Auto Added by WPeMatico
Source: Europol
Overall, the results of the action include:15 313 officers from law enforcement and labour and tax authorities participated in the action165 896 entities checked (including 63 649 persons, 9 564 locations, 20 556 vehicles and 76 670 documents)160 persons suspected of trafficking human beings identified (of which 93 for labour exploitation)51 persons arrested for various crimes (of which 30 for…
Source: Europol
Between 27 and 29 May 2024 Operation Endgame, coordinated from Europol’s headquarters, targeted droppers including, IcedID, SystemBC, Pikabot, Smokeloader, Bumblebee and Trickbot. The actions focused on disrupting criminal services through arresting High Value Targets, taking down the criminal infrastructures and freezing illegal proceeds. This approach had a global impact on the dropper ecosystem. The malware, whose infrastructure was taken down…
Source: Europol
Europol’s Executive Director, Catherine De Bolle, said:Over the past quarter of a century, Europol has evolved remarkably. Our history is one of constant adaptation and transformation. We have continually adapted to the changing landscape of organised crime and terrorism, to the evolving operational needs of law enforcement in Member States and to the geopolitical trends that impact the operational context…
Source: Eurojust
An organised crime group (OCG) active in human trafficking and sexual exploitation has been exposed, and suspected members were arrested with the support of Eurojust and Europol. The arrest of nine suspects in France and Spain has stopped the structured human trafficking network in its tracks. Six victims of the human traffickers were taken to safety.
After French authorities discovered an apartment that was used for prostitution in 2022, an investigation was launched that exposed the network’s activities in human trafficking and sexual exploitation in France and Spain. The victims, mostly from Latin America, the Caribbean and Romania, were taken to France and then moved around the country to engage in prostitution in apartments rented for short periods by the OCG. Members of the network used the internet to advertise paid sexual services.
Following the operation and arrests of the suspects, six victims in France were offered assistance and shelter by a dedicated non-profit organisation.
To prepare for the action day, Eurojust organised a coordination meeting between the French and Spanish authorities, ensuring smooth cooperation for the coordinated actions. Eurojust also assisted in the execution of several European Investigation Orders, freezing orders and European Arrest Warrants.
These actions were carried out by the following authorities:
Source: Europol
It will include an opening speech from Commissioner Ylva Johansson and Executive Director of Europol Catherine De Bolle, followed by three moderated panel discussions:Panel I: Serious and Organised Crime: Disrupting Global Criminal Networks – focused on organised crime and the security threat from current high risk criminal networks.Panel II: Shaping the Future: Counteracting Terrorism and Radicalisation in the Digital Age…
Source: Europol
Such a complex investigation had to be conducted in two phases: in the first, Spanish law enforcement authorities arrested 35 suspects for belonging to a criminal organisation, facilitating illegal immigration and forging documents. Following these arrests, the Spanish police arrested 34 more suspects for allegedly issuing fraudulent documentation to facilitate the legalisation of the migrants. Results of the operation:69 arrests7 luxury…
Source: Europol
Between 29 April and 10 May 2024, over 30 participants from 24 partner countries as well as Europol and INTERPOL took part in the 14 Victim Identification Task Force (VIDTF), hosted at Europol’s Headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands. The operation focused on supporting the identification of victims and perpetrators present in over 68 million media files containing child sexual…
Source: Europol
The investigation was led by the Italian State Police (Polizia di Stato), with the support of the Italian Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza).In total, 17 individuals – all Turkish nationals – were arrested.The investigation was initiated in Como, Italy, in October 2023 after three members of a criminal organisation were arrested in possession of firearms. The head of the criminal…
Source: Eurojust
National authorities in Austria, Cyprus and the Czech Republic have taken decisive action against an online scam pretending to sell rights or tokens to an alleged new crypto currency. In a coordinated operation, supported by Eurojust and Europol, the six main suspects were arrested and six places were searched. In total, EUR 750.000 in assets, a property worth EUR 1.4 million and two cars were frozen/seized.
Between December 2017 and February 2018, the scammers pretended to have set up a genuine online trading company that had launched a new cryptocurrency. They offered 10 million tokens or respective rights to the new currency for sale. Investors paid them in regular crypto values such as bitcoin or ethereum. The Austrian-based fraudsters also claimed to have developed their own software and algorithm for the sale of the tokens, in order to gain credibility with investors.
In February 2018, the perpetrators closed all their social media accounts and took the fake company’s homepage offline. This so-called exit scam made it clear to investors that they had been conned. They lost around EUR 6 million. Not all victims of the fraud have been identified at this stage.
Eurojust supported the action day against the online scam with a coordination centre, enabling real-time communication between all the authorities involved. This also enabled the rapid execution of European Arrest Warrants and search warrants. Europol assisted in the operation with a mobile office in Cyprus. Austrian police officers were present on the ground during a search in Cyprus.
Europol’s specialists organised five operational meetings and worked closely with the Austrian desk at Eurojust, providing a holistic analysis picture of the investigation. In addition to supporting the Virtual Command Post set up at Eurojust, Europol deployed a specialist with mobile office to Cyprus in order to support the operational activities and facilitate the exchange of information.
The following authorities coordinated and supported the operations on the ground:
Source: Europol
Between December 2017 and February 2018, the scammers pretended to have set up a genuine online trading company which had issued a new cryptocurrency. The initial coin offering (ICO) amounted to an offer of 10 million tokens – or respective rights to the new currency. Investors paid them in established cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. In order to gain…