Category: Europol

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Crackdown on criminal network that used minors and women for street begging in Portugal

Source: Eurojust

Supported by Eurojust and Europol, judicial and law enforcement authorities in Portugal and Romania have dismantled an organised crime group involved in human trafficking, qualified fraud and money laundering. The suspects allegedly transported Romanian citizens, mostly minors and women, to Portugal and used them to beg for a fictitious association, posing as deaf-mute children and young people.

The criminal network is believed to have made a profit of over EUR 230,000 from this criminal activity.

During a joint action on 11-14 March, the Portuguese and Romanian authorities carried out six house searches, interrogated three defendants and interviewed five witnesses in Romania. Eight more suspects were interrogated in the weeks following the operation. At least thirty victims were identified and brought to safety.

Eurojust assisted the Portuguese and Romanian authorities in setting up and funding a joint investigation team into the case in April 2023. The Agency organised and hosted two coordination meetings to facilitate judicial cooperation and prepare for the joint action.

Europol facilitated the exchange of information between the different law enforcement authorities involved.

The following authorities took part in this investigation:

  • Portugal: Porto Public Prosecution Office; Porto Public Security Police
  • Romania: Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism – Central Structure (PPO); Service for Combating Organised Crime Ialomita (police)
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9 arrests in EUR 645 million JuicyFields investment scam case

Source: Europol

According to judicial estimates, the total damages resulting from fake investments in the advertised cannabis cultivation crowdsourcing platform amount to a staggering EUR 645 million, but actual and unreported damages could be significantly higher. In total, an estimated 550 000 participants worldwide, most of them European citizens, were registered as online investors. Using bank transfers or cryptocurrencies, around 186 000…

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More than 3 000 law enforcement authorities now connected to Europol

Source: Europol

The platform enables the swift exchange of operational and strategic information among Europol, EU Member States and partner countries with which Europol has cooperation agreements or working arrangements. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.In a world where threats can materialise at a moment’s notice, and criminals operate across borders with unprecedented speed and sophistication,…

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Eurojust assists with taking down of drug trafficking ring involved in killing of rivals in Greece

Source: Eurojust

Eurojust has supported the Greek and Serbian authorities in dismantling a drug trafficking network allegedly involved in the murder of four members of a rival gang in Greece. In total, ten suspects were arrested in Serbia, Greece and Spain for the murders, which took place in 2020. Eurojust also supported and funded a joint investigation team (JIT) between Greece and Serbia to dismantle the organised crime group (OCG).

The OCG was based in the Western Balkans and was mainly involved in large-scale drug trafficking. It faced a split within its own organisation in 2014, with a rival group being set up in Greece. This split in the OCG led to a series of murder attempts and killings across Europe. Four members of the Greek-based criminal network were killed in 2020 on Corfu and in Vari on the mainland of Greece.

Investigations by both the Greek and Serbian authorities detected links to the original OCG. In 2023, Eurojust assisted the Greek and Serbian authorities in setting up and funding the JIT into the OCG in the Western Balkans. The Agency also assisted national authorities to prepare, at police level and under the supervision of prosecutors, the concerted actions in recent weeks to dismantle the criminal network.

Europol has been supporting the investigation since April 2021 and brought together the Greek and Serbian investigators to establish a joint strategy and prepare for the final day of action. Europol’s Serious Organised Crime Centre carried out extensive operational analysis to identify the entire organisation responsible for the homicides. Greek investigators were also deployed to Europol’s headquarters to develop the intelligence on their key targets.

In total, 39 suspects have been identified, including the ten detained persons. The authorities involved will now coordinate further judicial action against the OCG members based in the Western Balkans.

The actions on the ground were carried out by and at request of the following authorities:

  • Greece: Department of Extradition and Judicial Assistance of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) of the Court of Appeals Athens; PPO of First Instance Court Athens; Department of Crimes Against Life and Personal Liberty of Attica Security Directorate
  • Serbia: Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime; Ministry of Interior, Police Directorate, Service for Combatting Organised Crime; Security Intelligence Agency
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63 forgers arrested in Naples

Source: Europol

The investigation was initiated by Carabinieri anti-counterfeiting investigators in January 2023, who received support from Europol. The aim of the investigation was to take down the Naples-based criminal group. The group was mostly active in France, Spain, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, but they sold their counterfeit banknotes across Europe.Europol facilitated the information exchange and financed and coordinated several operational…

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Europol report identifies the most threatening criminal networks in the EU

Source: Europol

Europol’s new report, published today, entitled “Decoding the EU’s most threatening criminal networks”, delves into the characteristics of the criminal networks that pose the highest threat. This Europe-wide analysis focuses on criminal actors in a first-of-its-kind mapping of the most threatening criminal networks. It describes, in detail, how the most threatening criminal networks are organised, which criminal activities they engage…

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Press Conference: Decoding the EU’s most threatening criminal networks

Source: Europol

The report is the first of its kind to analyse in depth the characteristics that make criminal actors particularly threatening to the EU’s internal security.All EU Member States and 17 third countries contributed data for this analysis, resulting in a unique dataset over 800 criminal networks. The assessment will help law enforcement and policymakers to identify measures to disrupt them.The…

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Working Arrangement signed for establishing cooperative relations between the law enforcement authorities of the Republic of India and Europol

Source: Europol

This Working Arrangement not only brings together CBI and Europol but also links the law enforcement authorities in the Republic of India with law enforcement authorities of the Member States of the European Union, as well as third countries and organisations associated with Europol. It establishes clear mechanisms for communication, cooperation, and collaboration, ensuring that respective law enforcement agencies can…

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35 arrests in coordinated raid against violent watch snatchers

Source: Europol

The criminals’ technique was as unsophisticated as it was effective. Operating in gangs of three to five members, one accomplice would stake out potential victims in establishments such as fine-dining restaurants or upper-scale hotels. Once they had identified a person wearing an expensive wristwatch, the victim would be observed and followed by a gang member in anticipation of the ideal…

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Busted: 9 arrested in hit against holiday-rental fraudsters

Source: Europol

During the operation on 19 March, law enforcement authorities also conducted 22 house searches in Sibiu and Vâlcea, Romania, where the gang was located. The group operated internationally and had branches in Spain.The operation led to the seizure of:over EUR 174 000 and RON 41 000 in cash55 g of goldelectronic devices, including 135 mobile phones, 29 laptops, 5 tablets,…