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Source: Europol
Migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks are highly adaptive and exploit geopolitical events, including economic and social crises to maximise their illegal profits. These networks swiftly identify criminal opportunities offered by the digital environment and take advantage of them to increase their illegal proceeds. Criminals abuse social media platforms, mobile applications, and cryptocurrencies to offer their illegal services, manage logistics…
Source: Eurojust
Seitse riiklikku ametiasutust, kes osalevad Ukrainas väidetavalt toimepandud raskete rahvusvaheliste kuritegude ühises uurimisrühmas (JIT), on kokku leppinud, et ühise uurimisrühma tegevusaega pikendatakse kaks aastat. Osalevate riikide peaprokurörid leppisid tegevusaja pikendamises kokku täna Ukrainas Kiievis toimunud koordineerimisnõupidamisel. Nõupidamine toimus samal ajal kui konverents „United for Justice“, mis toimub samuti Kiievis.
Ainult kolm nädalat pärast täiemahulise sissetungi algust Ukrainasse toetas Eurojust 25. märtsil 2022 Leedu, Poola ja Ukraina moodustatud ühise uurimisrühma loomist. 30. mail 2022 said liikmeks Eesti, Läti ja Slovakkia ning 13. oktoobril 2022 Rumeenia. 3. märtsil 2023 allkirjastasid ühise uurimisrühma seitse riiklikku ametiasutust vastastikuse mõistmise memorandumi Ameerika Ühendriikide justiitsministeeriumiga.
Rahvusvahelise Kriminaalkohtu Prokuratuur on osalenud ühises uurimisrühmas alates aprillist 2022 ja Europol alates oktoobrist 2023.
Ühine uurimisrühm on üks kõige arenenumaid vahendeid, mida kasutatakse kriminaalasjades tehtavas rahvusvahelises koostöös, mis hõlmab kahe või enama riigi pädevate asutuste vahelist õiguslikku kokkulepet kriminaaluurimiste läbiviimiseks. Ühise uurimisrühma eesmärk on hõlbustada asjaomastes riikides uurimisi ja süüdistuste esitamist seoses Ukrainas väidetavalt toimepandud raskete rahvusvaheliste kuritegudega, samuti seoses nendega, mida võidakse käsitelda Rahvusvahelises Kriminaalkohtus.
Koordineerimisnõupidamisel arutasid osalejad ühise uurimisrühma senise tegevuse tulemusi ja järgmise kahe aasta prioriteete.
Eurojust pakub ühisele uurimisrühmale õiguslikku, analüütilist, logistilist ja rahalist tuge. Alates märtsist 2022 on amet korraldanud 22 koordineerimisnõupidamist, kus osalesid ühise uurimisrühma liikmed ja muud riiklikud ametiasutused, kes uurivad Ukrainas väidetavalt toimepandud raskeid rahvusvahelisi kuritegusid.
Ühist uurimisrühma toetavad ka raskete rahvusvaheliste kuritegude tõendite andmebaas (CICED) ja Ukraina-vastaste agressioonikuritegude eest vastutusele võtmise rahvusvaheline keskus (ICPA), mida haldab Eurojust. Lisateave Eurojusti võetavate mitmesuguste meetmete kohta alates sõja puhkemisest Ukrainas on meie spetsiaalsel veebilehel https://www.eurojust.europa.eu/eurojust-and-the-war-in-ukraine, kus on ka kõige sagedamate küsimuste vastused ning pressikonverentside ja muude seonduvate ürituste salvestised.
29. veebruaril Kiievis toimunud konverents „United for Justice“ (üheskoos õiguse nimel) tõi kokku paljud sidusrühmad, kes on osalenud püüdlustes tagada vastutus Ukrainas väidetavalt toime pandud raskete rahvusvaheliste kuritegude eest. Ukraina ametiasutuste korraldatud üritus keskendus kultuuripärandile. Ukraina peaprokurör Andri Kostin avas ürituse põhisõnavõtuga. Sõna võtsid Poola justiitsminister, Leedu ja Rumeenia peaprokurörid ning Eurojusti president Ladislav Hamran.
Lisateave:
Source: Eurojust
An ongoing investigation led by the Romanian authorities confirmed that, in order to obtain important material benefits, the OCG members have been committing offences of trafficking in human beings, pimping and money laundering, since at least January 2022.
The victims from disadvantaged backgrounds were recruited in Romania and subsequently transported to France for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The recruitment and control of the victims involved various forms of coercion, including threat, force and deception.
