300 Kilos of Cocaine: Major Drug Bust on the Costa Favolosa in Brazil
Looks like cruise ships are the latest way of transportation lol.
Two Brits are among 12 people arrested on suspicion of smuggling after £2million of cocaine was found by police swooping on a cruise liner in Madeira.
Six men and six women aged between 20 and 52, were either waiting at Madeira or on board the MSC Opera when it arrived into Funchal from the Caribbean.
Two of those arrested were UK citizens, while another was a Dutch national living in London.
RCMP seize 100 kilograms of cocaine at the Port of Montreal
MONTREAL | The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) arrested two suspects on Tuesday after the discovery of nearly 100 kilograms of cocaine at the Port of Montreal in recent days.
The arrests, conducted by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, follow a drug seizure by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The date of this seizure could not be specified by the RCMP.
The drug was seized from a container loaded with a load of furniture, in which the cocaine, which could come from Mexico, was concealed.
"The two arrested individuals could face charges soon," said the RCMP, without disclosing any information on the identity of the two suspects.
This is a significant amount of drugs, but a seizure of this magnitude is not a first on the side of the Port of Montreal. Last fall, the CBSA announced that it had seized more than 106 kg of cocaine concealed in a container of men's shirts found on board a ship from the Dominican Republic.
'We're going to need a bigger van': Police haul away 1,000 cannabis plants worth £1million as their chief admits users wont even be warned for fear of hurting their 'life chances'
On Wednesday, Brazilian Customs intercepted 353 kilos of cocaine in the port of Santos. The pressed blocks of cocaine were hidden in barrels with lemon juice. According to local media , the vessels were selected for control after a risk analysis.
The barrels went through a scan after which the packages with cocaine were seen. The destination of the cargo would be the port of Rotterdam.
The authorities suspect that the drugs have been put into the barrels without the sender being aware of it.
Cocaine is shipped from Brazilian ports to Antwerp and Rotterdam on a regular basis.
Italy seizes 6 tons of hashish from sailboat near Sicily Europe's Mediterranean nations have been cooperating to fight hashish being smuggled in from Morocco. This is the fifth bust since last summer.
One of Australia’s biggest ever cocaine busts as $34MILLION worth of the drug is found concealed in Che Guevara branded packaging shipped from Africa
DA Busts Drug Dealers That Sold Steroids to NFL Star for Bitcoin
Steroids are very easy to find online. Here in the states you got the domestic sources like this one was and you got several sources in Europe to do business with.
Mexican government selling off seized Lambo, exotics to give money to poor 77 luxury cars formerly owned by drug lords will be auctioned and proceeds donated to two southern Mexican towns
In total, there are 20 searches in commercial premises and private residences and 13 searches in vehicles. The searches seized more than 15,000 cannabis plants and cuttings, approximately 35 kg of cannabis in bulk, more than 4 kg of hashish, cocaine and methamphetamine tablets.
Police also seized more than $ 15,000 in Canadian cash, 10 firearms, approximately $ 75,000 in production equipment including several rotating ecosystems, and 10 vehicles as offending property. Theft of electrical service was also found in six places of search.
The Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan, Saint-Paulin, Saint-Maurice, Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan, Champlain and Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover sectors were targeted by this operation.
Two women and 13 men aged 26 to 64 were arrested and released. They must return to the Court at a later date where they could face charges of producing and selling illegal cannabis and stealing electricity.
Remember that under the Cannabis Act, it is still prohibited to possess, produce, sell, distribute or import illegal cannabis. The Organized Crime Investigation and Coordination Squad has been working under the ACCES-Cannabis program, whose mission is to reduce the availability of illegal cannabis in the Quebec market, particularly among young people, and to reduce competition. unfairly made to the SQDC by illegal producers and traffickers.
Is fentanyl being sold separately now or is it just being used as a cut? I had some education on work about conscious sedation last night. Dilaudid is between 5-7 times more potent than morphine. I've known that one for a while. You ready for this... Fentanyl is 75-125 times more potent than morphine. Sometimes we use it fur ventilator sedation. Max rate is 200 micrograms/hr. That is 0.2 milligrams an hour. At that rate, the Fucking person is out cold and you can turn their body side to side and get no reaction. Unless they have a tolerance related to opioid abuse.
VIRGINIA: 30 POUNDS OF COCAINE SEIZED DURING DEA EMPLOYEE PARTY, 17 FEDERAL AGENTS ARRESTED
This sounds way too good to be true. The article seems fake to me. We all know this goes down but hookers being taken out of DEA office in ambulance because of agents putting blow in their pussies? Can we confirm this story? LOL
I know people that are actively addicted to heroin and some are on methadone clinics. They regularly fail their drug screens for heroin because they just get their methadone and still use without having to worry about dealing with withdrawals. For the last 8-10 months (for which they've been shooting up the whole time), they've been coming up positive for fentanyl only, meaning the bags they've been buying have zero heroin in them anymore, just fentanyl and cutting agent. Addicts are developing tolerances for fentanyl quicker than heroin and also feeling withdrawal symptoms in a much shorter window of time compared to how long it takes for a heroin addict to begin to feel dope sick normally. So, Fentanyl is: potentially fatal it's so potent, atleast 2-3x more physically addicting than heroin, about half as cheap as heroin which is cheaper than ever already. Also in the past year cocaine deaths have spiked due to fentanyl laced coke.
6 People Now Charged In Over $1 Billion Cocaine Bust At Philadelphia Port, Source Says
A federal source confirms to CBS3 that six people have now been charged in the $1 billion cocaine bust that took place at a Philadelphia port. The source also says the new weight estimate for the cocaine is 17.5 tons and that amount can grow as authorities still weigh the drugs and continue their search of the MSC Gayane cargo ship.
DA Busts Drug Dealers That Sold Steroids to NFL Star for Bitcoin
Steroids are very easy to find online. Here in the states you got the domestic sources like this one was and you got several sources in Europe to do business with.
I ordered a couple of bottles testosterone . from overseas. Got a seizure letter in the mail from Customs , a few days ago. First time over 10 yrs anything was seized.
Moment a 'drugs kingpin fled the police' as they raided £3.8m cannabis operation that financed crime family's lavish trips to Dubai and top sporting events as they are jailed for total of 22 years
Astonishing story behind secret drug labs in Myanmar jungles which are feeding Australia's 'insatiable appetite' for meth - and authorities are almost powerless to stop them
Gang that imported £15m of cannabis hidden among pallets of lettuce and kitchen equipment and grew it in secret underground bunker are jailed for a total of 56 years
That money belongs to us: Mexican President risks feud with Trump by demanding El Chapo's $12.6bn drug money be turned over to Mexico and NOT the US - after slamming Narco's life sentence in US jail as 'inhumane'
Customs and Border Protection has stored enough fentanyl to kill 794million as watchdog warns that the agency is 'unnecessarily jeopardizing the lives' of its own agents by not protecting them from accidental exposure to the opioid
Cocaine Cassie 'misses her family but is over her ex-fiance' as she prepares for release from Colombian jail after undergoing incredible transformation
EXCLUSIVE: From running a coffee truck to a comical $200MILLION drug blunder: Inside the life of a man 'caught smuggling 273kg of ice after crashing into two parked police cars'
Mother and son win $20,000 in Florida Lottery - but it was barely enough to cover their bail after they were arrested on drugs charges just TWO HOURS later
US Customs and Border Protection has released footage of a high-speed boat chase in the Pacific Ocean in which 1.15 tonnes of cocaine was intercepted from a go-fast vessel.
Coast Guard officers apprehended the smugglers on Thursday 18th July.
Breaking Bad in New Jersey: 'Research assistant' at prestigious New York medical center arrested after police find $1m makeshift meth lab in suburban home
Drug dealer's £27,000 Rolex and designer trainers are to be auctioned off by police after he was jailed for 11 years for county lines cocaine and heroin operation
Pink and white luxury mansion where Chinese-Mexican drug trafficker linked to El Chapo stashed TWO TONS of cash is put on market by Mexican government for $5m
British 'fugitive' model is arrested in Bali with drugs and porn after reports he was selling x-rated videos of himself to fund lavish island lifestyle
Baby is discovered as police seize $1.4MILLION in cash and designer goods in raids on cocaine syndicate – including some VERY jazzy Christian Louboutin shoes
Former American Idol contestant, 32, Antonella Barba faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to transporting almost two pounds of of the highly addictive opioid Fentanyl
Costa del Crime: Police ask British holidaymakers in Spain to help catch UK’s 11 most wanted fugitives including suspected murderers, sex attackers and drug traffickers
Did you notice that the cocaine seizures lately have become much bigger. You had Philadelphia , Jamaica and now Germany all worth in the billions.
inflated numbers anyway, a member of ndrangheta said in the wiretaps his clan earned 700.000 euros over 100 kilos, that are 7 millions over 1 ton at least in the wholesale level
Robert Kennedy grandkid just OD THURSDAY at the cape cod compound its like it was swept under rug. Kennedy grandkid od on opiate on the cape cod compound nothing....
One every four minutes: Staggering figures reveal how many Australians are busted with drugs - as the use of ice skyrockets with 10 TONNES being consumed every year
Robert Kennedy grandkid just OD THURSDAY at the cape cod compound its like it was swept under rug. Kennedy grandkid od on opiate on the cape cod compound nothing....
Unbelievable, that family is one tragedy after another.
Hundreds of kilos of heroin worth up to £40million are found hidden under towels and bathrobes in a shipping container in one of Britain's largest drug seizures
Dutch Customs has intercepted a large batch of cocaine on the Maasvlakte this week. The public prosecutor in Rotterdam announced this on Friday afternoon. It concerns two batches with a total of 3000 kilos. 6 people were arrested.
The drug catch in a business premises in Wateringen, South-Holland at the end of February this year, was much larger than previously thought. According to the Public Prosecution Service, research shows that there were 550 kilos and possibly even 800 kilos of drugs in the building. Initially, the police reported that it involved 400 kilos of methamphetamine (crystal meth) with a street value of 80 million euros. Later that was adjusted to 352 kilos.
During the raid in February, six men were arrested by an arrest team in a building on the Schipluidenseweg in Wateringen. Five suspects (two from Spain, three from Mexico) say that they are victims of human trafficking and that they were forced to work in the drug lab. They would have been misled and believed that they were going to work in construction. The OM does not believe this.
Large quantities of drugs were seized in a coordinated action by Europol in which 16 countries participated, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Latvia and Italy.
A total of 1300 kilos of cocaine and more than 11 tons of raw materials to produce amphetamine. Almost 20,000 xtc pills and 6 kilos of MDMA were also seized.
344 people were arrested, Europol reports to Crimesite. The detainees are suspected of various types of drug crime, including drug trafficking and production.
In the Brazilian port city of Paranagua, 1300 kilos of cocaine was found in a load of sugar. The drugs were discovered by a drug dog.
According to local media, the cargo of sugar was destined for Rotterdam.
A month ago, 165 kilos of coke was discovered in Paranagua hidden in a load of frozen chicken meat. That shipment was also intended for Rotterdam. In total more than 12,000 kilos of cocaine for Europe have been intercepted this year in the Brazilian port city.
That money belongs to us: Mexican President risks feud with Trump by demanding El Chapo's $12.6bn drug money be turned over to Mexico and NOT the US - after slamming Narco's life sentence in US jail as 'inhumane'
I have a feeling this isn't the last time we're going to hear about the infamous 'Shorty'.
One more arrested over UK’s biggest ever drugs racket Another suspected member of an international organised crime group responsible for importing in excess of 50 tonnes of drugs into the UK from the Netherlands has been arrested.
NCA signAnother suspected member of an international organised crime group responsible for importing in excess of 50 tonnes of drugs believed to be worth billions of pounds into the UK from the Netherlands has been arrested, as part of a National Crime Agency investigation.
A man, aged 58, was arrested today (Wednesday 30 October) in Tarporley, Cheshire, on suspicion of conspiracy to import class A and B drugs, and his house was searched. He remains in custody for questioning. The arrest comes weeks after fifteen men were apprehended during dawn raids and charged as part of the same investigation.
Jayne Lloyd, NCA Regional Head of Investigations, said: “This arrest is another significant step in our investigation and we are continuing to work with our partners at home and abroad to target organised criminals damaging our communities.â€
The Dutch National Police, Europol, Eurojust, Police of Finland National Bureau of Investigation, Border Force, HMRC and numerous police forces have also supported the NCA with the investigation.
The group is believed to be part of the UK arm of a well-established organised crime group that used Dutch and British front companies to import heroin, cocaine and cannabis – secreted within lorry loads of vegetables and juice – through UK ports over an 18-month period.
Four men and two women from the Netherlands were also arrested in April 2019 by the Dutch National Police on European Arrest Warrants. They are currently awaiting extradition to the UK.
Dutch customs says they have intercepted 1,008 kilos of cocaine in the port of Vlissingen. The shipment was caught on Wednesday last week, but has been kept quiet until Wednesday.
The catch is said to have been done by odor dogs that controlled a load of boxes of bananas. The coke came from a ship that had arrived from Ecuador. The batch of bananas was addressed to a company in Heerhugowaard. According to Customs, that company has nothing to do with smuggling.
Customs says that the cocaine has a value of at least 35 million euros. The drugs have been seized and destroyed. No arrests were made.
On Saturday, the customs authorities removed 660 kilos of cocaine from a container in the port of Rotterdam. The cocaine was hidden between a load of bales of coffee. The drugs with a street value of more than 26 million euros have been destroyed.
The Rotterdam police already found 300 kilos of cocaine in a delivery van on the Maasvlakte on Friday. That batch had just been removed from a container that was transported from Brazil to Rotterdam. Three men (22 to 28 years old) have been arrested.
Much more cocaine was intercepted in the port of Rotterdam in 2019 than last year: 23,000 kilos compared to 18,000 kilos in the whole of 2018.
On Saturday, the customs authorities removed 660 kilos of cocaine from a container in the port of Rotterdam. The cocaine was hidden between a load of bales of coffee. The drugs with a street value of more than 26 million euros have been destroyed.
The Rotterdam police already found 300 kilos of cocaine in a delivery van on the Maasvlakte on Friday. That batch had just been removed from a container that was transported from Brazil to Rotterdam. Three men (22 to 28 years old) have been arrested.
Much more cocaine was intercepted in the port of Rotterdam in 2019 than last year: 23,000 kilos compared to 18,000 kilos in the whole of 2018.
Do you have a link to this article, Hollander? Thanks.
On Saturday, the customs authorities removed 660 kilos of cocaine from a container in the port of Rotterdam. The cocaine was hidden between a load of bales of coffee. The drugs with a street value of more than 26 million euros have been destroyed.
