Category: Interpol

Source: Interpol (news and events)

New INTERPOL analysis for law enforcement shows the clear involvement of organized criminals in illegal gold mining, taking advantage of surging gold prices and leaving severe environmental degradation in their wake.

Gold prices have again risen to multiyear highs in recent months, with the asset seen by many investors as a safe investment in relatively uncertain times. Illegal gold mining has likewise increased over the past decade. A 2016 assessment by INTERPOL and the United Nations Environment Programme estimated illegal mining to account for up to USD 48 billion a year in criminal proceeds.

Latin America is especially affected by this crime area, experiencing one of the world’s largest illegal gold extraction rates, according to INTERPOL’s findings. Its analysis of illicit gold mining in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Peru – as well as the results of regular investigative support to Brazilian law enforcement – highlights how the increase in gold demand has acted as a ‘pull factor’ for criminals in the region, including organized crime groups also involved in human trafficking, human rights abuses and financial crimes.

Illegal gold mining devastates the environment, causing deforestation, biodiversity and habitat loss as well as water, air and soil pollution through the release of toxic chemicals. Local communities also suffer through forced population displacements, corruption, human rights violations and health issues associated with illegal mining.

The high involvement of sophisticated criminal networks in illegal gold mining and the transnational dimension of illegal mining and associated crimes also pose challenges for law enforcement, who sometimes lack the necessary resources to combat this crime threat effectively.

Lining their pockets and destroying the environment

Under the banner of Project Mnya, the INTERPOL analysis was developed by a newly-formed team within the global policing body dedicated to providing analytical, investigative and operational support to member countries combating illegal gold mining.

Funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, Project Mnya marks the first initiative launched by INTERPOL’s environmental security programme on illegal mining and related crimes. The project has already led to the exchange of new intelligence from ongoing cases between law enforcement in the region and the establishment of national points of contact to facilitate work in this crime area.

Law enforcement in beneficiary countries confirmed interest in enhancing intelligence sharing at the regional and national level. The Attorney General’s Office in Colombia, for instance, reported having direct access to INTERPOL’s secure I-24/7 communications system, allowing for timely information exchange between investigators and the judiciary.

“In the context of COVID-19, illegal gold mining has been lining criminals’ pockets more than ever before, allowing crime groups to funnel money into other illicit activities while destroying the local environment,” said Cindy Buckley, Acting Assistant Director of INTERPOL’s Illicit Markets division.

“The supply chains for illegally-mined gold are transnational in scope, and INTERPOL has a crucial role to play in supporting member countries combating this crime,” Ms Buckley added.

Nearly half the illegal gold mining ‘hotspots’ identified through INTERPOL’s work with law enforcement in Project MNYA countries are located in cross-border areas, demonstrating the importance of international police cooperation in countering criminality.

Multiple law enforcement agencies are also responsible for enforcing and investigating illegal mining in each country, meaning that national inter-agency cooperation and coordination is just as crucial.

INTERPOL’s environmental security programme brings together member countries, international organizations, civil society organizations and the private sector to help dismantle the criminal networks behind environmental crime by providing law enforcement agencies with the tools and expertise they need to protect the environment from being exploited by criminals.

The programme provides investigative support to international cases and targets, coordinates operations, assists member countries in sharing information and conducts analysis into environmental criminal networks.

Download a public version of INTERPOL’s report on illegal mining and associated crimes below.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – Thousands of suspects, companies and criminal networks engaged in maritime pollution have been detected and investigated in a global INTERPOL-led operation.

Operation 30 Days at Sea 3.0 (1-31 March) saw simultaneous action by 300 agencies across 67 countries resulting in an unprecedented 34,000 inspections at sea and inland waterways, coastal areas and ports to detect marine pollution violations.

Frontline action followed five months of intelligence collection and analysis, enabling the identification of specific hotspots and suspects behind the criminal, deliberate pollution of the world’s waterways.

Preliminary results from the operation’s tactical phase included the detection of 1,600 marine pollution offences, often triggering fines and follow-up investigations across all continents. These include:

• Nearly 500 illegal acts of pollution committed at sea, including oil discharges, illegal shipbreaking and sulphur emissions from vessels;
• 1,000 pollution offences in coastal areas and in rivers, including illegal discharges of sewage, mercury, plastics, and other contaminants, leading to serious water contamination which flows into the oceans;
• 130 cases of waste trafficking through ports.

