14/07/2020 – The former Surinamese minister of Justice, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, has been elected president of Suriname.
13/07/2020 – Guinea has issued an arrest warrant against a Guinean citizen residing in Germany who is allegedly involved in the forging of visas. Guinean customs had previously seized 7300 stamped visas in a truck that had traveled from Germany.
14/07/2020 – Due to the lack of regulatory oversight on medicines, falsified medicines now represent a flourishing business in West Africa. This illicit market has serious consequences on the population’s health and despite the increased cooperation between countries to detect and disrupt such trafficking, organised crime groups have proven resilient as evidenced by a recent seizure of falsified medicines in boxes labeled ‘boxes of humanitarian donation’.
15/07/2020 – Panamanian authorities seized 34 firearms as well as ammunition and arrested 19 persons for firearms trafficking during operation Fury. The house of the former head of the Consejo de Seguridad Nacional was among the different addresses raided.
15/07/2020 – As law enforcement authorities increase their interdiction capabilities along known trafficking routes, new routes are emerging. This is how Guatemala’s northern border area has become a transit point for cocaine trafficking to the US. This wildlife reserve has been exploited by criminal organisation who operate narco-jets and set fires to create new illicit landing strips.
15/07/2020 – 500 kg of illicit drugs were seized in an operation in Quito, Ecuador. The drug was destined for Guayaquil.
15/07/2020 – South African customs announced the seizure of dozens of rhino horn pieces disguised as art in the airport of Johannesburg. The rhino horn pieces were destined for Kuala Lampur.
16/07/2020 – Two persons suspected of overseeing the smuggling of illicit drugs were arrested in Thailand following the seizure of 1,2 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine.
16/07/2020 – 2020 has seen The Dutch customs intercept 77 shipments of cocaine representing a volume of 25.5 tonnes. This is a significant increase In comparison to the same period in 2019 when 60 shipments representing a volume of 12 tonnes were intercepted.
16/07/2020 – The UNODC has released its 2020 Global Firearm study. This study provides comprehensive data on firearms trafficking and provides a reference point for law enforcement and policy makers to tackle illegal arms flows.
16/07/2020 – Romanian and Serbian authorities, with the support of EUROJUST, dismantled an organised crime group involved in the trafficking of large quantities of cocaine from Brazil to Europe. 15 suspects were arrested during the operation.
17/07/2020 – The new penal code in Haiti offers lighter sentences and fines against illicit drug trafficking and is therefore considered as favourable to the traffickers.
17/07/2020 – The Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced that the Mexican army and the navy will now also be responsible for customs functions and port surveillance in order to tackle corruption and drug trafficking.
18/07/2020 – Honduran authorities announced that 20 illegal airstrips have been discovered and destroyed in 2020. Most of those airstrips were located in the department of Gracias a Dios.
