Category: Interpol

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – An Italian fugitive connected to the ‘Ndrangheta mafia network has been arrested in Colombia with support from the INTERPOL Cooperation Against ‘Ndrangheta (I-CAN) Project.

Massimo Gigliotti, aged 55, was wanted internationally by Italian authorities under an INTERPOL Red Notice for trafficking large quantities of cocaine from South America to Europe.

 

Investigation of the suspect had gathered pace in South America after the I-CAN Project flagged the fugitive last September to authorities in Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Venezuela.

Gigliotti was arrested by Colombia’s National Police, after officers from the Carabinieri’s Investigative Operative Department in Bologna analysed and circulated information from EUROPOL. They collaborated with I-CAN and INTERPOL units in Lyon, with support from an Italian officer in Colombia.

INTERPOL Director of Operational Support and Analysis Cyril Gout said:

“Through this arrest, I-CAN continues to demonstrate its effectiveness in fighting one of the most extensive and powerful criminal organizations in the world.

“The I-CAN model is built on providing countries with a cooperation model that brings operational added value, particularly at a time when urgent, coordinated global action is required to tackle transnational organized crime.”

Funded by the Italian Department of Public Security, I-CAN raises global awareness and understanding about the ‘Ndrangheta and their modus operandi, sharing police information to dismantle their networks and operations and arrest wanted suspects.

Since its launch in 2020 I-CAN has facilitated the arrest of 93 fugitives worldwide.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

The Biometric Hub allows officers to identify suspected terrorists or criminals through direct photo and fingerprint checks against INTERPOL databases.

VIENNA, Austria – In mid-November, a fugitive migrant smuggler was subject to a police check in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina with a group of migrants crossing the Balkans towards Western Europe.

Wanted on organized crime and human trafficking charges since 2021, the smuggler presented himself as a fellow migrant under a false name, using a fraudulent identification document to avoid detection.

The police check, however, was part of an INTERPOL operation that saw the Biometric Hub – a new tool that checks biometric data against the organization’s global fingerprint and facial recognition databases – used remotely for the first time.

When the smuggler’s photo was run through the Biometric Hub, it immediately flagged that he was wanted in another European country. He was arrested and is currently awaiting extradition.

The operation, which took place across six countries in the Adriatic region, was part of INTERPOL’s Hotspot initiative, which uses biometric data to help detect foreign terrorist fighters and criminals who try to cross irregular border points.

Cyril Gout, INTERPOL’s Director of Operational Support and Analysis, said:

“A fugitive can change their name and many aspects of their appearance to try and escape justice, but it is difficult if not impossible to change your biometric data. This is why biometrics remain the most reliable way to identify someone.

1 million searches per day

Underpinning the BioHub is a ‘biometric core’ that encompasses INTERPOL’s existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases together with a matching system based on technology developed by the company IDEMIA.

An effective tool for screening individuals crossing a border, the BioHub can also be used for regular police operations within a country.

Over the next two years, the tool will be progressively rolled out to border points and frontline officers across INTERPOL’s membership.

The system is expected to perform up to 1 million forensic searches per day, including fingerprints, palm prints and portraits.

Improved data governance

Previous checks against INTERPOL’s biometric databases were subject to separate, multi-step processes that systematically included human handling or review, meaning that any hits would not be immediately flagged to the requesting officer.

With the BioHub, officers can submit data to both databases through a single interface, which swiftly provides results and allows users to monitor the status of their requests.

Human review from INTERPOL’s forensic experts is only required in cases where the quality of the captured biometric data is such that the match falls below a designated threshold.

Crucially, the BioHub also further improves data governance, in line with INTERPOL’s robust data protection framework.

Biometric data run through the Hub in a search is not added to INTERPOL’s criminal databases, is not visible to other users and any data that does not result in a match is deleted following the search.

Presented earlier this year to INTERPOL’s membership at the organization’s Heads of National Central Bureaus conference in Singapore, the Biometric Hub was rolled out in October and is now available to all 196 member countries.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

VIENNA, Austria – The INTERPOL General Assembly has voted to admit the Republic of Palau as a new member country, bringing the Organization’s total membership to 196.