By using INTERPOL’s wide range of databases and analytical capabilities, countries were able to connect pollution crime with other serious offences such as fraud, corruption, tax evasion, money laundering, piracy, and illegal fishing.

With surveillance down, criminals are seizing opportunities

With many enforcement resources being reassigned to tackle the pandemic, criminals have been quick to exploit growing vulnerabilities in environmental security and reduced risk of detection.

Authorities in Indonesia detected 65 oil spills and detained two vessels which tried to evade detection by turning off geolocation systems and concealing their national flags.

A major criminal network trafficking plastic waste between Europe and Asia was exposed, triggering cooperation between authorities from both regions. So far, 22 suspects have been arrested and thousands of tonnes of waste have been prevented from being illegally shipped to Asia, where it would have likely been dumped, contaminating soils and generating considerable marine litter.

Several countries from Europe, Asia and Africa reported illegal shipments of contaminated or mixed metal waste falsely declared as metal scraps. In one case, the Italian Coast Guard seized and prevented 11,000 tonnes of metal scraps mixed with plastic, rubber, mineral oil and other contaminants from being loaded onto bulk carriers headed for Turkey. Namibia, the Philippines and Croatia also reported cases of illegal waste shipments from Europe.

Growing trends included COVID-19 disposable items such as masks and gloves, with 13 cases involving medical waste opened as a result of the operation.

With the value of gold on the rise, agencies across Africa, Central and South America worked to track illegal mining, which often results in devastating contamination due to mercury discharges.

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said: “The threat of pollution crime is constantly evolving, endangering the air we breathe, our water and soil. Although this is the third edition of 30 Days at Sea, it is never the same exercise.

“It is thanks to a global yet agile network that we have seen the number of inspections more than double since the first edition: a clear sign that the international community will not stand for criminal attacks on our environment.”

INTERPOL will assist member countries in their follow-up operations and intelligence analysis with support from its Pollution Crime Working Group.

Joining forces for greater impact

With INTERPOL’s Environmental Security Programme coordinating the operation globally, Europol and FRONTEX (European Border and Coast Guard Agency) provided crucial support by coordinating the European leg of 30 Days at Sea 3.0, as part of the EMPACT action plan on environmental crime.

Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said: “Marine pollution is a serious threat, which endangers not only the environment but our health and in the long run our global economy. Criminals do not care about the environment; they do not think of tomorrow, but only of increasing their profits on the back of our society. Consolidated law enforcement efforts such as 30 Days at Sea are critical to tackle these borderless crimes and protect our environmental heritage for generations to come.”

“Environmental crime is one of many criminal activities Frontex targets as part of our mission as the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. This is our contribution to the protection of the environment. I’m proud that, as part of 30 Days at Sea, Frontex aerial and maritime assets monitored nearly 1 000 vessels,” said Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri.

All three editions of Operation 30 Days at Sea have been carried out with funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).

Participating countries

Participating countries: Angola, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea Bissau, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Liberia, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor Leste, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam, Zimbabwe

Source: Interpol (news and events)

 

The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing body and comprises delegates appointed by the governments of our member countries.

It meets once a year and takes all the major decisions affecting general policy, the resources needed for international cooperation, working methods, finances and programmes of activities. These decisions are in the form of resolutions.

INTERPOL’s Centenary

2023 marks the 100-year anniversary of the Organization, and this General Assembly is being hosted in Vienna, Austria – in recognition of the fact that this is the city where INTERPOL was created in 1923.

Bringing together chiefs of police and senior officials from around the world, the event will also round off a year of celebrations for our member countries, that have included taking the INTERPOL flag to landmark destinations such as the summit of Mount Everest.

During the four-day conference that runs from 28 November to 1 December, senior police officials from around the world will address current and emerging threats, including the significant growth of transnational organized crime.