The Rotterdam police already found 300 kilos of cocaine in a delivery van on the Maasvlakte on Friday. That batch had just been removed from a container that was transported from Brazil to Rotterdam. Three men (22 to 28 years old) have been arrested.
Much more cocaine was intercepted in the port of Rotterdam in 2019 than last year: 23,000 kilos compared to 18,000 kilos in the whole of 2018.
Do you have a link to this article, Hollander? Thanks.
Seizures of hundreds of kilos rarely get much attention. Assuming 40 euros per gram, the batch has a street value of more than 26 million euros. But in most countries the street value is much higher after cutting.
How cocaine floods Europe by tons The drug is now coming to Europe in hundreds of pounds, hidden in containers on cargo ships, with the complicity of sailors. From our correspondent in Geneva, Ian Hamel Published on 14/11/2019 at 13:11 | The Point.fr Of the millions of containers passing every year in the major European ports, only a few are actually controlled.
Drug traffickers may have taken the slogan of the Geneva-based company Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The world leader in container transport assures you that "your cargo is always in good hands". On June 17, 2019, US Customs seized 19.76 tons of cocaine aboard the MSC Gayane , a 314 meter long freighter. Or a loot of 1.3 billion dollars! The commander was able to leave again and MSC is in no way involved in this traffic destined for Europe . The drug was brought at night off Peru . With the complicity of six crew members, including the ship's second, cocaine packets were camouflaged in seven containers of wine, nuts, and electronic waste.
US customs officials had already discovered 537 kilos of cocaine on the MSC Desiree in March 2019, and the Spaniards, 2.2 tons on the MSC Carlotta , the following month. If the traffickers choose Mediterranean Shipping Company, it is because the Swiss giant is the most active on the sea routes between South America and Europe. The Tribune de Genève, who tells in detail this new artery of the coke, reveals that one of the involved sailors recognized to have perceived 50 000 dollars for his participation. In the ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam, Valencia, the driver of a forklift can earn 25,000 to 75,000 euros just by helping, for a few tens of minutes, the landing of cocaine, contained in 50 kilos bags. The risk is minimal. Of the millions of containers passing each year in major European ports, only a few are actually controlled.
A chain of accomplices It is still unclear what boats were able to drop the bales of cocaine that have been stranded on the French Atlantic coast since mid-October. But shipowners are not likely to be responsible for this traffic. They do not watch at night when some of their sailors, modestly paid, open containers of "legitimate goods", containing fish, fruit or wood, to slide in the middle, up to 50 bags of 50 kilos of cocaine. The operation is then camouflaged thanks to false seals placed on the containers. This is called the rip-off methodwhich can be translated as "tear off" or "rip off". A system that "requires an elaborate chain of accomplices in ports: sailors, dockers, customs, logistic companies: everyone is subject to the temptation to earn tens of thousands of euros to get the right container," says Sylvain Besson, from the inquiry cell of the Swiss press group Tamedia, a partner of the European Investigative Collaborations network.
On the other hand, the "big heads" of the traffic, understand the cartels of drug traffickers, the producers, the wholesalers, and even the semi-wholesalers, are only rarely caught. The market has become so juicy (300 billion turnover per year) that South American traffickers, who ship five containers in Europe, can afford to have one or even two confiscated ... So do not To rejoice in the record drug seizures that are multiplying. The "business" has nothing to do with the use of "mules", poor poor people who landed in European airports with a few hundred grams of cocaine in the stomach. At the risk of leaving their skin there.
600 to 700 tonnes for Europe On May 6, Switzerland made its biggest catch: 600 kilos intercepted in the car park of the casino of Basel. Pierre Esselva, a criminologist at the University of Lausanne, a specialist in the cocaine market, points out that the big heads of trafficking in Europe are in Holland. "But the people who deliver Switzerland are not big heads, and the Dutch police are not interested in them. The market here was traditionally run by West Africans and Latin Americans, who serve a festive clientele, "he explains in La Tribune de Genève . Of the 2,000 tonnes of "white" produced each year in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, 600 to 700 tonnes are destined for the European market.
i read that the worldwide production of coke was about 900 tonnes in 2014 (peru the biggest producer with about 350 tonnes), is it really 2000 nowadays in just 5 years?
The French are puzzled: the Atlantic coast flooded with cocaine packages The French have a very special environmental problem: the washing up of packages filled with cocaine along the Atlantic coast. Since mid-October more than 700 kilos of the white stuff has been found. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has launched an investigation and warns against the packages. A number of beaches have already been closed to the public, French media report.
The packages can pose a public health hazard because they contain cocaine with a purity of 83 percent, said the OM in Rennes (Brittany) this afternoon. In addition to cocaine, the packages also contain crack, a smokable variant of cocaine. Finders must immediately alert the police. He urges them not to touch the drugs. Both the contents and the packaging can be hazardous to health, partly due to 'fumes'. Transporting the packages is punishable. Drug smuggling has a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
The first bales of plastic packages were washed up on 17 October, but the number has been increasing since 4 November, the authorities note. The counter is now at 763 kilos. The phenomenon is so great that 'intensive surveillance' has been announced by police and customs, among others. A large number of beaches are already closed to the public. This was ordered by the police and on pain of severe criminal sanctions.
According to the OM, the entire Atlantic coast is struggling with the problem. From Les Landes at the Spanish border to the mouth of the Loire River above Nantes. In the latter region, 10 kilos of cocaine were found this morning at Pornic, not far from Saint-Nazaire. More than 400 kilometers south of Arcachon, packages containing 12 kilos of white gold were discovered. The OM in Rennes therefore works closely with the public prosecutors of Saint-Nazaire, Bordeaux and Dax.
The French authorities suspect that the bales of drugs have been thrown overboard from a ship during a storm or damage. According to the French police, she works closely with colleagues in other EU countries and with the American drug control organization DEA.
i read that the worldwide production of coke was about 900 tonnes in 2014 (peru the biggest producer with about 350 tonnes), is it really 2000 nowadays in just 5 years?
Colombia’s cocaine production went up 19%, from 772 metric tons to 921 metric tons in 2017, though other estimates put the potential production much higher.
Add Peru's and Bolivia's production and it will be indeed close to 2000 tonnes.
The Mexicans have now also begun to produce it themselves and they have moved into Brazil's Amazon and are producing cocaine deep in the rainforest.
The Dutch coast guard has discovered 3000 kilos of cocaine off the coast of Aruba in a cargo ship sailing under the Panamanian flag. The coast guard had come into action after a tip from the American DEA, Central American media report .
The ship Trader Express had already left the port of Roatan, Honduras on October 16. The 10-person crew of the boat consisted of Hondurans.
$140m shipment of MDMA intercepted before hitting Brisbane 9News Staff 2 hrs ago
An international shipment of MDMA, large enough to make seven million ecstasy tablets, has been intercepted before hitting the streets of Brisbane.
A 10-month investigation between Australian and Dutch authorities saw the drugs, which have an estimated street value of $140 million, intercepted near Rotterdam, Amsterdam.
Authorities found the drugs hidden in a shipping container of tinned pulped tomatoes.
Australian Federal Police, the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce, Queensland Police, Border Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission all worked with Dutch police in the investigation, which has been described as one of the biggest MDMA seizures in Australian history.
AFP officers embedded overseas are believed to have played a vital role in the undercover operation, which saw the drugs intercepted before they were shipped to Australia.
Father and son Paulus Johannes Berkhof, 58, and Petronella Adrianna Waltherus Adriaan Berkhof, 37, are alleged to be key members of the syndicate and have been charged in the Netherlands.
They will not be extradited to Australia.
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said all those involved would face prosecution.
"The AFP is committed to working closely with its law enforcement partners here in Australia, through partnerships such as the Queensland Joint Organised Crime Taskforce, and overseas to ensure offenders face considerable consequences for their actions," Mr Kershaw told News Corp.
"I wish to thank our Dutch counterparts for their expert involvement in this investigation and strong support of our efforts to keep these drugs off Australian shores."
Yes and it's now common that coca base is shipped to Mexico and Europe, the cocaine is produced later in labs overseas. Probably because it's easier to get ether here.
The Spanish police have intercepted a submarine with approximately 3000 kilos of cocaine off the coast of Galicia. According to Spanish media, this is the first time that drugs have been smuggled to Europe with a submarine. Two crew members from Ecuador were arrested. A third crew member is still being sought along the coast at Playa de Foxos, 55 kilometers southwest of the regional capital Santiago de Compostela.
The 20-meter-long submarine from Colombia has been followed by the police for three days. The smugglers wanted to go ashore at Punta Couso, near the Portuguese border. When they discovered that the police and customs were following them, they quickly disappeared under water again. Moments later they could still be caught up. It is unknown whether cocaine batches have been dumped in the sea.
The Spanish police estimate that there are at least 3000 kilos of cocaine in the submarine. The investigation suspects that there are large professional gangs behind the drugs because the submarine costs at least 2.5 million euros.
Spain arrested sellers of Dutch heroin November 29, 2019
The Spanish National Police says they have arrested one of the largest distributors of heroin in Spain in Madrid. A total of 13 people were arrested. The group would resell large quantities of heroin from the Netherlands to Spain.
Police see a Turkish man who was nicknamed "El Capitán" in Spain as the leader of the group. His right hand was responsible for transporting the drugs.
There have been searches at various locations in the Madrid region, including Alcalá de Henares and Torrejón de Ardoz. An explosive was found, and 26,000 euros in cash, six expensive cars, many telephones, a hydraulic press, cutting equipment and documentation were seized.
25 kilos of heroin were intercepted this week. The group distributed heroin in cardboard (milk) packages ("tetrabricks").
The investigation began a year ago with the information that a group of large quantities of heroin would be imported from the Netherlands into Spain. After a few months, two suspects were arrested with five kilos of heroin. Further investigation then led to "El Capitan".
Yes and it's now common that coca base is shipped to Mexico and Europe, the cocaine is produced later in labs overseas. Probably because it's easier to get ether here.
According to the Spanish police, a laboratory in Spain for the production of cocaine from the semi-finished cocaine paste could produce two tons of cocaine per month. The Spaniards recently dismantled that lab together with a lab in the jungle in Colombia where the cocaine paste was made. \ Nine people were arrested in the lab in Casasbuenas (in the province of Toledo), among them four people who were working in the lab. According to the police, 150 kilos of pasta, 7 kilos of cocaine, and seven tons of chemicals were seized there together with a firearm and more than 100,000 euros in cash.
The lab in Colombia was in a remote area under the control of Front 21, which is dissidents from the former FARC guerrilla movement that did not join the peace agreement that the FARC agreed with the Colombian government.
More than 2000 kilos of cocaine intercepted on the way to the shed in Alphen ALPHEN - A 25-year-old man from Rotterdam was arrested on 27 November after an interception of a cocaine shipment to Alphen of over 2,000 kilos. The police report this on Monday afternoon. The batch of drugs had a street value of around 100 million euros.
The container, originating from Colombia, was checked by the Belgian customs. They found the blocks of cocaine, good for 2019 kilos in total, between a deck load of fertilizer bags. Because the container was intended for a company in the Netherlands, the Federal Police contacted the Dutch unit.
Giant cocaine capture Alphen is not unique: thousands of kilos of 'white gold' on the drug route to Brabant
The National Criminal Investigation Office subsequently took over the case. After the container was delivered to a company in Alphen, an arrest team went into the warehouse and a suspect was arrested. The man is in pre-trial detention. The police could not tell on Monday whether the man is also the tenant of the shed. Multiple arrests are excluded, the police said.
Over a period of three days during customs controls at the port of Rotterdam, Customs intercepted a total of 1,457 kilos of cocaine.
On December 12, Customs found in a container loaded with a powder for the concrete industry 450 kilos of cocaine. Then Customs found on the same day in a container with barrels of fruit pulp 500 kilos of cocaine. These cocaine blocks were frozen in the fruit concentrate.
Last Friday, customs officials found 17 large sports bags with 496 kilos of cocaine in a magnesium container. And finally, on Monday, in the engine compartment of a cooling container, loaded with watermelons, 11 kilos of cocaine were found.
All containers were from Brazil. All batches of drugs have since been destroyed.
'Ndrangheta? Morabito is still on the run over there.
Cocaine record catch in Uruguay The Uruguayan police and navy have intercepted 4,418 kilos of cocaine , including in the port of the capital Montevideo.
The soybean meal and a quantity of drugs were loaded on a farm in southwestern Uruguay. After a raid, the police also found cocaine on the farm.
Transit point Countries in West Africa have been a widely used cocaine transit point for years that comes to Europe from South America. A part of the drugs goes on by ship, another part goes via routes in the Sahara to North African countries such as Morocco.
In recent years, the number of seizures of (mainly) Peruvian and Bolivian cocaine in southern South American countries has increased, in particular in Brazil and on ships originating from Brazil. In August 4.5 tonnes were packed in Hamburg from Uruguay. This fall, 3,000 kilos were intercepted in Paraguay.
Record capture of cocaine in ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp In the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, cocaine has never been intercepted as much as in 2019. In total, it involves more than 100,000 kilograms, with a street value that can go up to 5 billion dollars.
A little more than 38 tons of cocaine surfaced in Rotterdam, in Antwerp it was more than 61 tons. That was announced on Wednesday during a press conference in Antwerp. The number of cocaine seizures increased by 50 percent in Rotterdam, and by a quarter in Antwerp. This is a record for both ports. The figures from Rotterdam are an estimate, the final figures will follow at the end of January.
According to the Financieele Dagblad , an estimated one quarter of the cocaine that enters the port of Rotterdam is intercepted. The drug is often hidden in fruit containers and is usually from Suriname, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. This flow of goods is so great that it is difficult to control by customs.
Costa Rica police intercepts 5000 kilos of cocaine with destination Rotterdam In Costa Rica, the police claim to have done the biggest drug catch ever. More than 5000 kilos of cocaine were intercepted in the port of Limón, intended for the Netherlands.
The drugs were packed in 202 bags in a container in which official ornamental flowers were shipped. The cargo would today depart by ship to the port of Rotterdam.
The police have arrested a suspect. He is a Costa Rican man of 46 without a criminal record.
The port of Limón is mainly used for the export of pineapples, bananas, sugar and coffee. In recent years, the remote port area has become popular among drug smugglers.
The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard of Aruba intercepted a ship on its way to Greece with 5000 kilos cocaine 11 people were arrested all from Montenegro.
According to the Spanish authorities, a large Colombian network has been dismantled, which traded extensively in Western Europe - particularly in the Netherlands - in drugs. There was not only large imports of cocaine but also trade in synthetic drugs, like MDMA. Colombian groups have been more independently active in drug trafficking in Europe in recent years.