Palau’s application was approved by a more than two-thirds majority vote at INTERPOL’s 91st General Assembly, currently meeting in Vienna, Austria, where the world police body was created 100 years ago.

Addressing the General Assembly, Gustav Aitaro, State Minister of Palau, said:

“We seek to protect our peace and security, to preserve our Palauan values, culture, and the way of life that we have inherited from our forebears.

“The support of INTERPOL will be crucial to the future of our police force and community.”

With membership taking immediate effect, the country will have participation and voting rights for the remainder of the session.

Greeting Palau’s accession to INTERPOL, Secretary General Jürgen Stock said:

“We warmly welcome Palau to the international law enforcement community. It will play an important role in helping close the global net around transnational organized crime. Likewise, we look forward to supporting Palau in its efforts to protect its citizens and environment.”

A new INTERPOL National Central Bureau

Palau will now establish its National Central Bureau (NCB). NCBs are fully staffed and operated by national law enforcement bodies and operate in accordance with national legislation. They are that country’s single point of contact with the INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France, as well as for the NCBs of other countries.

INTERPOL membership

Membership of INTERPOL means national law enforcement can instantly both share and receive vital policing information from around the world across a range of crime areas including human trafficking, drug smuggling, cybercrime, vehicle crime and terrorism.

Palau will also benefit from policing capabilities provided by the General Secretariat, such as training, analysis, specialist teams and support from the Command and Coordination Centre.

Through I-24/7, INTERPOL’s secure global police communications network, countries can send messages and also access multiple global databases, including on wanted persons, stolen motor vehicles, stolen and lost travel documents, fingerprints, DNA and face recognition.

While the widest possible cooperation is encouraged, INTERPOL respects the sovereignty of each member country. Member countries retain full ownership of the data they share with INTERPOL and they decide with which other countries their data is shared.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

This week in Vienna, at the annual global meeting of police leaders from around the world, whether in huddled groups in quiet corridors or on the main stage, every law enforcement officer will be talking about one thing: The explosive growth of transnational organized crime.

What every police force knows, but the rest of the world has yet to realize, is that there has been an epidemic of transnational organized crime and at such a scale that it is now a global security crisis.

Whether you are worried about gang fights on your streets, the sexual exploitation of children, forced labour or a drug epidemic killing people in your community, what you are really worrying about is transnational organized crime.

And make no mistake – these are not just concerns in your community and in your country – this is happening globally.
The COVID pandemic accelerated enormous societal changes – and nowhere is that more true than transnational organized crime.

Criminal groups around the world are using the dark web and other tools to create a whole new business model – gone are the days of codes of silence amongst tight-knit groups; these criminal groups do not even know who they are working with and are making anonymous connections online.

They are outsourcing, creating partnerships, bringing together different criminal activities. They are expanding markets globally while operating under the radar and often undetected, simultaneously undermining the rule of law and democracy in those countries.

This is all cyber enabled, but we are also seeing the growth of online crime committed in one country and exploiting people in another – cybercrime as a service for the price of a takeaway meal. Vulnerable people being targeted every second of the day for their life savings in romance scams, fraud and password hacks.

What is a local police officer meant to do about a criminal who is 7,000 miles away? In fact, what is the most well-resourced police service meant to do about a criminal operating anonymously on a different continent? No single law enforcement body, no regional grouping, no one can tackle this explosion of organized crime on their own.

International organized crime groups are exploiting difficult relationships between countries, they are exploiting conflicts and they are exploiting the fact that law enforcement’s investment in technology has been significantly outpaced by the criminals.
In a splintered world, a message of greater global unity is challenging – but without greater information sharing, more cooperation, and without giving every police officer in every community the tools to recognize and tackle transnational organized crime, no country in the world can cope with this challenge on their own.

That is why, later today at INTERPOL’s annual conference in our centenary year, we will be launching the Vienna Declaration.
This will make clear to the world’s leaders – on behalf of their police officers – that without treating this explosion, this second pandemic, this crisis of transnational organized crime as a shared, global national security crisis, none of our communities will be safe.

This epidemic can only be tackled by urgent, coordinated global action, greater cooperation between countries and regions and by investing in shared technology. The perilous state of global security means that bringing the world together is now urgent.