Agenda

This session of the General Assembly will include panels and presentations on the following themes:

• Member country activities to promote a century of learning, collaboration and innovation.
• Emerging trends, operational impact and preparedness for the future.
• Police cooperation and discussions on the use of emerging technologies by law enforcement.
• A review of critical global crime threats facing policing today, including transnational organized crime, environmental crime and preventing the circulation of child sexual abuse material
• A global dialogue among regional policing organizations to enhance and maintain strategic and operational coordination.
• Strengthening frameworks for cooperation such as governance and rules on the processing of data.
• Approving budget and activities for 2024
• Operational and strategic partnerships with governmental, non-governmental and UN partners
• The next generation – recruiting and retaining talent and diversity at the General Secretariat.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

7 – 9 February 2023  | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The Asian Regional Conference brings together Heads of Police and police cooperation bodies in the region to discuss specific crime-related problems, as well as assess the state of police cooperation and the fight against transnational crime.

Key issued to be considered during the Asian gathering include:

• Financial crime
• Human trafficking
• Cybercrime
• Terrorism

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – To address the increasing logistical, operational and technological sophistication of transnational organized crime, INTERPOL’s Heads of NCB conference has ended with delegates approving a series of conclusions to boost the law enforcement response.

Expanding access to I-24/7, INTERPOL’s secure global police communications network, to specialized law enforcement units and border control points, and sharing more criminal data via the Organization’s 19 databases were highlighted as key.

Increased use of INTERPOL’s policing capabilities, such as the Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) stop-payment mechanism to intercept the proceeds of cyber-enabled financial fraud was also endorsed.

Intercepting criminal proceeds

Since the launch of I-GRIP in 2022, the Organization has helped member countries intercept more than USD 500 million in criminal proceeds.

The need for more data exchanges on terrorist organizations, their support mechanisms, and any links to organized crime was underlined, as well as sharing modus operandi linked to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and improvised explosive materials and incidents.

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said:

“It is simple – more data shared via INTERPOL equals more results for police across our 196 member countries.

“To address the complexity of today’s transnational organized crime threat, global law enforcement cooperation to ensure that the right information is in the right place at the right time is more important than ever.

“This meeting has provided new impetus for our National Central Bureaus which play a critical role in the global security architecture.”

Protecting children

To better protect vulnerable members of society, NCBs were also encouraged to make greater use of INTERPOL’s International Child Sex Exploitation (ICSE) database to share intelligence, identify offenders and safeguard victims, as well as Green Notices to warn about sexual predators.

INTERPOL is the only international organization with a global network of mandatorily appointed data protection officers. In support of data protection principles such as lawfulness, quality, transparency and accountability, fostering this network to further strengthen trust and efficiency in global policing was also endorsed by the Heads of NCBs conference.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – Strengthening INTERPOL’s global network to combat the threat of transnational organized crime is the focus of the annual Heads of National Central Bureaus (NCBs) meeting this week.

Building on the five priority actions outlined in the Vienna Declaration, 321 police officials from 136 countries attending the conference will identify initiatives to expand access to INTERPOL’s global databases to encourage greater operational criminal data sharing.

In addition to panel discussions during the plenary session, delegates will also take part in round tables for more focused regional discussions on threats including cyber-enabled financial fraud, online child sexual exploitation and terrorism.

INTERPOL President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi said:

“We are 196 members strong, and our power lies in our continued commitment to intelligence sharing and international partnership.

“Providing police with the tools they need to fight crime together is essential. As we look to the future, NCBs are more vital than ever, playing an essential role in the success of the organization’s most critical operations.”

Secretary General Jürgen Stock highlighted a number of operational highlights from the past 12 months, including Operation Storm Makers II, targeting human trafficking and migrant smuggling linked to cyber scam centres, and Operation Haechi IV against online financial crime which resulted in the seizure of USD 300 million worth of assets across 34 countries.

“Terrorism remains global, mobile, while organized crime continues to expand across continents and across markets,” said Secretary General Stock.

“That is why we must continue to prepare and respond to those criminal threats in a coordinated and targeted manner at the national, regional and global levels through our NCBs.

“Each piece of information, shared or withheld, can mean the difference between an arrest and a tragedy of global proportions.”

NCBs are a country’s focal point for all INTERPOL activities, connecting national law enforcement with other countries, and with the General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, via a secure global police communications network.

In 2023 alone, INTERPOL NCBs exchanged more than 18 million messages and queried the Organization’s global databases nearly eight billion times – equating to over 250 searches every second.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – Belgium has enacted a new law considerably boosting its ability to solve cases of missing or unidentified deceased persons.