The Dutch police have repeatedly established cooperation between Dutchmen and the so-called Clan del Golfo. That is the same group that was mentioned in Colombia as contact of Saïd Razzouki, the fugitive Dutch murder suspect who was recently arrested at MedellÃn.
Experts think that Colombian criminal organizations have recently focused more on the cocaine trade to Europe, leaving the routes to the United States to the Mexican groups, who have often been bringing their own cocaine from South America to North America. The Colombians would also like to take control of entire routes to Europe and also have more solid ground under their feet within Europe without having to enter into joint ventures with European traders. Important business factors are the competition that Colombians have on the route to North America from the Mexicans and the substantially higher price of cocaine in Europe.
The Spanish customs, police and Guardia Civil have seized 752 kilograms of methamphetamine. The drugs were ingeniously packaged in marble blocks and shipped from Mexico. Five people were arrested, their nationality was not disclosed. It is the largest catch of crystal meth ever in Spain. According to the Spanish authorities, the system used to package drugs in blocks of marble has not been shown before. In the marble, cylindrical spaces were cut into which packages of meth in PVC had been inserted. The contents of those spaces could not be made visible with measuring equipment.
An international crime ring that imported thousands of kilograms of heroin to the Netherlands was broken up this week with the arrests of three people in Amsterdam and Dordrecht. Authorities said the drugs were brought to the capital to then be distributed back out to Germany, the Scandinavian countries, and the United Kingdom.
Seven others were arrested in Turkey as part of the plot, along with another in Poland and a 32-year-old woman in Belgium, Dutch police said. The three taken into custody in the Netherlands are between the ages of 44 and 50, the latest arrests in an operation spanning over 14 months.
The international police operation included the cooperation of authorities in those countries, as well as Belarus, Germany, Kazakhstan, Italy, Lithuania and Spain. Europol also took part in the investigations.
The Netherlands has been in the spotlight for its work to dismantle large heroin smuggling operations over the past year. A joint investigation between British, Belgian, and Dutch authorities led to the discovery of over 1,300 kilograms of heroin, worth over 130 million euros, a record for Europe. Months earlier, Spanish police arrested 17 people including Dutch-Turkish man Sadullah U., believed to be one of the largest heroin traffickers in Europe.
The police in Costa Rica intercepted a large amount of cocaine intended for the Netherlands. Over 1,250 kilograms of cocaine were found in the port of Limon, hidden in a shipment of pineapple juice destined for the port of Rotterdam.
The drugs were packaged in 1,250 parcels of 1 kilo each, the local authorities said on Twitter.
This is the second time in a matter of months that the Costa Rican authorities seized a major shipment of drugs destined for the Netherlands. In February, over 5 thousand kilograms of cocaine were seized - Costa Rica's biggest drug bust in history.
Drugs from the country also make it into the Netherlands. This year alone, three such shipments of cocaine were intercepted at the port of Rotterdam - 1,000 kilos hidden in a banana shipment in January, 865 kilos hidden in a container with pineapples in March, and over 4,500 kilos hidden in a banana shipment in April.
The York Regional Police (YRP) partnered with the Toronto Police Service (TPS), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), and Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
DRUG TRAFFICKING NETWORK DISMANTLED, CHARGES LAID, APPROXIMATELY $3.4 MILLION DOLLARS IN DRUGS SEIZED IN PROJECT CACHE
1 | P a g e PROJECT CACHE – CHARGE LIST Van Cuong VU, 44 Trafficking Methamphetamine x 5 Trafficking Cocaine x 3 Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (Meth) x 5 Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (Cocaine) x3 Possession of Property Obtained by Crime x9 Conspiracy to Commit and Indictable Offence Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act x3 Sell Cannabis - Cannabis Act x2
Shahrouz JAHANGARD, 39 Trafficking Methamphetamine Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (Meth) Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Conspiracy to Commit and Indictable Offence Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Duc Duy (Tony) HOANG, 42 Trafficking Methamphetamine Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (Meth) Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Conspiracy to Commit and Indictable Offence Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Bich Thi NGUYEN, 51 Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Thi Bich LE, 32 Possession of Property Obtained by Crime x2 Fail to Comply with Recognizance
Van DO, 35 Possession of Property Obtained by Crime x2 Fail to Comply with Recognizance x4
Kim Lien NGUYEN, 38 Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Johnny NGUYEN, 25 Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Tuan NGUYEN, 30 Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
2 | P a g e Jason NGUYEN, 19 Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Jimmy NGUYEN, 21 Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Van DOAN, 52 Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Loan NGUYEN, 51 Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Ngoc TRAN, 27 Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Lisa NGUYEN, 25 Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Hung NGUYEN, 49 Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Giang PHAM, 40 Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Nam NGUYEN, 18 Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Binh TRAN, 44 Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
James MAC GILLIVRAY, 29 Trafficking Methamphetamine Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (Meth) Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Sell Cannabis - Cannabis Act
Thien Bat TROUNG, 32 Trafficking Methamphetamine x2 Trafficking Cocaine Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (Cocaine) Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
3 | P a g e Sell Cannabis - Cannabis Act Tuan Anh TRAN, 40 Possession of Cocaine Possession for the Purpose of Distribution - Cannabis Act
Special forces of the Spanish police have dismantled a drug gang that is suspected of smuggling huge amounts of marijuana to the Netherlands. It is said to be 'one of the biggest catches ever'. Two Dutch drivers have been arrested.
Spanish media report this on Thursday. In the southern Spanish provinces of Malaga, Almeria and Murcia nearly a ton (1000 kilos) of vacuum-packed marijuana was seized during raids. Forty people were arrested in total, fourteen of whom were from one family.
In Malaga, 24 people were said to have been arrested belonging to a criminal organization involved in international drug trafficking, destined mainly for the Netherlands, reports the Guardia Civil, the Spanish police.
Hawala banking According to the police, the gang used the so-called 'hawala banking', a system of illegal underground banking. It would certainly have been 1.6 million euros.
The operation started at the end of 2018, and showed that the criminal group delivered on order to Dutch 'customers'. Because of the huge quantities involved, the gang was forced to use different marijuana suppliers because it was impossible to get so many drugs from one supplier.
"Eat Enjoy" anti-drug operation, 26 arrests Twenty-six arrests throughout Italy and the Netherlands for the import, transport and sale of cocaine and heroin. An operation of the police against international drug trafficking between Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria and Liguria, as well as in the Netherlands. Searches were underway in Milan, Brescia and Piacenza. In Lucca they are looking for a man of Albanian origins, who is currently on the run. He is the recipient of an order for pre-trial detention in prison. The charges, for various reasons, are association, import, transport and detention for cocaine dispatch purposes.
The biggest player in the heroin trade at the moment is the Iranian Urfi Cetinkaya, the man in the wheelchair. Google him.
One ship, 17 liquidations, a lot of corruption and mysterious deaths
The Vampire Ship How the seizure of Europe's largest heroin shipment created bloody fallout throughout the world—and sparked still-raging political corruption scandals in Turkey, Greece, and the Middle East
The Spanish Customs and National Police seized a total of 35,000 kilos of hashish on four sailing boats in one operation. Two sailing boats with hashish sailed under the Dutch flag. Nine Bulgarian and Russian suspects have been arrested in various parts of the Atlantic Ocean. According to Customs, it is the largest hashish catch at sea in the history in Spain. Police operations took place in five European countries between 24 and 28 September, completing an investigation that took several months. According to the Spanish police, the hash on the four high-end sailing yachts was owned by the same network.
The Moroccan authorities have tightened controls in the port of Tangier Med after the recent discovery of 1,050 kilos of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam. The drugs were marked with a photo of Pablo Escobar and came from a seagoing vessel from Tangier. The batch of coke was hidden in a container loaded with car parts from Brazil.
The news of the seizure of more than a ton of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam was not convenient for security interests in the Moroccan port, because it provides insight into the weak security of the port in Tangier. Moroccan news site tanja24.com reports that the Moroccan authorities have recently increased security to prevent further image damage. For example, the security services of the port of Tangier Med are now rigorously and accurately checking and inspecting all vehicles crossing the port.
In the port of Rotterdam, more than 1,500 kilos of heroin was intercepted in a joint investigation by the Dutch police and the British National Crime Agency (NCA). According to the Rotterdam Public Prosecution Service, it is the largest heroin interception ever in the Netherlands.
Customs found the drugs in a container filled with Himalayan salt from Pakistan. The investigation was started after information from England. Thus, various suspects came into the picture. In the joint investigation, an address in Etten-Leur in Brabant was subsequently raided on 9 February and five men were arrested.
The lot has a street value of about 45 million euros. The drugs have since been destroyed.
In September 1,200 kilos of heroin were caught in the Netherlands . That shipment was on its way to the United Kingdom. In Felixstowe, the British also picked up more than 1.2 tonnes in February 2020 .
The previous Dutch record was 1.1 tons of heroin that was caught in Limburg in February 2017.
Huge haul. I wonder what drug smuggling organization was behind it all. What ethnicity and group?
Two suspects are 62 and 60 year old men from St. Willebrord. In the hamlet 't Heike (now St .Willebrord ) were whole families since the 18th century involved in crime so it looks like traditional dutch organized crime is involved.
Huge haul. I wonder what drug smuggling organization was behind it all. What ethnicity and group?
Two suspects are 62 and 60 year old men from St. Willebrord. In the hamlet 't Heike (now St .Willebrord ) were whole families since the 18th century involved in crime so it looks like traditional dutch organized crime is involved.
Well, by any other name, THATS a huge, well-organized drug mob to be handling that kind of volume. Dutch huh? Wow!
This volume and sophistication matches (or exceeds) anything that the Sicilians, Mexicans, Colombians, etc., have ever trafficked in.
Huge haul. I wonder what drug smuggling organization was behind it all. What ethnicity and group?
Two suspects are 62 and 60 year old men from St. Willebrord. In the hamlet 't Heike (now St .Willebrord ) were whole families since the 18th century involved in crime so it looks like traditional dutch organized crime is involved.
Well, by any other name, THATS a huge, well-organized drug mob to be handling that kind of volume. Dutch huh? Wow!
This volume and sophistication matches (or exceeds) anything that the Sicilians, Mexicans, Colombians, etc., have ever trafficked in.
I'm impressed!
It's too much to handle on their own others have to be involved destination was UK so British-Irish most likely.
In the ports of Hamburg and Antwerp, more than 23,000 kilos of cocaine were intercepted within a week and a half, the Public Prosecution Service reports. Never before has so much cocaine been caught destined for the Netherlands in such a short time. The addressee of the drug transports handler is a 28-year-old man from Vlaardingen. He was arrested by the police on Wednesday morning. German media report that it would be Atif S.
Huge haul. I wonder what drug smuggling organization was behind it all. What ethnicity and group?
Two suspects are 62 and 60 year old men from St. Willebrord. In the hamlet 't Heike (now St .Willebrord ) were whole families since the 18th century involved in crime so it looks like traditional dutch organized crime is involved.
Well, by any other name, THATS a huge, well-organized drug mob to be handling that kind of volume. Dutch huh? Wow!
This volume and sophistication matches (or exceeds) anything that the Sicilians, Mexicans, Colombians, etc., have ever trafficked in.
I'm impressed!
It's too much to handle on their own others have to be involved destination was UK so British-Irish most likely.
Turkish smuggling gangs are often involved, according to court cases. England is one of the few European countries where a lot of heroin is used and where there are many addicts.
It's too much to handle on their own others have to be involved destination was UK so British-Irish most likely.
If it's this quantity of heroin destined for the Netherlands or the UK, then it's mostly Turkish or Turkish-Kurdish organized crime involved.
The strange thing in this case is the St. Willebrord connection; that's a bastion for traditional Dutch organized crime, not so much Turkish. Traditional Dutch organized crime doesn't really traffic a lot of heroin far as I know; the Dutch mostly deal in large quantities of synthetic drugs, methamphetamines, cocaine, etc...
It's too much to handle on their own others have to be involved destination was UK so British-Irish most likely.
If it's this quantity of heroin destined for the Netherlands or the UK, then it's mostly Turkish or Turkish-Kurdish organized crime involved.
The strange thing in this case is the St. Willebrord connection; that's a bastion for traditional Dutch organized crime, not so much Turkish. Traditional Dutch organized crime doesn't really traffic a lot of heroin far as I know; the Dutch mostly deal in large quantities of synthetic drugs, methamphetamines, cocaine, etc...
Yeah when we talk this amount of heroin in Europe there is always a link with Chinese or the Turkish babas (members of Turkey's underworld). Istanbul has also become a safe haven for fugitive European traffickers Dubai has become more dangerous.
On Wednesday, Customs found more than 4,000 kilos of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam during an inspection. The cocaine was divided into 4,425 packages. The street value of this party is more than 300 million euros, ‘the Public Prosecution Service (OM) reported on Thursday.
The narcotics were hidden in a container from Ecuador that arrived in Antwerp on March 16. The container was intended for a fruit company in Rotterdam.
The HARC team, a partnership of Customs, FIOD, seaport police and the Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam is investigating the case further. The drugs have since been destroyed.
More than 27 tons of cocaine intercepted in the port of Antwerp in the aftermath of "Operation Sky", worth nearly 1.4 billion euros Customs has intercepted a total of 27.64 tons of cocaine in the port of Antwerp in recent weeks. The seized drugs can be directly linked to the Sky ECC file, where investigators could crack encrypted phones and read along with drug criminals. The Antwerp public prosecutor's office reports this. The cargoes have a street value of no less than 1.382 billion euros. The record catch is a cargo of almost 11 tons discovered on the night of 2 to 3 April.
On Wednesday, Customs found more than 4,000 kilos of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam during an inspection. The cocaine was divided into 4,425 packages. The street value of this party is more than 300 million euros, ‘the Public Prosecution Service (OM) reported on Thursday.
The narcotics were hidden in a container from Ecuador that arrived in Antwerp on March 16. The container was intended for a fruit company in Rotterdam.
The HARC team, a partnership of Customs, FIOD, seaport police and the Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam is investigating the case further. The drugs have since been destroyed.
I love when they put "street value" in the article. 1500 kilos of H is 45 million euros but 4000 kilos of coke is 300 million?what? That comes out to 75 grand a kilo and that is more then double, triple what they are worth.
In Colombia , the main producer of cocaine , a kilo of coke costs 2000 euros, 2 euros per gram. Once arrived in the Netherlands, that kilo of cocaine is worth 25,000 to 27,000 euros.
Cocaine seizures by the New York’s DEA office have dramatically increased in recent months, according to Donovan.
