Category: Europe

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Historic religious statue returns to Italy with support of Eurojust

Source: Eurojust

The historic Italian statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which holds great religious importance, has been returned to Italy from the Netherlands with judicial support from Eurojust. The religious artefact was stolen in 2014 from a church in Pastena on the Amalfi Coast and later bought by a Dutch collector. The Agency assisted the Italian authorities with the rapid execution of a European Investigation Order (EIO) to arrange for its return to the Pastena parish.

The statue, which is around 700 years old, was stolen from the church in August 2014 and offered for sale via an Italian antique dealer. It was bought in good faith by a Dutch collector who intended to resell it and posted pictures on social media. These were spotted by the parish priest of Pastena, who contacted the Italian authorities. 

An investigation was launched by the special Cultural Heritage Unit of the Italian Carabinieri and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Salerno, which later contacted Eurojust to initiate the process of retrieving and returning the artefact to the Amalfi Coast. The Agency not only assisted with the execution of the EIO but also provided further cross-border judicial support to the authorities in Italy and the Netherlands. The transfer of the statue took place in recent days. 

The operations were carried out at the request and with the support of:

  • Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Salerno; Cultural Heritage Unit of the Carabinieri
  • The Netherlands: Centre for International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, East Netherlands; Team for Legal Assistance of the National Police, East Netherlands
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15 arrested in intercontinental crackdown against Nigerian crime syndicates

Source: Europol

Results of the operation include:15 persons arrested18 victims or possible human trafficking victims detected4 new investigations initiated398 flights monitored13 harbours monitored19 postal services and express delivery companies monitored57 checkpoints at borders and hotspots establishedSerious organised crime coordinated from NigeriaNigerian criminal networks have long been renowned for trafficking in human beings and a variety of fraud, but in recent years they…

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Three arrested for exporting military goods to Russia

Source: Europol

Deliberate breach of EU sanctions against RussiaInvestigations into the case were initiated at the end of 2022 by the Dutch authorities and led to the uncovering of a web of enterprises that were used to circumvent the ban for exports to Russia. Europol supported the investigation by providing analytical support, as well as conducting crosschecks on the data gathered during…

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New report: Heroin and other opioids pose substantial threat to health and security in Europe

Source: Europol

The analysis describes the European market for heroin (the most frequently used illicit opioid), from production and trafficking, to distribution and use. It also details the processes, materials and criminal actors involved at different stages and levels of the market. Where available, data on heroin are supplemented by insights into other opioids trafficked and consumed in the EU. The EU retail…

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New Service Level Agreement concluded with the PMO

Source: Europol

This message is addressed to former staff of Europol.By means of the new Service Level Agreement, Europol has continued the practice of delegating the following services to the European Commission Pay Master Office (PMO):Sickness insurance – Accidents – Occupational Disease UnemploymentPayment of Retirement Pension – Survivors and Orphans Pension – Transfer IN and Transfer OUT – Severance Grant Invalidity AllowanceBy delegating the…

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Season 2 of The Europol Podcast officially launched

Source: Europol

What is The Europol Podcast about?In season 1, Europol agents and police from around the world took listeners behind the scenes on some of our biggest operations against serious and organised crime. Episodes covered all kinds of crimes that Europol investigates, from drug trafficking to cybercrime. In season 2, we have an all-new selection of cases and topics for you to…

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Cryptojacker arrested in Ukraine over EUR 1.8 million mining scheme

Source: Europol

The 29-year-old individual was apprehended in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on 9 January. Three properties were searched to gather evidence against the main suspect. The arrest comes after months of intensive collaboration between Ukrainian authorities, Europol and a cloud provider, who worked tirelessly to identify and locate the individual behind the widespread cryptojacking operation.The suspect is believed to have mined over USD…

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NATO intercepted Russian military aircraft over 300 times in 2023

Source: NATO

In 2023, NATO air forces across Europe scrambled well over 300 times to intercept Russian military aircraft approaching Alliance airspace, with most intercepts occurring over the Baltic Sea. NATO has standing air-policing missions that calls for Allied jets to scramble when there are signs of Russian military planes approaching Allied airspace in unpredictable ways.

Along NATO’s eastern flank, Russian military aircraft have a history of not transmitting a transponder code indicating their position and altitude, not filing a flight plan, or did communicating with air traffic controllers. The vast majority of aerial encounters between NATO and Russian jets were safe and professional. Breaches of NATO airspace by Russian military aircraft remained rare and generally of short duration.

“Russia’s war against Ukraine has created the most dangerous security situation in Europe in decades,” said acting NATO Spokesperson Dylan White. “NATO fighter jets are on duty around the clock, ready to scramble in case of suspicious or unannounced flights near the airspace of our Allies. Air policing is an important way in which NATO provides security for our Allies.”

In the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine, NATO has substantially reinforced its air defences on its eastern flank, including with more fighter jets, surveillance flights and ground-based air defences. After repeated Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure very close to NATO territory, Allies deployed extra fighter jets to Romania. In October, after subsea pipelines ruptured in the Baltic Sea, NATO sent additional capabilities to the region. This year, NATO also held its biggest ever air exercise, with over 250 aircraft training for the collective defence of the Alliance during “Air Defender 23”. 

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UK to lead NATO’s 2024 rapid response force

Source: NATO

From 1 January 2024, the United Kingdom’s 7th Light Mechanised Brigade will lead NATO’s rapid reaction force, placing thousands of soldiers on standby and ready to deploy within days. NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) was created after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and was deployed for the first time for collective defence of the Alliance after Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The leadership position is rotated annually among Allies. The UK takes over from Germany, which led the force in 2023.

“This brigade needs to be ready to move within days to wherever NATO needs it, making it a key part of our collective defence. The UK’s leadership of our highest readiness formation is a clear display of its capabilities and commitment to NATO”, said acting Spokesperson Dylan White.

The VJTF is the highest-readiness element of NATO’s larger Response Force, which also includes air and maritime forces. In 2024, VJTF land forces will comprise some 6,000 thousand troops, with the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team – “the Desert Rats” – at its core. The brigade consists of a light cavalry regiment, and four light-mechanised infantry battalions with artillery, engineering, logistics, and medical regiments. Units include the Royal Anglian Regiment and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. Poland’s 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade and Spain’s Brigada Guzmán el Bueno will provide heavy battle tanks, attack helicopters and air defences. In total, nine NATO Allies provide forces.

NATO’s Joint Force Command in Brunssum will command the Response Force in 2024. The United Kingdom’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps will serve as the land component command. The Alliance will transition the NATO Response Force into the new Allied Reaction Force in mid-2024.

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Criminals responsible for stealing 28 luxury cars arrested

Source: Europol

During the action day, houses were searched simultaneously in several Lithuanian cities. In addition to the arrest of the two criminal masterminds behind the criminal network, a large amount of evidence was seized. Officers found raw materials for the production of vehicle number plates, as well as forged registration stickers in a metal processing workshop with embossing tools. A range of…