Until now, officials in Belgium were restricted from sharing DNA profiles to international databases for criminal missing persons investigations, essentially limiting their ability to find answers abroad.

The new legislation explicitly allows for profiles collected in Belgium to be searched and stored in INTERPOL’s DNA and I-Familia databases for cases of missing persons, relatives of missing persons and unidentified human remains. It will also enable the use of more systematic searches, adding a new layer of cooperation and ensuring all possible avenues have been explored.

“This new law is an important achievement. It not only sends a clear message to other countries looking to evolve their policing practices and benefit from increased information exchange, but more significantly it will also help get answers for families,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock.

Welcoming the legislation, Director of International Police Cooperation with the Belgian Federal Police and INTERPOL Executive Committee Vice-President Peter De Buysscher said, “Amendments can and should be made to national DNA legislation – it’s an inevitable part of innovation and globalization. This change to the law will bring a global aspect to national investigations.”

With the new database connections now in place via I-24/7, INTERPOL’s secure communications system, additional data is starting to flow between the National Central Bureau in Brussels and the General Secretariat.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LYON, France – In January this year, Brazilian authorities announced the arrest of five administrators behind a Grandoreiro banking trojan operation.

Considered a major cybersecurity threat across Spanish-speaking countries since 2017, Grandoreiro malware is introduced through phishing emails impersonating recognized organizations such as courts or telecom and energy companies.

Once in, the malware tracks keyboard inputs, simulates mouse activity, shares screens, and displays deceptive pop-ups, collecting data such as usernames, operating system information, device runtime and most importantly, bank identifiers.

With full control over victims’ bank accounts, criminals empty them, sending funds through a money mule network to launder the illicit proceeds before transferring the funds to Brazil.

The organization behind the malware is thought to have defrauded victims of more than EUR 3.5 million, however, according to CaixaBank several failed attempts could have yielded more than EUR 110 million for the criminal organization.

Brazil and Spain leverage INTERPOL’s network and expertise

Between 2020 and 2022, as part of independent national cybercrime investigations, Brazil and Spain collected Grandoreiro malware samples. When they both turned to INTERPOL for support in analysing the material, INTERPOL’s Cybercrime unit took on a coordinating role, launching an operation and calling on partners Trend Micro, Kaspersky, Group-IB and Scitum.

By August 2023, analytical reports had identified matches between samples, allowing investigators to close in on the organized crime group. Following a series of coordination meetings, Brazil carried out house searches across five states, arresting five programmers and operators behind the banking malware.

Emphasizing the importance of a collective approach, Craig Jones, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime unit, said: “This operational success vividly underscores the importance of sharing intelligence through INTERPOL, and why we are committed to acting as a bridge between public and private sectors. It also sets the stage for further cooperation in the region.”

INTERPOL continues to support Brazil and Spain, as well as other countries, as investigations are ongoing.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

LONDON, United Kingdom – A new INTERPOL assessment on global financial fraud highlights how the increased use of technology is enabling organized crime groups to better target victims around the world.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), large language models and cryptocurrencies combined with phishing- and ransomware-as-a-service business models have resulted in more sophisticated and professional fraud campaigns without the need for advanced technical skills, and at relatively little cost.

Analysis behind the INTERPOL Global Financial Fraud Assessment also points to the global expansion of human trafficking for the purpose of forced criminality in call centres, particularly to carry out ‘pig-butchering’ scams – a hybrid scheme combining romance and investment frauds, using cryptocurrencies.

INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock said:

“We are facing an epidemic in the growth of financial fraud, leading to individuals, often vulnerable people, and companies being defrauded on a massive and global scale.

“Changes in technology and the rapid increase in the scale and volume of organized crime has driven the creation of a range of new ways to defraud innocent people, business and even governments. With the development of AI and Cryptocurrencies, the situation is only going to get worse without urgent action.

“It is important that there are no safe havens for financial fraudsters to operate. We must close existing gaps and ensure information sharing between sectors and across borders is the norm, not the exception.

“We also need to encourage greater reporting of financial crime as well as invest in capacity building and training for law enforcement to develop a more effective and truly global response.”

The report is being launched by the Secretary General at the Financial Fraud Summit, organized by the UK government in London.