“Stimulants like cocaine are the vehicle traffickers are using to attract customers,†Donavan said in a statement. “Cocaine seizures by DEA New York have increased over 200% in the first three months of 2021 in comparison to the first quarter of 2020. Through our investigations and recent CDC statistics, we know that local organizations are mixing cocaine with fentanyl which have added to the alarming overdose rates nationwide.â€
On Thursday, Belgian customs seized a consignment of more than 5 tons of cocaine in the port of Antwerp.
The drugs were hidden in a container with bananas from Ecuador, Belgian customs reported in a press release on Thursday afternoon. According to the service, the cocaine represents a street value of 250 million euros.
In April, Belgian customs intercepted a total of 27.64 tons of cocaine in the port of Antwerp in collaboration with the police and the judiciary. The parties of drugs could then be linked directly to the cracked chat service Sky ECC, according to the public prosecutor in Antwerp.
127 kilos of Dutch ecstasy among baby milk in Vietnam June 18, 2021 The police in Vietnam intercepted 127 kilos of ecstasy on Thursday that was en route from the Netherlands and Germany to the Asian country. The drugs were hidden in packages of milk and food. Vietnamese media report that a total of 16 suspects have been arrested.
The suspects used false documents to transport the goods. The drug organization also used false names and addresses to deliver and receive the drugs.
drug line At the beginning of April, the Vietnamese investigative services received tips about a drug line and the transport of large quantities of drugs from Europe to Vietnam via air traffic. A 30-year-old man from the Vietnamese city of Hai Duong was arrested during the investigation. He already had a substantial criminal record.
At the same time, Hanoi Customs intercepted 36 parcels totaling more than 400 kilos from Amsterdam at Noi Bai airport. Drugs were hidden in 13 packages. The packages had different addresses in Vietnam.
Dutch Customs intercepted a total of 1,159 kilos of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam between 19 June and 22 June. The Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam estimates the street value of the drugs at almost 87 million euros. The HARC team, a collaboration of Customs, FIOD, the Seaport Police and the Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam, is conducting an investigation. The drugs have been destroyed.
huge grabs. that's big time dealing. it makes many of the guys in the US look like pikers
It's unbelievable the amount they capture each week.
,,I know guys who import 5000 kilos here every month and export them to England. Some months they earn 100 million euros,†says a well-informed source from the criminal environment.
During a check in the port of Rotterdam, customs intercepted a consignment of 3001 kilos of cocaine on Tuesday night. The street value is more than 225 million euros, the Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam reports. The drugs were hidden in a container from Ecuador and loaded with barrels of banana puree.
And this is just what the authorities are catching. For these drug organizations to continue trafficking like this, can you imagine how many loads are successfully transported and getting past the nose of police?
BTW: what is the monetary ratio of value of 1 single Euro in comparison to 1 U.S. dollar?
For the second time this week, a large consignment of cocaine was intercepted in the port of Rotterdam. This afternoon customs found 1,543 kilos of cocaine with a street value of 115 million euros, spread over two lots.
The largest shipment of cocaine was hidden in a container of pineapples and was en route from Costa Rica to a company in Germany. In another container, loaded with bananas from Ecuador, customs found the other batch of cocaine. The companies for which the cargo was destined probably have nothing to do with drug smuggling, the Public Prosecution Service believes.
Last night, more than 3000 kilos of cocaine were intercepted, hidden between the banana puree. That was one of the largest catches ever made in the port of Rotterdam. It was also announced today that twelve employees of a Rotterdam container company have been arrested in recent months for allegedly cooperating in coke smuggling.
Tip of the iceberg In the whole of 2020, more than 40,000 kilos of cocaine were detected in containers in the port of Rotterdam, about 7,000 more than in 2019. According to researchers, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Only a small part of the 7.5 million containers that pass through Rotterdam every year are checked.
The HARC team, a collaboration of Customs, FIOD, Seaport Police and the Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam, will investigate all matters further. The intercepted cocaine has been destroyed.
On Thursday night, the police encountered a large drug lab on Hoogbosweg in Nederweert, Limburg. According to the National Dismantling Support Facility (LFO), this would be “the largest and most professional crystal meth production location ever found in the Netherlandsâ€.
Two sheds The police tracked down the drug lab in the outlying area after information from cracked chat messages. At the location, an arrest team discovered the extensive lab in two connected sheds. A 62-year-old man from Poland was arrested in an associated house. Multiple arrests are not ruled out, police said.
Quantity still unknown LFO specialists are dismantling the production site. Given the size and size, this will certainly take until Sunday. According to the investigation and LFO, research shows that in terms of quantities of raw materials and end products, it is the largest crystal meth lab ever in the Netherlands. An inventory will be made of exactly which and how many raw materials, end products and resources were present in the drug lab.
Because the drug lab is remote, there was no danger to local residents.
The largest crystal meth labs found in the Netherlands to date were those in Drempt and Arnhem.
Cocaine in Dutch cheeses to Sweden August 10, 2021
Quantities of cocaine in Dutch cheeses were smuggled to Sweden in 2020. This emerged in a lawsuit in the Swedish city of Gothenburg, in which prison sentences were handed out up to 12 years in prison. The evidence in the case comes in part from EncroChat chats hacked by police. In a previous case , a court in Sweden rejected the use of Encro chats.
The prime suspect is a member of the notorious Ali Khan family in Gothenburg. A total of seven suspects have been convicted in the case. One of the suspects has also been convicted of importing amphetamine oil.
The suspects were caught red-handed with 18.5 kilos of cocaine in August 2020 after the police listened live in the spring of that year with mutual messages from Encro users. This happened through a collaboration between the French and Dutch authorities, who passed on the results of their hack to, among others, the Swedish police.
Another huge amount of cocaine in Rotterdam September 17, 2021
In the night from Thursday to Friday, Customs intercepted 4,022 kilos in the port of Rotterdam. The drugs were hidden in a container from Suriname that was loaded with wood. The container was destined for a company in Poland.
The HARC team, a partnership of Customs, FIOD, Seaport Police and the Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam, is further investigating the case. The drugs have since been destroyed.
The Public Prosecution Service estimates the value of the cocaine at 301 million euros.
On October 6, the Guardia Civil rolled up a cannabis plantation with 135,000 plants at a farm in the Spanish town of Huerta de Valdecarábanos. According to the authorities, it is the largest cannabis farm ever discovered in Europe. Three suspects have been arrested. The Guardia Civil reported this on Monday.
Genetically manipulated The weed was supposed to be legally grown for 'industrial purposes', but samples taken at the cannabis farm on September 16 showed that these plants were actually genetically manipulated cannabis plants. In this way they tried to assimilate these plants with legal weed.
4,178 kilos of cocaine from Paraguay intercepted in the port of Rotterdam On Saturday evening, Customs intercepted a total of 4,178 kilos of cocaine during a check in the port of Rotterdam.
Two large cocaine shipments were intercepted in Panama and Colombia that were en route to the Netherlands. In Panama it is 3,500 kilos of cocaine and in Colombia it is 2,000 kilos.
The batch of coke in Panama was found in containers in a ship en route from San Vicente in Chile to the port of Rotterdam. According to media in Panama, it is one of the largest drug seizures ever in the country. 100 bags containing 3,499 packages of cocaine were found on board the ship.
In Colombia, more than 2,000 kilos of cocaine was intercepted in a container destined for the port of Rotterdam in the port of Cartagena. The more than 2,000 packages of drugs were hidden in bags in a container with refrigerators
A public prosecutor of the Rotterdam Public Prosecution Service says it is 'crazy' to have the ambition to win the drug war. That statement is somewhat in contrast to the usually ambitious language of Minister of Justice and Security Ferd Grapperhaus and the prosecutors of the national prosecutor's office who fight internationally operating drug organizations. Public Prosecutor Ernst Pols says in conversation with NU.nl that he has no idea what the effectiveness is of the police action against the international cocaine trade.
63 tons The number of kilograms of cocaine seized in Rotterdam has risen for the fourth year in a row and will again reach a record this year. In 2018, more than 22,000 kilos were found, this year the counter is now at about 63,000 kilos. The drug organization UNODC (of the United Nations) estimates that now more than half of the cocaine imported to the European continent comes through the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp, with Spain as a good second import port.
At the same time, it is clear that production in Peru and Colombia has been increasing in recent years. Officer Ernst Pols says he has no idea whether that increase can be directly related to the increase in seizures in Rotterdam. Pols: 'What we don't know, we don't know and there's quite a bit we don't know.'
By comparison, a record 505 tons of cocaine was seized in Colombia in 2020. About 100 tons were packed there this year.
The Netherlands fights organized crime with three other countries The Netherlands will cooperate more intensively with Belgium, France and Spain to tackle organized crime. In a joint statement, ministers from the four countries say they are deeply concerned about the threat posed by serious and organized crime to society, to citizens' fundamental rights and to the functioning of the rule of law and the economy.
The four emphasize that the international drug trade is the largest criminal market. That is why they want to prevent and combat them together as much as possible.
One of the objectives is to jointly combat import and distribution and to increase resilience against corruption and criminal infiltration at sea ports, airports and postal services, for example.
They also want to work together to steal criminals' money. Technology and innovations should be used as much as possible in detection and control.
Important gateway Outgoing Justice Minister Grapperhaus says in an explanation: "We must prevent that if we take measures in the port of Rotterdam to combat drug trafficking, which subsequently increases in Antwerp. Both ports are an important gateway to the European market."
Grapperhaus also wants the Dutch police to share information quickly with their Spanish or French colleagues, in order to jointly tackle international criminal groups and their assets in Europe and in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In 2021, another record amount of cocaine was intercepted in the Netherlands. Up to and including Christmas, almost 68,000 kilos have been seized, compared to 49,000 kilos all of last year, according to an inventory by the NOS. The number of kilograms intercepted has been rising sharply for years. But whether that is only a success of more effective Customs is doubtful
Several mega consignments of thousands of kilograms were found this year, including the largest cocaine seizure in recent years. It is also striking that more cocaine was found among cargo at Airport Schiphol: from 700 kilos in 2020 to 1,800 kilos in the past year. 500 kilograms of coke were found in passenger luggage this year.
In Colombia, the number of kilograms seized is heading for a record, while prices there remain at the same level. In 2020 the counter came to 505 tons, in 2021 it was already above 622 tons by mid-December. There is now a lower harvest of coca leaves in the country, while production seems to be increasing in recent years, due to investments in better methods.
Since the start of the fight against the international cocaine trade (in 1945), production has only increased.
The UN Drugs Agency (UNODC) this spring signaled a worldwide steady increase in demand , spanning more and more countries, especially now in Asia .
The biggest player in the heroin trade at the moment is the Turkish-Iranian Urfi Cetinkaya, the man in the wheelchair. Google him.
The Spanish police say they have arrested 'one of the most important heroin traffickers in Europe'. According to the authorities, the arrest of a total of nine suspects dismantled a criminal organization that smuggled large quantities of heroin from the Netherlands to Spain. The alleged ringleader who was arrested in Spain last week would, according to Spanish media , 'live in Rotterdam'.
Drug lord Urfi Çetinkaya A total of nine people have been arrested in the cities of Alcalá de Henares and Alovera, in the provinces of Madrid and Guadalajara, from whom a total of 55 kilograms of heroin were seized. According to Turkish media , the leader of the heroin organization arrested in Spain is closely linked to the network of the Turkish drug lord Urfi Çetinkaya.
He would regularly travel between the Netherlands, Turkey and Spain to plan heroin imports and is said to coordinate and lead one of Europe's most important international heroin organizations.
Cocaine seizures soar in Chicago, surrounding states, as DEA ‘snow’ forecast comes true Heroin and marijuana have long been Mexican cartels’ big moneymakers in Chicago. But DEA cocaine seizures rose 50% in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana in the year ending Sept. 30 and keep rising in the Chicago area.
During a check in the port of Rotterdam, Customs intercepted a consignment of 1099 kilos of cocaine on Monday. The drugs were hidden in a container from Ecuador and loaded with bananas.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the street value of the party is more than 82 million euros. The fruit was destined for a company in Rotterdam. This company probably has nothing to do with smuggling.
The HARC team, a partnership of Customs, FIOD, Seaport Police and the Public Prosecution Service, is further investigating the case. The drugs have since been destroyed, the OM reports.
4.3 tonnes of cocaine seized in port of Trieste One of Europe's biggest-ever narcotics impoundments
(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 7 - Italian finance police said Thursday that they have pulled off one of Europe's biggest-ever drugs impoundments, seizing 4.3 tonnes of cocaine in the port of Trieste. Investigators said the criminal gangs that bought the narcotics paid around 96 million euros for it and it would have been sold on the Italian market for a total of around 240 million euros. Thursday's operation, coordinated by DDA anti-mafia investigators, saw arrests and other freedom-restricting warrants executed with respect to 38 suspects. Around two million euros in cash was impounded too. (ANSA).
Europol estimates that more than 60% of criminal groups in the European Union rely on corrupt officials to facilitate their activities. Spanish authorities have recently dismantled two major drug trafficking networks that used corrupt police officers as part of operations to ship tons of cocaine and hashish into Western Europe.
The longer they allow it to sit around, the more the chance it makes its way to the streets. That large a seizure in Belgium makes me wonder how the country functions, That is a lot of coke for a relatively small nation, and it seems from that article and the links that Belgium was the final stop for this drugs.
More than 5.5 tons of cocaine intercepted in Spanish port
This week, 5,592 kilos of cocaine was found in a container in the port of Valencia. It is one of the largest cocaine seizures in Spain ever, and the largest to have been made in Valencia. The drugs were in a container of fruit. The Guardia Civil did not disclose what kind of fruit and from which country the container was supplied.
The Colombian navy, together with the Netherlands and the United States, seized 9700 kilos of cocaine. This happened during eight different operations in the Caribbean Sea, the Colombian army reports. The drugs had a street value of $327 million, according to Colombia. Fifteen people have been arrested.
In a first action in the Aruban waters, more than 5000 kilos of cocaine were found floating. The narcotics were left somewhere at sea, to be picked up later by others. The destination was the Dominican Republic.
Nearly 5,000 kilograms of cocaine were found in other operations. This happened in so-called ‘go fast’ boats, a type of speed boat that is often used by smugglers. It is unclear what nationality the fifteen arrested are, and to whom they have been handed over.
The Colombian Navy says it has intercepted more than 109,000 kilograms of cocaine in the past year, with a street value of $3.7 billion.
The Colombian navy, together with the Netherlands and the United States, seized 9700 kilos of cocaine. This happened during eight different operations in the Caribbean Sea, the Colombian army reports. The drugs had a street value of $327 million, according to Colombia. Fifteen people have been arrested.
In a first action in the Aruban waters, more than 5000 kilos of cocaine were found floating. The narcotics were left somewhere at sea, to be picked up later by others. The destination was the Dominican Republic.