The world faces many challenges – climate change, geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts and it will be tempting for leaders to hope someone else will find a solution, but that is not going to happen. We can only tackle this explosion of transnational organized crime if we all do our part.

The first duty of a state is to keep its people safe. Without unity in addressing this threat, and addressing it now, it is going to be beyond the reach of the world’s law enforcement and security agencies.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – A murdered woman has been identified as Rita Roberts after 31 years following Operation Identify Me.
 
The international appeal was launched in May of this year by Belgian, Dutch and German police, in collaboration with INTERPOL, seeking the public’s help in identifying 22 women believed to have been murdered.
 
One of those cold cases, known as ‘the woman with the flower tattoo’, dated back to 3 June 1992, when a woman’s body was found against a grate in the water of the river ‘Groot Schijn’ near the Ten Eekhovelei in Antwerp, Belgium. She had been violently killed.
 
Her most striking physical feature was a flower tattoo on her left forearm of a black flower with green leaves and with ‘R’Nick’ written underneath. For three decades, the victim remained nameless.

How Rita Roberts was identified

The following details have been made public with the agreement of the victim’s family and that of the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office:

• Rita Roberts was 31 when she moved to Antwerp from Cardiff in February 1992.
• She last communicated with her relatives via postcard in May 1992.
• On 10 May of this year, Operation Identify Me was launched, receiving significant coverage and generating some 1,250 tips from the public.
• A family member in the United Kingdom recognized the tattoo on the news and notified INTERPOL and Belgian authorities via the Identify Me appeal web page.
• The family then travelled to meet with investigators in Belgium, and formally identified their missing relative through distinguishing personal identifiers.
• Thereafter, the Antwerp family court was petitioned to have the victim’s death certificate amended to reflect her identity.

The family of Rita Roberts said in a statement:

“The news was shocking and heartbreaking. Our passionate, loving and free-spirited sister was cruelly taken away. There are no words to truly express the grief we felt at that time, and still feel today.

“Whilst the news has been difficult to process, we are incredibly grateful to have uncovered what happened to Rita. We miss her deeply but are thankful for the excellent support and care of Belgium Missing Persons, Antwerp Police, INTERPOL and Durham Police in the UK. This cross-border collaboration has given a missing girl back her identity, and enabled the family to know she is at rest.

“Rita was a beautiful person who adored travelling. She loved her family, especially her nephews and nieces, and always wanted to have a family of her own. She had the ability to light up a room, and wherever she went, she was the life and soul of the party. We hope that wherever she is now, she is at peace.”

The family have asked for the media not to contact them during their grieving process.

Now that her identify is known, Belgian authorities are calling on the public for any information they may have on Rita Roberts or the circumstances surrounding her death. This can be submitted via an online form on INTERPOL’s website.

“We congratulate the authorities in Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands for their leadership in Operation Identify Me. Its important work continues.”
 

INTERPOL’s Black Notices

Operation Identify Me was the first time INTERPOL released public extracts from Black Notices. These are used to seek information on unidentified bodies and to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.
 
Black Notices can include information on the location where the body was found, biometric information (DNA, fingerprints, facial images), dental charts, physical descriptions of the body or clothing, and any other details relevant to identifying the deceased.
 
Since 2021, INTERPOL has been providing investigators with a new global tool, the I-Familia database. It has already solved cases by helping identify unknown bodies through international family DNA kinship matching. Such cases draw on the voluntary DNA contributions made by relatives of the missing, and underline the role played by the public and partners when it comes to identifying missing persons.

Identify Me appeal

The work of Operation Identify Me continues. Members of the public, particularly those who remember a missing friend or family member, are invited to consult www.INTERPOL.int/IM and contact both INTERPOL and the relevant national police team should they have any information on any of the cases.
 
For biological relatives who believe one of the deceased women could be their missing loved one, national police once contacted can liaise with INTERPOL for international DNA comparison.
 
Contact forms are at the bottom of each online case summary.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

SINGAPORE – Environmental and wildlife crime has become one of the world’s largest and most profitable crime sectors and continues to grow as it pushes many species to the brink of extinction, warned INTERPOL at the United for Wildlife Summit.