The suspects executed most of their activities from Romania, travelling to France only for short periods. Through profiles on a website, they coordinated their activities and were in touch with their clients.
Different short-term rental apartments in France, mostly located in Lyon, were used for their activities. The proceeds of the sexual exploitation were sent to the leaders of the group in Romania and laundered through different investments.
With the support of Eurojust, connections between Romanian and French investigative authorities were made, bringing prosecution to the next phase.
The cooperation between the authorities led to a joint action day on 3 July, coordinated by Eurojust. In Romania, 14 locations were searched and vehicles and money were also seized. Furthermore, bank cards which belonged to victims were found. Of the eight six suspects, six were identified in Romania and two in France. Two of the suspects have been arrested.
Europol facilitated the exchange of information and provided analytical support to the investigation. On the action day, Europol deployed staff to the coordination centre at Eurojust.
Human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation remains the most prevalent form of exploitation in the European Union, with women and girls accounting for 87% of victims. As human trafficking usually takes place across borders, judicial cooperation is key to dismantling the OCGs and bringing them to justice. In 2023, Eurojust assisted in over 300 cross-border human trafficking cases.
The authorities involved in the actions:
Source: Europol
Between 2 and 3 July, a dozen searches of homes, company headquarters, commercial warehouses and restaurants were carried out. The searches involved some hundred Spanish police officers who were supported on the ground by French Judicial Customs investigators and Europol experts. The searches took place in Madrid, Valencia, Alicante, and Barcelona.The head of the criminal network is among those arrested….
Source: Europol
This coordinated operation, which was led by authorities in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, took place on 27 June 2024. The operation involved law enforcement agencies from 18 countries, working in tandem with Europol’s European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU) and major online service providers.The Referral Action Day targeted a wide range of antisemitic content, including hate speech, Holocaust…
Source: Europol
The paper delves into the problems that Home Routing creates for law enforcement agencies in carrying out their duties, as well as presents possible avenues for safeguarding and maintaining law enforcement’s ability to protect citizens and investigate criminals. What is Home Routing?Home Routing makes it possible for a telecommunication service provider to (continue to) provide a service to a customer…
Source: Europol
Abuse by cybercriminals Cobalt Strike is a popular commercial tool provided by the cybersecurity software company Fortra. It is designed to help legitimate IT security experts perform attack simulations that identify weaknesses in security operations and incident responses.In the wrong hands, however, unlicensed copies of Cobalt Strike can provide a malicious actor with a wide range of attack capabilities.Fortra has…
Source: Europol
Increase of child sexual abuse material onlineThe production and distribution of child sexual abuse material has become increasingly reliant on the Internet, contributing to the proliferation of this crime. Over the past three years, Europol’s database of images and videos has grown by more than 20%. Today, a phone camera has replaced the complex filming setups of past decades, enabling…
Source: Eurojust
Drugs used for the group’s illegal activities were supplied by members in Spain. The drugs were then transported across Europe by couriers, who concealed the supplies in trucks that were in the possession of the organisation. Members based in Italy, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Ukraine, then sold the drugs on their local drug markets.
Drug trafficking remains one of the most serious security threats in Europe. Europol’s report on criminal networks shows that 50% of the most threatening criminal networks active in the EU are involved in drug trafficking, and 50% of all homicides in Europe are directly connected to drug trafficking. It is crucial that judicial authorities from different countries collaborate in their investigations, as drug trafficking frequently crosses borders. Eurojust has observed a twofold increase in cross-border drug trafficking cases since 2020, with over 2 462 cases supported in 2023.
The Italian authorities initiated investigations into the drug trafficking network in December 2021. The investigations revealed that the group, consisting of individals from various nationalities, was operating across Europe. To ensure that the group could not evade justice, Italian authorities used Eurojust’s facilities to facilitate investigations in other countries and execute house searches and seizures.
At a coordination centre at Eurojust, in the early morning of 2 July, authorities from Italy, Belgium, Germany, Spain and Ukraine worked together with Europol and Interpol to arrest 13 suspects. During house searches, several electronic devices, drugs and money was found.
The operation was financially supported by the @ON network, which funded by the European Commission and led by the Italian Antimafia Directorate (DIA).
The actions were carried out by the following authorities:
Source: Europol
In the early hours of 2 July, law enforcement authorities in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium and Ukraine raided 13 properties. As a result, seven suspects were arrested in Italy, three in Spain, one in Belgium, one in Germany and one in Ukraine. The probe was coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, and follows an investigation into large-scale drug trafficking and money…