Nearly 5,000 kilograms of cocaine were found in other operations. This happened in so-called ‘go fast’ boats, a type of speed boat that is often used by smugglers. It is unclear what nationality the fifteen arrested are, and to whom they have been handed over.
The Colombian Navy says it has intercepted more than 109,000 kilograms of cocaine in the past year, with a street value of $3.7 billion.
WOW! Now that's what you call "seizures!" Those interceptions must have also given the traffickers seizures. lol Huge hauls
More than 5.5 tons seized. How much of an effect will it have? I wonder if these seizures make the price on the streets go up for a while?
The price in Europe is pretty stable thanks to OPEC-like meetings between the top drug organizations where prices are fixed. Production is at an all-time high they have so much stashed away already enough for the coming year probably.
On November 30, 4.6 tons of Brazilian cocaine bound for Europe was seized on the high seas in an international operation. The British National Crime Agency (NCA) announced this on Wednesday. The cocaine was transported on a 21-meter tugboat sailing under the Brazilian flag. The French Navy boarded the ship off the west coast of Africa off Sierra Leone. The action was directed by the British police.
Customs intercepted 1,003 kilos of cocaine during a check in the port of Rotterdam on Monday. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the street value is more than 75 million euros.
The batch of coke was loaded into 50 bales in a container with tropical hardwood and came from Ecuador. The container was destined for a company in Rotterdam. The company probably has nothing to do with the smuggling, the OM reports.
The HARC team, a partnership between the seaport police, Customs, FIOD and the Public Prosecution Service, is investigating the case further. The drugs have since been destroyed.
It is the second large batch of coke that has been intercepted in the Netherlands within a week. On Wednesday, 1,279 kilos of cocaine was found in the port of Vlissingen between a load of bananas. This batch also came from Ecuador.
Jordan seizes 1 ton of captagon Jordan has seized a tonne of amphetamine pills being smuggled in date paste at the border with Iraq. A total of six million pills of the drug known as Captagon were found inside two refrigerated trucks. It was one of the largest haul ever intercepted. Captagon, dubbed "the poor man's cocaine", is produced in huge quantities in Syria, which is now a narco-state. Syrian captagon trade is now worth far more than any legal exports. Skirmishes between the Jordanian military and drug traffickers are more frequent. Jordan soldiers have a shoot-to-kill policy.
The Spanish Guardia Civil says it has dismantled a criminal organization from the western coastal region of Galicia that transported large-scale shipments of cocaine from Africa to Spain. 3,300 kilograms of cocaine have been seized on the high seas. The group used fishing boats that traveled normal fishing routes off the West African coast.
On December 18, 3,300 kilos of cocaine was intercepted on a ship. The operation involved both the British National Crime Agency and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
German customs seized a total of almost 3.6 tonnes of cocaine during two large-scale checks in the port of Hamburg. The drugs were hidden in the legal cargo of three containers from South America to Europe. The seizures took place on November 29 and December 1, but the news was not released until Thursday.
According to the authorities, the nearly 3.6 tons of cocaine has a street value of at least 100 million euros. No arrests have yet been made.
The Hamburg customs investigation agency is conducting further investigation on behalf of the Hamburg public prosecutor's office.
Between December 24, 2022 and January 3, 2023, Dutch Customs intercepted a total of 4726 kilos of cocaine in the port of Rotterdam. 34 arrests have been made, among them is also a 16-year-old suspect.
All drugs, with a street value of 354 million euros according to the Public Prosecution Service, have been destroyed.
In the port of Antwerp, Belgian customs found 1250 kilos of cocaine on Tuesday that was hidden in a container between cans of tomato paste. This has been announced by the Federal Public Service Finance (FPS).
This is the first batch of coke intercepted in the port of Antwerp this year. The drugs were seized and destroyed. An investigation into the origin and destination of the cocaine is ongoing. No arrests have been made.
More than 2400 kilos of coke found after false bomb threat on MSC Lorena Today, 5:14 PM
ANTWERP - More than 2400 kilos of cocaine was found on the container ship MSC Lorena, which had to be put aside in Vlissingen at the end of December after a bomb threat that later turned out to be false. "The drugs were found in a container between a cover load of cocoa," said the Antwerp public prosecutor's office. The bomb threat was reported to the Belgian police on 22 December when the container ship was berthed off the coast of Vlissingen. The ship then had to anchor for a week. After an investigation found nothing, the ship was able to moor in the port of Antwerp on December 29 to unload cargo. The police have arrested two suspects for involvement in the false bomb threat. It concerns a 24-year-old man from Delft and a 22-year-old man from The Hague. They are suspected of terrorist threats.
Mexican and Dutch networks Since then, the police have identified seventeen Mexicans suspected of facilitating Dutch meth production, according to the police report on the narcostand of the Netherlands in 2021. The drug report shows that Mexican and Dutch networks not only cooperate in the field of methamphetamine production , but also in the large-scale importation of methamphetamine. Large shipments of methamphetamine are smuggled from Mexico to Europe. This is done via the lines that have long been used for the smuggling of cocaine.
Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport Becoming Arrival Point for Mexican Drugs
115 kilograms of heroin were seized during a police check of a truck in Pamplona (Northern Spain). The drugs were destined for the Dutch market. This is reported by the Spanish national police.
The heroin was hidden between legal merchandise in a truck. The truck driver was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking.
Container ship crews play a key role in cocaine trade via Dutch ports Container ships play an indispensable role in the worldwide cocaine trade, and it is time for large shipping companies to take responsibility and help fight drug trafficking, Jan Janse, district chief of the seaport police in Rotterdam, said to the newspaper AD.
New Zealand intercepts 3.2 tonnes of cocaine worth $500m floating in Pacific Ocean Authorities say the haul, which is the largest seizure of illicit drugs made by the country’s law enforcement, was destined for Australia
Dutch arrested in Belgium with almost 4 tons of cocaine February 15, 2023
In the Turnhout region, the Belgian police arrested ten people on Tuesday evening in an investigation into the import of a batch of cocaine of almost 4 tons. At least two Dutch people are among the suspects. According to the Belgian police, the catch was accidental.
The police received a report around 10 p.m. on Tuesday about 'a suspicious situation' on Steenweg in Ravels, close to Oud-Turnhout. Several cars with Dutch license plates drove up and down. A police patrol checked a car with two Dutchmen aged 27 and 46. Police say the two had "no proper explanation" of their presence. After a check, the two men turned out to be known in the Netherlands for drug-related facts.
Elsewhere on Steenweg, a 39-year-old man was arrested after turning around when he saw the police.
Shed The police saw an address on the Kanaaldijk in Ravels in the Waze app of the Dutch. It turned out to be a warehouse that was for rent.
Officers entered the shed with that information and with the permission of the judiciary. There, seven men were arrested near a container. That container contained 68 bags of cocaine. The exact amount will have to be determined further. It's probably almost 4 tons of cocaine.
Ten men have been arrested and are currently being questioned by the Federal Judicial Police (FGP) Antwerp. The ten will be brought before the investigating judge in Turnhout in the course of the day.
More than two tons of cocaine was found in a container in the port of Antwerp. This happened at the end of February after a check by Customs. According to the Belgian federal government, this involved 2,000 blocks with a total weight of 2,282.3 kilos.
Belgian customs intercepted five tons of cocaine in the port of Zeebrugge on Tuesday evening. Five suspects have been arrested. It is one of the largest drug seizures ever in the port of Zeebrugge. The drugs from South America were found between a load of fruit during a check. The judicial investigation into the case is ongoing. The Bruges investigating judge decides on the further arrest of the five suspects. The seaport of Bruges or Zeebrugge is the second largest port in Belgium after Antwerp and one of the most important in Europe.
Australia and the US confiscate 2.4 tons of cocaine 04 March 2023 Australian and US police have intercepted 2.4 tonnes of cocaine aboard a ship off the coast of South America bound for Australia. A load of 677 million dollars, according to what CNN reports. The drug was linked to a Mexican cartel: Twelve suspects have been arrested, Western Australian state police said in a statement, first releasing details of an operation that began last November when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intercepted the ship.
The Spanish police found a submarine off the coast on Tuesday, which was probably used for the illegal transport of drugs. Footage from the Guardia Civil shows divers investigating a small submarine, which is suspected to have been used for drug smuggling. The vessel was tipped up in the water off the coast of Galicia.
The Spanish police are working to lift the submarine, near the port of the town of Vilaxoán. The so-called 'narcosubmarine' was found on Monday by a skipper who followed a trail of diesel oil until he found the partially sunken vessel. It is said to have been used for large-scale drug smuggling a few weeks ago.
The vessel would be of the same type of construction as an earlier ship found, reports a specialist Twitter user. In 2019, 3000 kilograms of cocaine were intercepted off the coast of Galicia in a similar submarine.
In 2021, a nine-meter-long U-boat that looked like it was found under construction near Malaga.
It is not clear whether drugs are present on board this copy.
Smuggling under water has been going on for a long time.
El 701 is a reference to El Chapo Guzman, in 2009 he was named the 701st richest man in the world by Forbes magazine.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday it seized nearly 700 kilos of cocaine in a warehouse in Moscow. Some of the drugs had to be smuggled from Russia to the European Union. Two Colombians and a suspect from the EU have been arrested.
The cocaine was smuggled from a Latin American country to Russia and part of it should be transported from there to the European Union. The FSB explains: "The Federal Security Service foiled an attempt by another international criminal group to use Russian territory for the transit and sale of drugs."
'El 701 The Boss' According to the FSB, the shipment of cocaine was smuggled from South or Central America to Russia and stored in a warehouse in Moscow. The warehouse was rented to a man. Part of the cocaine would be destined for an EU country and the rest would have to be sold in Russia. Part of the blocks had stamps that read 'El 701 The Boss' and another part 'Tokio'.
Whether part of the consignment was actually destined for the EU is not entirely clear. After all, the Russian authorities are known for spreading disinformation and fake news.
67 million euros According to the FSB, a total of 699 kilos of cocaine was found, worth more than 2.5 billion rubles. According to the Russian authorities, the cocaine, once cut, had a street value of at least 6 billion rubles (more than 67 million euros).
Two Colombians and an EU citizen allegedly arrived in Russia to carry out a multi-stage drug smuggling operation. All three are in prison and can receive up to 20 years in prison.
A large shipment of cocaine was seized in Morocco last Thursday. The pressed blocks of cocaine were hidden in frozen tuna. The catch was made in the port Tangier Med. According to the Moroccan authorities, the cocaine was found after information was received.
The sea container was shipped in Ecuador and was on its way to Spain by truck. The weight of the seized cocaine has not been released.
The Moroccan authorities speak of an international network. The investigation is being conducted in collaboration with Interpol.
what a crazy write up. man canadians will send that chronic anywhere. so now we have a scenario in canada where criminals receive health canada permits to grow legal weed (this is not part of article specifically...but likely source of chronic), the cannabis is grown over and above what the permit allows, then exported to U.S. and now africa in stolen cars no less...beautiful.
the rampant car theft between the toronto mtl corridor and all points in between is nothing new. smuggling other contraband with those cars well why not. your already breaking international law by sending the car.
The irony in all of this is that the government thought by legalizing it would end cannabis contraband markets. Instead quite the opposite is happening.
if only there had been some historic event that took place almost a hundred years ago that could have given law makers some kind of help....ohhhhhhhh right.
I'm in favor of legalising cannabis, nobody says it's the solution to get rid of OC. But millions of people like to smoke a joint let them they don't hurt anybody else just like alcohol.
The Colombian Navy says it has intercepted the largest narco-submarine ever in the Pacific. It is a semi-submersible vessel of about 30 meters long and 3 meters wide. On board was three tons of cocaine. Three Colombian crew members have been arrested.
The semi-submersible ship was intercepted on Tuesday en route to Central America on one of the most common drug smuggling routes to the United States, the world's largest consumer of Colombian cocaine.
The biggest lab in Holland was found in horse riding school in 2020 it was run by 13 Colombians. Alejandro C. is seen as one of the leaders in the case. C. was already arrested in the US in 2010 for heroin trafficking, for which he received a 32-year prison sentence. Less than ten years later, he managed to find his way to the Netherlands. C., who moved from Colombia to America at the age of seven, managed to stay out of sight of the authorities for a long time. At an unknown age he started smuggling, after which he quickly became a big name in the drug world. When the Americans caught sight of him, they described him as "leader of his drug ring." Shortly afterwards, in 2003, he fled back to Colombia, where he still managed to transport nearly 250 million euros a year worth of heroin to America. Here he began to rebuild his entire business. This time he only opted for coke instead of heroin. Soon Alejandro had put together the most professional coke laundry in the Netherlands, but he couldn't enjoy it for long. Less than two years after his release, he is already in prison, but now in the Netherlands.
It's unbelievable the cocaine they are producing nowadays, but people like to snort it all around the world. It's a great drug once in a while you can't blame the users.
A bad weekend for heavy users with controversial political beliefs. There are apparently more of these in the Benelux than you might think, which suggests a striking drug bust in Peru. In a smuggler boat near the border with Ecuador, Peruvian authorities found 57 kilos of marching powder. Only the producers had taken 'marching powder' very literally.
The coke packets were carefully labeled with Nazi symbolism. For example, each powder packet had a bright red Nazi flag with a swastika and a serial number, and some of the coke bales had 'Hitler' stamped in large block letters.
Massive $1.7BILLION haul of meth is found stashed inside canola oil bottles after shipments are seized in Australia and Canada - making it one of the biggest ever drug busts Down Under
It's amazing that with all these drug seizures that so much still gets into places. I'm starting to think illegal drugs are the world's biggest commodity.
It's amazing that with all these drug seizures that so much still gets into places. I'm starting to think illegal drugs are the world's biggest commodity.
The ports are vulnerable, only a small percentage get checked. The odds are in the criminals favor.
It's amazing that with all these drug seizures that so much still gets into places. I'm starting to think illegal drugs are the world's biggest commodity.
The ports are vulnerable, only a small percentage get checked. The odds are in the criminals favor.
Marine intercepts 2000 kilos of drugs in the sea off Curaçao 26 minutes ago in INTERIOR
WILLEMSTAD - The crew of the Dutch navy ship Zr.Ms. Groningen has intercepted two shipments of drugs in the Caribbean Sea near Curaçao. It concerns a load of cocaine and marijuana, in total almost 2000 kilos. Twelve people from Venezuela were arrested in the actions last Friday and Saturday. To force them to stop, warning shots were first fired. When the suspects refused to surrender, shots were fired at the outboard motors, according to a spokeswoman for the Royal Netherlands Navy. The drugs and the suspects were then handed over to the Curaçao police. "They will handle it further," said the spokeswoman.