Key findings

Other key findings of the report, which is for law enforcement use only, include:

• The most prevalent global trends are investment fraud, advance payment fraud, romance fraud and business email compromise
• Financial fraud is most often carried out by a network of co-offenders, varying from highly structured to loosely affiliated.
• An urgent need to strengthen data collection and analysis in order to develop more informed and effective counter strategies.

To effectively address this globally escalating crime and bridge crucial information gaps, one of the report’s recommendations is the need to build multi-stakeholder, Public-Private Partnerships to trace and recover funds lost to financial fraud.

Since the launch of INTERPOL’s Global Rapid Intervention of Payments (I-GRIP) stop-payment mechanism in 2022, the Organization has helped member countries intercept more than USD 500 million in criminal proceeds, stemming largely from cyber-enabled fraud.

Regional Trends in Financial Fraud

Africa

Business Email Compromise remains one of the most prevalent trends in Africa, however there is increasing use of the pig butchering fraud. Cases of this fraud type have been identified in West and Southern Africa targeting victims in other jurisdictions beyond the continent.

Certain West African criminal groups, including the Black Axe, Airlords and Supreme Eiye, continue to grow transnationally, and are known to have extensive skills in online financial fraud such as romance fraud, investment fraud, advance fee fraud, and cryptocurrency fraud.

Americas

The most common types of fraud across the Americas are impersonation, romance, tech support, advance payment, and telecom frauds.

Human trafficking-fuelled fraud continues to be a growing crime phenomenon. The INTERPOL coordinated operation, Operation Turquesa V, revealed that hundreds of victims were trafficked out of the region after being lured via messaging apps and social media platforms and coerced to commit fraud, including investments frauds and pig butchering.

There is emerging evidence that Latin-American crime syndicates such as Commando Vermelho, Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) are also involved in the commission of financial fraud.

Asia

Pig butchering fraud schemes initiated in Asia in 2019, and expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, Asia has emerged as a focal point, with criminal organizations in poorer countries across the region employing business-like structures.

Another fraud type that has experienced a surge in recent years in Asia is a type of telecommunication fraud where perpetrators impersonate law enforcement officers or bank officials to trick victims to disclose their credit card or bank account credentials or to hand over huge amounts of money.

Europe

Online investment frauds, phishing, and other online financial fraud schemes have escalated on carefully selected targets to maximize profits. Mobile phone apps are also being targeted by cybercriminals.

The criminal networks involved in these online schemes often display sophisticated and complex modi operandi, which are usually a combination of different fraud types.

Pig butchering, predominantly carried out of call centres in Southeast Asia, is also on the rise.

Source: Interpol (news and events)

Singapore – INTERPOL and UNICRI have released an updated version of the Toolkit for Responsible AI Innovation in Law Enforcement, a practical guide for law enforcement agencies on developing and deploying artificial intelligence responsibly, while respecting human rights and ethics principles.

The AI Toolkit is comprised of seven distinct resources, underpinned by a comprehensive user guide, providing guidance for law enforcement executives and officers to navigate responsible AI innovation from technical foundations to organizational assessments on readiness and risk.

The updated toolkit, which is based on extensive consultation with stakeholders, incorporates several key changes aimed at enhancing its usability and relevance in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape. Some of the key changes include:

• Additional recommendations on emerging best practices in the field of AI governance and ethics.
• Enhanced guidance on building AI strategy: More comprehensive information and guidance on how law enforcement agencies can develop and implement effective AI strategies tailored to their specific needs and challenges.
• Illustrative examples and case studies: To better illustrate the meaning and severity of each question posed in the toolkit, new examples and case studies have been included, allowing law enforcement practitioners to better understand the practical implications of AI implementation.
• Alignment with legal and technical developments: Revisions have been made to ensure that the toolkit remains aligned with the latest legal, regulatory, and technical developments in the AI landscape, providing law enforcement agencies with up-to-date guidance and advice.

These updates were unveiled to law enforcement and global AI experts in Singapore, during the 4^th INTERPOL-UNICRI Global Meeting on Responsible AI for Law Enforcement (20-22 February), which was organized in cooperation with the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, the European Union, the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.

A dedicated AI Toolkit session and specifically developed workshops were held during the event to enhance understanding of the AI Toolkit’s content and its practical applications in law enforcement work.