportedly becoming more popular as a drug trafficking hub.