MONDAY, 26 JUNE 2023 - 13:45 Massive €269 million cocaine shipment found in Rotterdam Customs officials found nearly 3,600 kilograms of cocaine during an inspection at the Port of Rotterdam. The drugs held a street value of 269 million euros, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Monday. Two other batches of drugs weighing a total of 2,000 kilograms were also found in an operation involving the Dutch Navy in the Caribbean.
It is the largest cocaine find at the Rotterdam port this year. No arrests were announced.
The cocaine was hidden in a shipment of bananas that likely originated in Ecuador, the OM said. Authorities found the cocaine and counted it between Sunday night and early the following morning.
The final tally stood at 3,587 one-kilogram bricks.
“This container of bananas was destined for a company in the Province of Zeeland,” the OM said. However, there was no evidence suggesting that the company was involved in the smuggling operation.
The initial investigation was carried out by the Hit-and-Run Cargo Team, a specialized intervention team made up of port police, Customs officials, FIOD financial crime investigators, and the Rotterdam division of the Public Prosecution Service.
High seas and hidden cargo: The Middle East’s battle against containerised drug smuggling The challenge will only get worse as drug routes become increasingly intertwined with other illicit activities
Customs at Schiphol found 116,500 LSD stamps during a check. The party has been seized. Henriette Bongers, director of Customs Schiphol Cargo, reports this in a message on Twitter.
LSD is available in liquid form or in pills, but is also dripped on colorful printed rolling papers. The hallucinating hard drugs are illegal and are on List 1 of the Opium Act.
Whether the LSD stamps were found in luggage or whether anyone was arrested has not been disclosed.
Customs at Schiphol found 116,500 LSD stamps during a check. The party has been seized. Henriette Bongers, director of Customs Schiphol Cargo, reports this in a message on Twitter.
LSD is available in liquid form or in pills, but is also dripped on colorful printed rolling papers. The hallucinating hard drugs are illegal and are on List 1 of the Opium Act.
Whether the LSD stamps were found in luggage or whether anyone was arrested has not been disclosed.
Who knew? Did it ever occur to the the drug agents that maybe all these guys wanted to do was mail a bunch of letters?...They might have just ran out of traditional postage stamps. And you know what they say, "rain or shine, sleet or hail, the mail has GOT to be delivered!" Lol....And LSD will definitely get ya where ya gotta go!
LOL I remember when it was very popular, but I was too young for 'Acid' so I never tried it, later when I was older it was ecstacy when we went out.. To buy it now you do need a connection here in Holland.
More than 1500 kilos of cocaine found between bananas in the port of Vlissingen July 5, 2023
Customs found about 1500 kilos of cocaine in a container with pallets of bananas in the port of Vlissingen on Wednesday morning. It is the largest batch of drugs found in Zeeland this year.
110 million euros Customs discovered the drugs through investigation. The container with bananas had already been unloaded from a seagoing vessel. It has not been disclosed from which country the container came. According to the judiciary, the drugs have an estimated street value of more than 110 million euros. The Seaport Police is conducting an investigation into those involved in drug smuggling.
Customs worked closely with the Seaport Police with the support of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee and the Special Assistance Team (TBB).
The drugs have since been destroyed by the Customs Special Assistance Team.
Operation of an unprecedented scale in the United Kingdom against cannabis plantations Carried out in England and Wales, this operation led to 967 arrests for cultivation of cannabis, money laundering and offenses against the laws on weapons.
Crackdown on cannabis as police raid more than 1,000 farms, seize £130M worth of plants and arrest hundreds in biggest ever clampdown in Britain National Police Chiefs' Council lead Steve Jupp said 1,000 suspects arrested It comes as part of a huge month-long operation targeting organised crime
In the land of drug cartels (Guayaquil, Ecuador) A total of 210 tons of drugs seized in a single year, a record. At least 4,500 murders last year, also a record. Children recruited by gangs. Prisons that become hubs of crime. Neighborhoods plagued by criminal disputes. And all this chaos financed by powerful foreigners with deep pockets and considerable experience in the global drug trade.
Dutch arrests in investigation into mega-catch of ketamine July 19, 2023
The detective raided three homes in Steenbergen on Tuesday morning in connection with the discovery of a huge stock of ketamine. Eight suspects have already been arrested. In February, a secret storage of 1700 kilograms of ketamine was discovered in a farm near Steenbergen.
Millions Cash and various documents were seized during Tuesday's searches. In February, the police seized several million euros in cash.
Enormous The amount of ketamine seized in February is enormous. The police estimate its value at just under 40 million euros.
Ketamine is an anesthetic that is used as a party drug.
The police are still actively looking for four fugitive suspects who may be staying abroad.
Italy police seize record 5.3-ton cocaine haul off coast of Sicily By: Wanted In Rome DATE: 21 Jul, 2023 Drugs had market value of €850 million. Italian customs police on Thursday announced the seizure of 5.3 tons of cocaine from a fishing boat off Sicily's south-western coast, hailing it as the biggest drug seizure ever made in Italy.
The cocaine haul has a street value was estimated at more than €850 million, according to the Guardia di Finanza police.
The seizure was the result of an air and sea reconnaissance by Palermo financial police and prosecutors from the anti-mafia directorate whose officers followed a merchant vessel flying the Palau flag and a fishing boat that departed from the Calabrian coast.
The seizure was made on Wednesday night in the Strait of Sicily after police detected that numerous packages were being offloaded from the merchant ship and being collected by the fishing boat.
Following a search, officers discovered the massive haul of drugs crammed into a hidden room below deck, concealed behind panelling.
The boat was seized and the five men aboard were arrested. The merchant ship was also blocked by police as it headed in the direction of Turkey.
The Italian record haul was imported by 'Ndrangheta but contacts with the Sicilians have also been monitored.
The “new” encrypted servers in Holland The investigation launched by the Sicilian DDA aims to identify the members "of a stable and permanent associative structure dedicated to drug trafficking" with "Calabrian suppliers" and "pushers active in the drug dealing squares of Palermo and its province". There is an element of novelty in the investigation. This "fluid" association that holds Calabrians and Sicilians together would be equipped with "encrypted users attributable to a single server of Dutch nationality, called "fast.m2m", not yet penetrated by seizure activities and interception by any national judicial authority". A new challenge for investigators: after the coup achieved with the decryption of the "Sky Ecc" servers, the mafias have found a new secure system for communicating.
EXCLUSIVE: Inside the hunt for 'narco subs' smuggling billions of dollars of drugs into the U.S: At least $1BN of cocaine has been seized in past decade - but experts say 90% of the vessels go undetected
We spent £45,000-a-year sending our boy to public school... but he became a £120M 'drug lord': Ex-Deputy Crime Commissioner's agony as her son is jailed for 23 years over cocaine haul plot
'Most cocaine in Rotterdam comes from Ecuador' August 5, 2023
Most cocaine imported into Rotterdam comes from Ecuador. That is what the head of the Seaport Police in the Rijnmond told the NRC . From 2018 to 2022, more than 60,000 kilos of cocaine from Ecuador, divided into more than 150 consignments, were seized in the port of Rotterdam.
Colombia at four Ecuador has been by far the most important country for cocaine smuggling to the Netherlands in the past five years. Brazil is in second place with about 43,000 kilos, followed by Costa Rica with more than 30,000 kilos of cocaine. Colombia occupies a distant fourth place with about 13,000 kilos of cocaine.
HARC The NRC made an analysis of data on seizures by the so-called HARC team. This specialized Hit and Run Cargo team is a partnership of the Public Prosecution Service (OM), Seaport Police, FIOD and Customs and handles all drug finds in the port of Rotterdam.
After an appeal to the Open Government Act (Woo) by NRC, the Public Prosecution Service refused to disclose drug smuggling data. After a ruling by the Rotterdam District Court, the Public Prosecution Service finally gave in to the request.
Guayaquil The port city of Guayaquil in Ecuador has been the largest cocaine export port to the port of Rotterdam for three years in a row.
Cocaine is hardly made in Ecuador, but is imported from the south of Colombia and Peru. The security of the container terminals in Guayaquil is very poor. For example, fencing is missing in most places.
Ecuador is currently suffering from increasing corruption and violence. The Netherlands is working on a treaty with Ecuador that will enable far-reaching cooperation between customs in both countries.
'Disturbing trend': Familiar names in $8 million southern Ontario guns, fentanyl bust Crimes can be linked back to 3 street gangs, 2 of which operate in the GTA: OPP
€600 million cocaine shipment found at Rotterdam port; largest drug bust ever in NL
Customs officials in the port of Rotterdam made the largest drug bust ever in the Netherlands on Thursday. A total of 8,064 packages, each containing 1 kilo of cocaine, were retrieved from 12 banana pallets, the Public Prosecution Service announced on Thursday. The street value was estimated at 600 million euros
The container originated from Ecuador and arrived in Rotterdam via Panama. The drugs were discovered during a check with drug-sniffing dogs. The drugs have since been destroyed. The case is currently being investigated by the HARC team, a collaboration between the FIOD (Fiscal Information and Investigation Service), Customs, the Seaport Police, and the Public Prosecution Service.
Peter van Buijtenen, the customs director in the port of Rotterdam, praised the professionalism of the customs workers on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "Once again, we've managed, along with our HARC partners, to deal a significant blow to the drug criminals in the port."
Outgoing State Secretary of Financy Aukje de Vries praised the customs and their partners, stating, "Thanks to their professionalism, they have seized over 8,000 kilos of cocaine, the largest drug bust so far this year!" Outgoing Justice Minister Dilan Ye?ilgöz also expressed her satisfaction, saying, "We are intensifying our efforts against drug criminals in many different areas. And this is one of the results. Hugely proud of the close collaboration among our services," Ye?ilgöz added.
This cocaine seizure shatters the previous record set in 2005 when 4,600 kilos of the drug were found in the port of Rotterdam. At that time, the cocaine was hidden within two large reels of steel cables. The largest cocaine bust of this year, prior to this, took place at the end of June. Customs found more than 3,500 blocks of cocaine hidden among bananas, with the container also originating from Ecuador.
In the first half of this year, a total of 29,702 kilos of cocaine were seized during drug seizures in the Netherlands. Data from Dutch customs indicates that over half of the intercepted shipments weighed less than 100 kilos each. This suggests that criminals are spreading their risk, as Customs explained last month while discussing the mid-year figures.
NOS News • Today, 4:38 pm Arrested Rotterdammer had drug lab in funeral home
A funeral director from Rotterdam has been arrested for drug trafficking. Police officers tracked down the man when they saw a hearse lying suspiciously low on the road. A drug lab was discovered in his funeral home in Hoogvliet.
The 38-year-old man was picked off the A77 near the border with Germany last May, writes Omroep Brabant. He turned out to be driving around with 675 kilos of raw materials for the production of drugs. That has only just become known.
The man was not alone in the car, a 50-year-old co-driver was also arrested. He is now free again. The funeral director will remain in custody for the time being, the judge ruled today.
Brantford police seize nearly $100 million in illegal cannabis, arrest 18 after large-scale bust Raid of the industrial warehouse on Mohawk Street turned up more than 83,400 cannabis plants, 2,330 kilograms of dried marijuana
Dutch Customs found 469 kilos of cocaine in the port of Vlissingen during a regular check on Friday. The total street value of the drugs is more than 35 million euros. It is the second cocaine find in the Vlissingen harbor this week.
During a regular check on Tuesday , 542 kilos of coke was also found in the port of Vlissingen. 16 kilograms of hashish were also found on the same day.
The batches have since been removed and destroyed.
Madrid (AFP) – Spanish police and customs on Friday announced the seizure of nearly 9.5 tonnes of cocaine from Ecuador, in what they described as the country's biggest-ever haul of the drug.
The seizure, which took place on Wednesday in the southern port of Algeciras, is "the biggest concealed cargo of cocaine in Spain to date," they said in a joint statement.
The narcotic was stashed in banana crates inside a refrigerated container, they added.
The operation is "an unprecedented blow for one of the biggest criminal organisations at world level in cocaine distribution," they said, without identifying the group.
The intended recipients were Europe's major criminal networks in Europe, they added.
The logos of more than 30 European criminal groups who had been destined to take delivery of the cargo were found inside.
Many of the packages were branded with swastikas and the word "Hitler", similar to a consignment of cocaine that was intercepted in Peru en route to Belgium in May this year.
The drugs had come from Guayaquil, the Ecuadoran port city known as a springboard for South American drugs heading to the United States and Europe.
The organisation which undertook the transport was able to send 40 containers a month to Europe thanks to a vast commercial network and also used the northwestern port of Vigo, the investigators said.
The authorities said the organisations operated through an international banana trading company based in Ecuador's port of Machala.
"From there they sent the merchandise in maritime containers to different companies in our country controlled by members of the criminal network itself," the statement said,
In the last few years, Ecuador has become a key player in the regional cocaine trade as drug trafficking from Colombia and Peru expands into the Andean country, taking advantage of lax security in ports on its Pacific coast.
The rug trade has spurred a wave of violence. Ecuador's murder rate since 2018 has quadrupled, kidnappings are rife, and a string of clashes between rival drug gangs has claimed at least 430 lives in Ecuadoran prisons since 2021.
Spain’s proximity to North Africa, a key source of hashish, and its close ties with former colonies in Latin America, the world’s main cocaine-producing region, have made it a portal for drug-smuggling into Europe.
Very interesting waiting for more info we want names !
Quote
The operation is "an unprecedented blow for one of the biggest criminal organisations at world level in cocaine distribution," they said, without identifying the group.
The intended recipients were Europe's major criminal networks in Europe, they added.
The logos of more than 30 European criminal groups who had been destined to take delivery of the cargo were found inside.
Very interesting waiting for more info we want names !
Quote
The operation is "an unprecedented blow for one of the biggest criminal organisations at world level in cocaine distribution," they said, without identifying the group.
The intended recipients were Europe's major criminal networks in Europe, they added.
The logos of more than 30 European criminal groups who had been destined to take delivery of the cargo were found inside.
Wow ...............The dollar value of this shipment must be at least 3 billion dollar ?
Very interesting waiting for more info we want names !
Quote
The operation is "an unprecedented blow for one of the biggest criminal organisations at world level in cocaine distribution," they said, without identifying the group.
The intended recipients were Europe's major criminal networks in Europe, they added.
The logos of more than 30 European criminal groups who had been destined to take delivery of the cargo were found inside.
Wow ...............The dollar value of this shipment must be at least 3 billion dollar ?
Police have not yet named some of the gangs they understood were due to receive the drugs, but the massive seizure is expected to lead to speculation they included the Kinahan crime cartel.
