29/06/2020 – A joint investigation between Spanish and Italian law enforcement enabled the dismantlement of an organised crime group trafficking waste from the canary islands to Africa. It is estimated that the organised crime group trafficked around 250 tonnes of hazardous waste.
29/06/2020 – Greek authorities arrested two suspected traffickers after the discovery of 11kg of heroin hidden in toothpaste inside their bags.
29/06/2020 – Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the precious stones sector has been impacted as criminal groups took advantage and smuggled diamonds and other precious gems illegally and to the detriment of national legitimate artisanal miners.
30/06/2020 – A joint operation between Italian and Albanian authorities and supported by EUROJUST, led to the arrest of 37 members of an organised crime organisation suspected of trafficking large quantities of drugs. On this occasion, 3.5 tonnes of marijuana, cocaine and hashish were seized with an estimated street value of more than €40 million.
30/06/2020 – In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the soaring price of gold and less strict surveillance of mining areas has led Peruvian illegal miners to return and start illegally mining in the Tambopata National Reserve, a protected area of tropical rainforest in south-eastern Madre de Dios.
(In French) 1/07/2020 – The Italian Police announced a record seizure of 14 tonnes of amphetamines called “Captagon”. This synthetic drug is known to be produced in Syria by ISIS.
(In Spanish) 1/07/2020 – 175 kg of the synthetic drug “crystal” was seized by Mexican authorities in Tijuana.
2/07/2020 – Bird trafficking between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago is driven by the current economic crisis in Venezuela and the high demand in the Caribbean, from countries such as Trinidad and Tobago where a songbird can be sold for 500 USD. Suriname and Guyana also provide illicit markets.
2/06/2020 – After several months of investigation by French and Dutch Law enforcement, the encrypted phone network called “EncroChat” was successfully dismantled. It led to the arrest of hundreds of suspects across Europe as well as a number of large seizures of illicit commodities. This unprecedented investigation, which remains open and ongoing, demonstrates innovative law enforcement responses to disrupt serious organised crime activity.
2/07/2020 – A new study on drug trafficking in the fisheries sector found that drug trafficking on fishing vessels has tripled over the last eight years, accounting for about 15% of the global retail value of illicit drugs.
2/07/2020 – Facebook has adopted a new standard to forbid ‘for-sale’ posts relating to historical artefacts. Experts stress that the platform should go further to address other forms of trafficking, such as wildlife trafficking, and be more pro-active to defeat the resilience of criminals who utilise this platform.
(In Spanish) 2/07/2020 – American and Colombian authorities seized 7.5 tonnes of cocaine in Panamanian waters in a vessel registered in Colombia. The drugs allegedly belonged to the ‘Clan de Golfo’.
3/07/2020 – Whereas the trade of captive-bred birds in Indonesia is strictly regulated, the trafficking of wild-caught birds is illegal. The trafficking of birds is on the rise, especially from Sumatra to Java, where keeping songbirds as pets is a popular hobby.