With the black market for illegal wildlife products worth up to USD 20 billion per year, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade has become a major area of activity for organized crime groups and is increasingly linked with armed violence, corruption and other forms of organized crime.

Poaching and the trade in illegal wildlife is not just damaging the environment and killing at-risk species, but is costing the life of wildlife enforcement officers, with up to 100 rangers killed by poachers annually while protecting wildlife in their natural habitats.

This context underpins today’s agreement at the United for Wildlife Summit between The Royal Foundation and INTERPOL on future joint efforts to protect endangered species from illegal wildlife trafficking.

Rt Hon. Lord Hague of Richmond, Co-Chair of United for Wildlife, said:

“Criminal syndicates trafficking in illegal wildlife products conduct their clandestine operation across international borders, causing incalculable damage to biodiversity and communities in the process. International law enforcement cooperation is critical in United for Wildlife’s mission to make the illegal trade in wildlife impossible.

“INTERPOL has been a longstanding partner of United for Wildlife for many years and we are thrilled that, through this Letter of Intent, we can work more closely, more collaboratively and be more coordinated in pursuit of bringing this global criminal enterprise to an end.”

Transnational organized criminal groups exploit wildlife across the globe, affecting vulnerable communities, jeopardizing public health and threatening the world’s natural resources.

INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services, Stephen Kavanagh, said:

“Over a decade of INTERPOL engagement, wildlife crime has become one of the world’s largest criminal activities. We have seen that wildlife crime relies on armed violence, corruption and is intertwined with financial crimes, ranging from money laundering to the financing of other forms of transnational organized crime.

“Considering the scale and value of illegal wildlife trade internationally, financial and transport data is crucial to fighting wildlife trafficking. Our efforts with the members of United for Wildlife taskforces in these areas underlines the need for partnerships to make the world’s environment safer from predators.”

INTERPOL assists its 195 member countries in raising awareness on abuses of national and international regulations. It also enhances their investigative and analytical capabilities leading to decisive enforcement actions such as the series of Operation Thunder.  

Since 2017 INTERPOL has mobilized law enforcement authorities from across more than 100 member countries in coordinated Thunder actions against the illegal wildlife trade, leading to thousands of seizures and arrests across the globe.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

28 November – 1 December 2023

Addressing global threats posed by transnational crime, the 91st INTERPOL General Assembly will be held in Vienna, Austria from 28 November to 1 December.

Bringing together chiefs of police and senior officials from around the world, the event will also round off a year of celebrations for INTERPOL’s centenary in the city where the Organization was created in 1923.

Today’s critical global threats, including transnational organized crime, environmental crime and preventing the circulation of child sexual abuse material are on the agenda, along with discussions on the use of emerging technologies by law enforcement.

The General Assembly opening ceremony on Tuesday 28 November will be open to accredited media. Although the main conference proceedings are closed to the press, interviews with police officials and international delegates may be arranged upon request using the official form.

The closing ceremony on Friday 1 December will also be open to media.

A press conference with Secretary General Jürgen Stock will be held at a time and date to be confirmed.

Accreditation

Only accredited journalists may attend the press conference the opening and/or closing ceremonies, or any media briefings held during the General Assembly.

Journalists wishing to attend will need to fill out the accreditation request form available here no later than 12h00 CET Wednesday 22 November. For any specific enquiries about the accreditation process, please contact the Austrian Ministry of the Interior Media Desk Email: mediadesk@bmi.gv.at.

Journalists without accreditation will not be granted access. All accredited media representatives will be expected to present their press credentials and national identification documents at the media registration desk upon arrival.

Please note that journalists requiring a visa to travel to Austria will have to apply for this through the usual channels.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

Ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a cooperation agreement has been signed between France and INTERPOL to strengthen security and international cooperation during this major global event.

The agreement covers a range of areas drawing on INTERPOL’s global network and expertise including:

• Collaborative coordination through the organisation of joint workshops and meetings ahead of the event.
• A continuous exchange of information in order to effectively address any potential threats or transnational crime.
• Strategic assistance in order to strengthen law enforcement in order to confront any complex situations.
• The deployment of an INTERPOL Major Event Support Team (IMEST) for the entire event to ensure close collaboration with the Central Section for Operational Police Cooperation of the DCIO.

