10/03 Police in Belgium and the Netherlands have made dozens of arrests in a vast operation against organised crime after an encrypted communications network popular with criminals was broken up. Belgian police made 48 arrests and carried out some 200 raids. The police seized €1.2 million in cash, as well as 15 illegal firearms, jewelry, diamonds, police uniforms and luxury cars.
11/05 The 2020 edition of operation Pandora targeting the illicit trafficking of cultural goods resulted in the seizure of over 56 400 cultural goods and 67 arrests involving 31 countries. The objects seized include archaeological objects, furniture, coins, paintings, musical instruments and sculptures. This operation was led by the Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil), with the international coordination supported by Europol, INTERPOL and the WCO.
12/05 A suspect arrested at Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, was found in possession of 23 pieces of gold (estimated worth US$783 000) allegedly smuggled from Zimbabwe. Police have widened investigations into the smuggling and are waiting for a detailed report from Interpol officials in Pretoria.
14/05 The extradition of the alleged Bolivian drug trafficker Jesús Einar Lima Lobo to Brazil reveals how family clans in the country serve as important cocaine suppliers to organized crime groups across the region. Lima Lobo faces charges of international drug trafficking brought against him in 2017 by Brazilian authorities.