'North Dutch ports vulnerable to cocaine imports' August 27, 2023
Municipalities along the northern Dutch coast are concerned about an increase in the import of drugs in their ports. This is evident from a report by Nieuwsuur . Mayors fear that criminals will look for alternative routes now that controls in Antwerp, Rotterdam and Vlissingen are becoming increasingly strict.
Flushing The most important ports in the north are Harlingen, Lauwersoog, Delfzijl and Eemshaven.
Vlissingen, more and more cocaine is being seized. The controls there are now tightening. Cocaine importers probably decided years ago to import more cocaine via Vlissingen (Flushing) when the controls became stricter in Rotterdam.
Increased A spokesperson for the municipality of Het Hogeland, which includes Lauwersoog and Eemshaven, already suspects that criminal activity has increased.
Containers do not arrive in most northern ports, but there is very little monitoring of incoming shipping. It has been known for some time that Urk fishing vessels have brought in cocaine. Those fishing vessels picked up packages of cocaine from the North Sea.
Compressed cocaine blocks are found from time to time on the northern coasts, an indication that cocaine is sometimes brought ashore.
Sailing yachts and fishing vessels can enter and leave the ports of Harlingen and Lauwersoog without supervision.
NYC daycare where toddler died after inhaling fentanyl had drugs hidden under trap doors in room where children slept: Cops find enough of the highly-potent drug to kill 500,000 people
Three British 'drug smugglers from gang responsible for 10% of cocaine shipped into Europe' are led into Greek court for trial under heavy security - as global manhunt continues for leader dubbed 'UK's Pablo Escobar'
Incredible moment special forces swoop from helicopter onto cartel 'mother ship' carrying £136million of cocaine off the UK - after bungling subordinates of drugs kingpins ran aground and led authorities to 'biggest Irish drug bust ever'
Cocaine haul worth £430 million is seized by Ireland's elite Army Ranger Wing off the coast of Cork in the biggest drugs seizure in the country's history
British man, 31, hauled in front of Irish court on drug trafficking offences after commando raid on cartel 'mothership' seized £139 MILLION of cocaine destined for European shores
More than 380 kilos of cocaine intercepted in the port of Vlissingen Edited: 1 hour ago 2 hours agoinland _
VLISSINGEN - More than 380 kilos of cocaine were intercepted in the port of Vlissingen on Saturday thanks to two finds, the Public Prosecution Service reports. The drugs with a street value of 28.5 million euros were in bags attached to two buoys and in a warehouse with bananas.
Rijkswaterstaat reported the bags that were attached to two buoys in the Western Scheldt. When the bags were brought to the port and customs officers inspected them, they found 360 kilos of cocaine.
That same afternoon, a customs officer checking a warehouse with pallets of bananas came across another 20.5 kilos of cocaine. The coke was hidden in the flaps of boxes.
The drugs have now been destroyed, according to the Public Prosecution Service.
The Netherlands closes a deal with Colombia: a major blow to the drug mafia
September 28 2023inland _
THE HAGUE - The Netherlands and Colombia will collaborate much more intensively to track down and extradite drug criminals. A treaty is in the making to achieve this, outgoing Minister Yesilgoz-Zegerius (Justice and Security) reports to De Telegraaf. “This is not only a very big step, but also a necessary one.”
With the deal, the governments of both countries hope to deal a major blow to the international drug mafia. After more than a year of negotiations, an extradition treaty is concluded between the Netherlands and Colombia. A legal assistance treaty is also in the making to conduct joint investigations and hear witnesses.
Many cocaine transports leave from Colombia to the Netherlands. For a long time, narcocriminals believed themselves safe from prosecution. This must change with the new treaties. “Both countries will therefore be able to respond more quickly to each other's requests,” says Yesilgöz. “For example, when it comes to criminal prosecution and hearing witnesses and victims. This can destroy revenue models.”
The minister acknowledges that the Netherlands is still a key player in the international drug trade. That is why she also wants to make agreements with other Latin American countries - such as Peru and Ecuador. In addition, together with fellow ministers, she is increasing security at Western European ports and other vulnerable import points.
How Europe stole America's crown as the world's cocaine superpower: Map reveals how ruthless cartels stop at nothing to smuggle £50billion of 'white gold' a year from Colombia to the streets of London, Paris and Rome
I'm at this game the last 20 odd years pal, I know the way of plays': How cocaine kingpins build their dirty empires by 'hiding in plain sight' before they're caught boasting on EncroChat - as police launch sweeping crackdown on drug lords
More than 7,700 kilos of coke intercepted in Bleiswijk, six arrests
Six men were arrested yesterday in Bleiswijk in South Holland who were unloading 7,700 kilos of cocaine from a truck. They are three Dutch, two Belgians and a Polish truck driver.
The coke was found by Antwerp customs among a load of bananas, after which the Fortius Cocaine Flows Task Force was informed. This police team followed the truck to Bleiswijk, where the driver and the five haulers were arrested.
The drugs have a street value of around 200 million euros. The police have not ruled out more arrests.
The Fortius Cocaine Flows Task Force is a partnership between the Dutch and Belgian police and focuses on combating the import of cocaine via the port of Antwerp to the Netherlands.
Yeah , that's what i thought , multiple groups got together. I can't think of any single group in Europe that can get this large quantities , probably only some 'Ndrangheta clans.
Armed commando from the Netherlands arrested in Antwerp October 18, 2023
The Antwerp police arrested seven Dutch people on Tuesday evening who may have been part of an armed commando that was on its way to retrieve a shipment of seized cocaine. Customs announced on Tuesday that several tons of cocaine had been seized in the port of Antwerp.
The Gazet van Antwerpen writes that on Tuesday evening a black minibus with a Dutch license plate was stuck on the IJzerlaan in Antwerp, near the port. Seven men were arrested. According to local residents, they were met by the Antwerp police, who had been on the lookout for hours. There were several sports bags in the minibus.
Customs shed The police take into account that serious drug criminals were on their way to retrieve a shipment of intercepted cocaine. A large shipment of cocaine was seized in the port of Antwerp on Tuesday. The drugs are stored in a customs warehouse near IJzerlaan.
The exact amount of cocaine seized has yet to be weighed. The drugs were hidden among a batch of soy meal from Sierra Leone.
Yeah , that's what i thought , multiple groups got together. I can't think of any single group in Europe that can get this large quantities , probably only some 'Ndrangheta clans.
Yes it's multi ethnic though, but the principals and financiers of cocaine imports are often located in the Netherlands.
Antwerp: not 3 tons but 7 tons of cocaine caught October 25, 2023
The enormous amount of cocaine that was intercepted by Belgian Customs in the Waasland port in Antwerp on Monday appears to be more than double what was previously estimated. Not about three but seven tons were taken.
This is evident from the file that the Antwerp Public Prosecution Service submitted to the investigating judge on Wednesday. This has placed a Belgian (30) and a Dutchman (29) in pre-trial detention. The two were arrested on Monday on suspicion of involvement in the importation of the drugs.
The Belgian was a driver who had arrived in a truck to pick up the container with the drugs at the port site. The Dutchman was there as a passenger. A loaded handgun was found in the cab of the truck, the prosecutor's office said.
Customs makes another major drug seizure in the port of Antwerp: 7.5 tons of cocaine intercepted Customs have again made a large cocaine seizure in the port of Antwerp. It concerns 7.5 tons of cocaine. The shipment of drugs was hidden in a shipment of bananas on a ship arriving from Guayaquil, Ecuador. This is reported by the Federal Public Service Finance. The Antwerp Federal Judicial Police has started an investigation.
Ludwig DeWolf Fri Nov 0321:21 Customs have made a large drug seizure at quay 1742 in the Waaslandhaven. A shipment of bananas contained 7.5 tons of cocaine. It is at least the fourth major drug seizure in just a few weeks.
Not far from quay 1742, nine people were arrested who were hiding in a container. It is not yet clear whether there is a link between the people who have been arrested and the drug seizure.
The nine arrested people, including two minors, will be brought before the investigating judge on Saturday.
More and more drug seizures The port of Antwerp is a busy transit port for drug criminals. In recent weeks, several large loads of cocaine have been intercepted by customs.
In 2022, a record amount of 110 tons of cocaine was intercepted in the port of Antwerp. The previous record dated from a year earlier, when 90 tons of cocaine were intercepted.
'Major trafficker' arrested after shocked contractor stumbles across staggering $11 MILLION worth of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in Queens home undergoing renovations
Criminals go bananas! Drugs gang flee in terror when detectives catch them on top of container removing £11m of cocaine smuggled into UK hidden in fruit shipment
Gardaí probing whether huge cocaine haul has link to Hezbollah Military personnel onboard the MV Matthew as the Irish Navy escorted it into the Port of Cork after 2.2 tonnes of illicit drugs were found onboard and a number of arrests were made. Picture: Niall Carson/PA
An international investigation into the massive 2.2 tonne seizure of cocaine in Irish waters in September is examining links to Middle East militants Hezbollah and Iranian criminal gangs.
Gardaí are waiting to see if Dubai police — who visited Ireland a fortnight ago — will assist in this probe as well as wider investigations into the leaders of the Kinahan crime cartel based in the United Arab Emirates.
Gardaí are said to have been impressed by the “genuine willingness” of Dubai police to assist with these investigations, with authorities in the UAE under pressure from abroad to take action against European gang bosses based there.
The sprawling garda investigation into the seizure of 2.2 tonnes of cocaine on board the MV Matthew off the Cork coast — the biggest ever seizure of the drug in Ireland — has attracted considerable international attention, with a range of authorities from foreign countries looking to assist.
This is thought to include Colombia, where investigators believe the country’s biggest cartel, the Gulf Clan, organised the shipment.
The fact that the actual bulk cargo ship, the MV Matthew, was confiscated by Irish authorities, in a daring military operation, has set the seizure apart, investigators say.
Security sources believe the vessel was bought and operated by drug traffickers for the sole purpose of operating a “route” from South America into Europe.
Sources suspect the gang’s intention was to continue using the vessel for some years along the same route.
Investigators suspect the financing for this route goes back to the Middle East, taking in Dubai as well as possible links to Hezbollah — an Islamist militant organisation based in Lebanon — and Iranian criminals.
Sources said Hezbollah and Iranian gangs have been actively looking to “control the routes” from South America to Europe.
Last month, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned a Lebanese and South American network of family members and business associates, including named “key Hezbollah operatives and financial facilitators”.
One of those named is actively linked to “illegal drug trafficking and money laundering” in South America, including a 500kg cocaine shipment hidden in fruit containers that was seized in El Salvador.
A number of Iranian nationals were on board the MV Matthew, and international investigations are continuing in relation to them, as well as a number of ethnic Russians.
In April 2022, OFAC sanctioned the three Kinahan leaders — Christopher Kinahan and his sons Daniel and Christopher Jr — with a combined €15m for information leading to their prosecution.
The Kinahan leaders and other senior lieutenants are still living in Dubai.
Gardaí are investigating whether any of the financing of the MV Matthew cocaine route is linked directly or indirectly to the cartel.
At the moment, it is suspected that people who have been in their circle or network are involved.
Investigations are also ongoing in South America, and officers believe that further charges could be taken abroad.
Husband and wife 'smuggled tens of millions of pounds worth of cocaine into Australia on commercial flights before laundering proceeds in the UK', court hears
Drug smuggler facing death penalty reveals how he fled 'Bangkok Hilton' maximum security prison in incredible escape involving hacksaw blades, bamboo poles and gaffer tape
During an inspection in the port of Rotterdam on Thursday, Customs found 464 kilos of cocaine in a shipment of scrap metal from the Dominican Republic. This concerns a lot with a street value of almost 35 million euros. This is reported by the Public Prosecution Service.
The shipment of cocaine was discovered in a shipment of scrap stainless steel. The container came from the Dominican Republic and was destined for a company in South Holland. According to the Public Prosecution Service, that company appears to have nothing to do with the smuggling.
Moment Albanian drugs lord, exposed in Mail's 'Narcos' documentary for flooding UK with cocaine, is finally arrested by team of armed police in Istanbul with Colombian passport
The drug smuggler next door: Kingpin, 50, masqueraded as a used car salesman to run multi-million pound drugs ring from his bungalow in tiny village - and even disguised runners as Deliveroo drivers
More than 3 tons of cocaine caught in Vlissingen November 15, 2023
Customs intercepted a large shipment of cocaine in the port of Vlissingen on Tuesday evening. According to the Zeeland-West-Brabant public prosecutor's office, 3,279 pressed blocks of cocaine were seized.
Ecuador The cocaine was found in a shipment of bananas from Ecuador. The bananas were intended for a company in the Netherlands that, according to the Public Prosecution Service, probably has nothing to do with the drugs.
Typically, a block of cocaine weighs just over one kilo. This means that approximately 3,280 kilos of cocaine were found. That is the largest batch of cocaine found so far this year in Zeeland.
Due to the discovery, there was increased surveillance in the port area during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday by units of Customs, the Seaport Police and the Royal Military Police.
The drugs were collected and destroyed on Tuesday evening by Customs' Special Assistance Team. The Seaport Police and the Public Prosecution Service are further investigating the case.
The public prosecutor's office believes that the street value of the cocaine is approximately 246 million euros.
a very big bust. i recognize none of the names. all very young and majority look the be of middle eastern or south east asian nationality. the nationalities appear to be an ongoing trend in GTA drug busts.
DRUGS International drug trafficking: couriers also arrested in Puglia 19 arrests, seizure of 34 million
AUTHOR: Editorial board
PUBLISHED ON: November 16, 2023 NEWS // FOREGROUND // BARI – A criminal association based in Veneto was dismantled by the yellow flames. 420 kg of drugs from Albania and Holland seized . Assets and money worth around 2 million euros were seized. 1 7 couriers arrested in various Italian regions.
The story
In the early hours of today, 16 November, on behalf of the District Attorney's Office of Venice, soldiers from the Provincial Command of the Guardia di Finanza of Padua and the Central Investigation Service on Organized Crime (SClCO), with the help of canine units, two helicopters and other departments of the Corps, for a total of over 100 people employed, have implemented two orders of the Judge for preliminary investigations. Respectively, the application of personal precautionary measures was ordered against 19 subjects (14 in prison and 5 under house arrest, of which one resident in Germany), all under investigation for the crime of criminal association aimed at illicit trafficking of narcotic substances, and the seizure of assets worth approximately one million euros.