International cooperation is essential to the success of major events and keeping athletes, spectators and all participants safe.

IMEST team members facilitate real-time exchange of messages and vital police data between countries. This data includes fingerprints, photos, wanted person notices, and data relating to stolen and lost travel documents and stolen motor vehicles.

The first IMEST was deployed in 2002 to the USA for the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. To date, nearly 160 teams have been deployed across the world.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – The results of a major operation to crack down on illicit medicines across 89 countries have been announced today.

The annual campaign targets illicit medicines that pose a significant threat to consumer safety, including counterfeit medicines and medicines diverted from legal and regulated supply chains. They also represent a major source of income for transnational organized crime groups and support other crime activity.

Operation Pangea XVI, which ran from 3-10 October, has led to 72 arrests worldwide, the seizure of potentially dangerous pharmaceuticals worth more than USD 7 million, 325 new investigations and the closure of more than 1,300 criminal websites.

Erectile dysfunction medications continue to be the most seized medicine globally, accounting for 22 per cent of seizures during the operation. Psychotherapeutic agents such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety medicines and stimulants were a close second at 19 per cent, followed by sex hormones and gastrointestinal medicines at 12 per cent respectively.

Additional seizures included:

• In Mozambique, authorities seized 9,000 bottles of suspected counterfeit cough syrups, after discovering contradictions between product labels and official documents.
•  Australian authorities seized some 11,000 COVID-19 irregular test kits, demonstrating continued criminal exploitation of the pandemic.
• Customs officers in Qatar seized 2,500 prescription painkillers hidden in cereal boxes, from a passenger flying in from Bangladesh.
• Some 13,000 counterfeit and/or expired pain medicines were confiscated during searches at a bus depot between Peru and Ecuador.

 “The operation underlines the continuing need for a coordinated and global response against the threat posed by illicit medicines and transnational organized crime groups.”

 INTERPOL continues to support member countries as further analysis and investigations are carried out.

 Throughout the operation, additional support was provided by Europol, the World Customs Organization, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Narcotics Control Board, national health regulatory agencies and the Pharmaceutical Security Institute.
 
Participating countries: Albania, Angola, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Rep. Democratic Rep. of Congo, Denmark, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Finland ,France, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong China, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,  Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Moldova, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Rep San Marino, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zambia.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Representatives from regional law enforcement and security organizations have taken the first in a series of actions towards establishing a global data-sharing model for law enforcement.

The important step was agreed at the 7th INTERPOL Dialogue on an Effective Multilateral Policing Architecture against Global Threats, hosted by the Gulf Cooperation Council-POL with the support of the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Interior.

In a joint declaration adopted after the two-day meeting (25-26 October), Dialogue members agreed to work with their member countries towards the goal of establishing a global model – to identify channels of communication, set data-sharing standards and foster cooperation.

Regional police information systems have developed and expanded significantly over the past decade, often as part of broader regional integration efforts.

Coupled with the dramatic increase in police data over the same period, officers today are presented with an unprecedented amount of information shared through a growing number of systems that are not always aligned.

The Dialogue was created in this context, to reap the benefits of an increasingly rich data landscape while mitigating the risk of vital intelligence falling through the gaps.

“But if we design the landscape right, the next decade could see the richest and most effective police communication infrastructure ever available to law enforcement,” Secretary General Stock added.

Global Policing Goals

Representatives from regional law enforcement and security organizations were also updated on the ongoing review of INTERPOL’s Global Policing Goals, which reflect global law enforcement priorities in alignment with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“The Global Policing Goals are an asset for all police cooperation actors, reflecting what we are, and what we bring to global security,” said Secretary General Stock. “They must also address the threats we seek to counter, promoting policing as an agent for global peace and growth.”

In Abu Dhabi, Dialogue members agreed that effective implementation of the Goals would be the focus of efforts over the next year, through identifying and tracking individual and joint endeavours.

Participating Dialogue entities: The Arab Interior Ministers’ Council (AIMC), the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL), the Police Community of the Americas (AMERIPOL), the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS), the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), the Gulf Cooperation Council-POL (GCCPOL), the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO-RATS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).