The measure of house arrest on German territory was carried out through the issuing of a European Arrest Warrant by the Venice Public Prosecutor's Office, which made use of the collaboration of Eurojust for contacts with the collateral body. Furthermore, three of the suspects, who at the time of the execution were in Albanian territory, were arrested by the police forces of that country, activated by the International Police Cooperation Service (SCIP), also through the Office of 'Security expert in Albania, following research ordered by the Ministry of Justice for the purposes of their subsequent extradition to Italy. At the same time, numerous searches are being carried out in the provinces of Treviso, Venice, Monza Brianza and Ravenna.
Furthermore, during the investigations, significant elements of corroboration to the circumstantial evidence of the interceptions were acquired, which led to the arrest of 17 couriers (in the provinces of Ancona, Arezzo, Bari, Bergamo, Bologna, Modena, Novara, Ravenna, Udine, Venice and Verona) and the seizure of cocaine, heroin, hashish and marijuana, for over 420 kilograms, with an estimated retail value of over 34 million euros, and cash for almost one million.
Without prejudice to the presumption of innocence, at the end of the investigative activity, still in the preliminary investigation phase, 65 subjects were currently registered in the register of suspects, mainly of Albanian and Italian nationality, believed, in various capacities, to be involved in the illicit trafficking of narcotic substances coming from Holland, through Germany, and from Albania, to be destined for the national territory.
According to the accusatory hypothesis, an Albanian resident in Ponte di Piave (IV) is considered the promoter of the criminal association. The investigations of the Fiamme Gialle of Padua, carried out under the direction of the District Attorney's Office of Venice, originate from the arrest of an Albanian man and an Italian woman, stopped in Padua in January 2020, and from the seizure of 2 kilos of heroin found in the car in use for them. The subsequent investigations, developed on the basis of the analysis of the telephone records of the subjects suspected of being close to the aforementioned arrested persons and of numerous observation and shadowing services, made it possible to reconstruct the drug trafficking chain, ascertaining their origin from Albanian subjects settled in Veneto , in turn able to supply large quantities from Albania and Holland.
The investigations, which continued with environmental and telephone interceptions, the installation of numerous cameras and electronic positioning tracking systems, made it possible to acquire elements of responsibility towards Albanian subjects, operating between the provinces of Treviso, Venice and Padua, and who would be dedicated to the supply and distribution of significant quantities of drugs throughout the national territory.
Furthermore, during the investigative activities numerous couriers were identified, transporting cash and drugs in double floors built inside the vehicles used, shuttling between Italy, Albania and Germany, and two logistics bases in the Municipalities of Eraclea (VE). and Musile di Piave (VE), used for storage of imported narcotic substances.
The same organization also made use of encrypted mobile phones of Albanian origin, equipped with the "MATRIX" instant messaging system and used to take care of the logistics and movement of large quantities of drugs. The encryption keys of this communication system did not allow intercepting conversations between users, who were equipped with special codes for possible contacts. Precisely through the aforementioned platform the association would have been able to manage, in a secure manner, the orders received from customers, also located in regions of southern Italy (Puglia, Calabria and Lazio), and search for drivers willing to make deliveries, employing cars with special cavities accessible via sophisticated electronic devices.
The Venice Public Prosecutor's Office has also ordered asset investigations, which have made it possible to identify the assets attributable to the main suspects, for an estimated value of approximately one million euros, including a Swiss hemp production and cultivation company, formally registered in the name of his wife. of the dominus of the association. To which are added 7 properties and several valuable cars, which were subjected to preventive seizure.
Moment Albanian county lines dealer who had a poster of Scarface on his wall is arrested - as drugs gang who pumped £1.1m of cocaine into small towns by hiding wraps in lottery tickets are jailed
French naval ship intercepts 3.5 tons of coke near Barbados December 4, 2023
A French naval frigate intercepted 3.5 tons of cocaine from a fishing vessel in the Caribbean southeast of Barbados on November 28. The mega batch of coke was probably intended for the European market. An unknown number of crew members have been arrested.
119 bales After crew members from the French naval vessel La Combattante and a helicopter located the fishing vessel, the vessel was forced to stop and raided. 119 bales of cocaine were found on board, totaling 3,500 kilos of cocaine. It was determined that the crew of the fishing vessel was of Venezuelan nationality.
The crew members were arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling and handed over to Venezuelan authorities. The shipments of coke were seized and destroyed.
The operation was carried out by the armed forces of the Les Forces armées aux Antilles (FAA) in collaboration with French Customs, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in France, and in coordination with American and Colombian allies.
Revealed - The Albanian narcos flooding our streets with drugs: How gun-toting gangsters seized control of Britain's drugs market - and are filling up prisons so fast the government is sending them home early
San Diego coast guard intercept more than 18,000lbs of cocaine worth $239million in six separate drug busts in one month - with largest seizure from a narco-submarine
Large catch of ketamine in Heerhugowaard Published on: 08-12-2023 | 16:06 Dijk en Waard - After a drug lab was discovered on Einsteinstraat in Heerhugowaard thanks to research by the Northern Netherlands unit, it turned out to be hit again further down the street yesterday.
The area continued to receive the attention of the municipality and colleagues from the Heerhugowaard base team. During an integrated inspection by the municipality, police and environmental service, almost 100 kilos of Ketamine and hemp buds were found in a business premises. The street value of the ketamine is estimated at more than 2 million euros. One arrest has been made. Possible links between the two cases are now being investigated.
Mayor Van Dijk en Waard, Maarten Poorter: "It is clear that we tackle subversion and criminal activities seriously. We also make these company visits based on signals. We have good contact with many entrepreneurs and support this approach. Ultimately, it is in everyone's interest to nip subversion in the bud."
Colombia: stop fining drug users AMTwo thousand December 10, 2023 Colombia's government will remove fines for consuming small amounts of the drug, in line with a change of focus in the fight against drug trafficking in the world's largest cocaine-producing country. A government decree published by local media announces the repeal of sanctions against the possession of "narcotic or psychotropic substances" intended for personal use and not for sale. The measure does not change the penalties of up to 20 years of imprisonment for crimes related to drug trafficking provided for by Colombian law, but puts an end to the fines of around fifty dollars that the police impose on users. "If the Constitution authorizes doses for personal use, police action should not focus on the persecution of drug addicts but on that of the big drug lords", explained President Gustavo Petro on the social network .) avoid the criminalization of drug addicts through corrective measures", reads the decree of 7 December. The possession and use of small quantities of marijuana, cocaine and some synthetic drugs had already been decriminalized by a decision of the Constitutional Court in 1994, but the fines were maintained by a decision by Ivan Duque 's conservative government in 2018. Petro, who also ordered security forces to cease operations against small-scale coca leaf farmers, advocates a change of direction in the fight against drug that Colombia is carrying out with the economic help of the United States, the main South American cocaine market. For its part, the opposition claims that these decisions limit the authorities' ability to fight drug trafficking, in a context of expansion of illicit crops and increased local consumption.
Dramatic moment gang smuggling £1million of cocaine into the UK by coating it invisibly on broom handles are bust by police - as six crooks are jailed for a total of 135 years
More and more cocaine smuggling via the port of Hamburg December 18, 2023
The role of the port in Hamburg in global cocaine smuggling is increasing. This is evident from research statistics by German customs and police. German authorities have already seized more than 35 tons of cocaine this year, most of it in the port of Hamburg.
According to information from NDR, the actual catch will amount to more than 40 tons, because not all cocaine finds have yet been statistically registered. Just a few years ago, such quantities seized would have been unthinkable in Germany.
Authorities believe the increasing record seizures are evidence that overall more cocaine is reaching Europe. The rule of thumb among customs officials is that for every kilo of cocaine found, another nine kilos end up unnoticed on the European black market.
Corruption Areport from Europol stated earlier this year that corrupt contacts within the three largest European ports (Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg) logistics companies in the port and shipping industry are a major weak spot in the fight against international cocaine trafficking. The port of Hamburg is the third largest port in Europe, after the port of Rotterdam and the port of Antwerp.
Shift Last year there were also a number of shootings in Hamburg that were allegedly linked to drug gangs. The port of Hamburg has become more attractive to criminals and senior narcotics investigators are concerned that the huge increase in seizures in Germany reflects a shift in trends in the international drug market.
Russia: 700 kilos of cocaine destined for EU countries seized December 20, 2023 Almost 700 kilograms of cocaine arriving in Russia from Latin America and intended to be sent to EU countries were seized in an anti-drug operation in Moscow, where the internal security services (FSB) arrested two citizens Russian. The FSB, quoted by the Tass agency, specified that the quantity of narcotics seized was 673 kilograms. The same source added that the two arrested had purchased the cocaine on behalf of a group of traffickers and were supposed to transport it to European Union countries for an estimated profit of 65 million euros.
Three Brits including father and son, 62 and 24, are arrested in £96million cocaine bust in the Atlantic after police seized Spanish-registered yacht trafficking drugs to Europe
3.4 tons of cocaine intercepted in the port of Antwerp December 29, 2023
3.4 tons of cocaine intercepted in the port of Antwerp Belgian Customs seized two large shipments of cocaine in the Waasland port in Antwerp during the end of the year. This concerns a total of 3.4 tons of cocaine, the FPS Finance reported on Friday.
Ecuador On Friday, December 22, Customs discovered a first shipment of 1.24 tons of cocaine in a container on a ship that had arrived from Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Uruguay The second batch of 2.16 tons of cocaine was found on Thursday in a container on a ship from Montevideo, Uruguay.
Both parties have been seized by Customs. The Antwerp Federal Judicial Police is conducting further investigation into drug smuggling.
Thousands of liters of raw materials for synthetic drugs in a Limburg warehouse December 29, 2023
Thousands of liters of raw materials for synthetic drugs in a Limburg warehouse The police found thousands of liters of raw materials for the production of synthetic drugs in a warehouse in the Limburg village of Baarlo on Thursday afternoon. No suspects have been arrested yet.
Fireworks Raw materials for the production of synthetic drugs were found in two rooms in a warehouse on the Hummerenweg in Baarlo. The discovery was made after information was received by the police that there were fireworks. Agents did not find fireworks, but they did find raw materials. This concerns several thousand litres.
Research It is not a drug lab, but a storage facility for raw materials. No one has been arrested yet. The National Facility Dismantling (LFO) and forensic investigation will continue with the investigation and the seized items will be destroyed.
It is not yet clear what type of raw materials are involved and what drugs could be produced with them.
Nearly 1.5 tons of cocaine intercepted in Moroccan port January 3, 2024 \ Moroccan police, in collaboration with Spanish authorities, seized 1,488 kilos of cocaine at the port of Tangier-Med on Tuesday. The shipment came from South America and was on its way to a Turkish port. As far as we know, no arrests have been made. \ The operation was possible thanks to a tip from the Spanish security services, which work with the Moroccan authorities in the fight against cross-border crime. According to a statement from the National Security Service (DGSN), this is one of the largest cocaine seizures in the history of Morocco.
During the raid on a cargo ship flying the flag of a European country, a total of 1,277 blocks of cocaine were found in the port of Tangier-Med, hidden in a container on board. When weighed it became clear that the total amount was 1,488 kilos of cocaine. The cargo came from a South American port and was on its way to Turkey, which authorities said "underlines the extensive reach of the criminal network."
The Moroccan police are investigating who is responsible for the shipment and which suspects are involved in the criminal network.
A day earlier, on January 1, Moroccan authorities also intercepted a shipment of more than 362 kilos of cocaine. This batch was hidden in a truck at the El Guergarate border crossing, in the south of Morocco. The driver and his co-driver, both 40 years old, have been arrested.
Bolivia makes largest cocaine seizure ever, consignment 'destined for the Netherlands' January 6, 2024
Bolivian police have made the largest cocaine seizure ever in the South American country, says President Luis Arce. More than 8,800 kilos of cocaine was found in the western region of Oruro, which was most likely intended for export to the Netherlands. Four suspects have been arrested.
(Image: Ministerio de Gobierno Bolivia)
Wood boards The drugs were hidden in a truck transporting wooden planks. The cocaine was found under the wooden floor of the vehicle. The truck belonged to a company that was founded in 2007 and had previously exported items abroad, including Germany, China and France.
The batch was discovered on December 30, but the police wanted to arrest the suspects before announcing the largest drug seizure.
The Netherlands According to the Bolivian authorities, the cocaine was destined for the port of Antwerp with the Netherlands as its final destination. The authorities estimate the street value of the drug shipment in Europe at 480 million euros.
Hairdresser mother-of-one, 33, who ran cocaine and heroin trafficking racket with drug-dealing boyfriend weeps as she's jailed for four years and eight months
Frenchmen arrested with weapons in Waalhaven, 'wanted to record rap' January 15, 2024
On Tuesday, January 9, Customs arrested seven men aged 18 to 27 from France in the Waalhaven in the port of Rotterdam. The men were in possession of firearms and said they wanted to record a rap.
The seven men were arrested after 'a suspicious situation' in the Waalhaven, the Seaport Police reported on Monday. All suspects were arrested under the Weapons and Ammunition Act and received a fine of 1,000 euros per person.
The weapons have been seized for further investigation.
It is unclear whether the men actually wanted to record a rap video or were in the Waalhaven to possibly obtain a shipment of drugs.
NOS News • Today, 09:38 • Amended today, 09:57 Last year, customs found 60,000 kilos of coke, more drugs at airports
Customs seized almost 60,000 kilos of cocaine at Dutch seaports and airports last year, according to the annual overview published today. That is more than in 2022, when more than 51,000 kilos of coke were found.
Customs made the largest catches in the seaports of Rotterdam and Vlissingen. This involved 140 seized shipments of coke. This included a record seizure of 8,000 kilos of cocaine. It came to Rotterdam from Ecuador via Panama.
Customs most often found the drugs in the cooling motor of containers. Furthermore, customs found drugs among the goods that were transported and processed in the container itself, such as in the bottom.
In Rotterdam, customs scanned 40 percent more containers last year than in 2022. In addition, a lot of effort was made to stay ahead of criminals. For example, underwater drones and smart cameras have been used. With the help of a drone, customs were able to intercept drug smugglers on underwater scooters.
Airport There has been an increase in the number of kilos of cocaine found at Dutch airports. Last year, almost 2,250 kilos of coke were intercepted there, in 2022 that was 1,300 kilos.
Fewer drugs with the Netherlands as destination have been found in countries in Latin America. Customs has started a project with the Brazilian authorities to exchange scan images. Customs treaties have also been concluded with Costa Rica and Panama, among others, to enable more information to be exchanged.
Ejectors Earlier this month, extractors were arrested several nights in a row in Rotterdam: people who remove drugs from containers on behalf of criminals.
Many performers are remarkably young. For example, two boys aged 14 and 15 were arrested at the beginning of this month . A female stripper was also found for the first time in the port of Rotterdam.
NOS News • Today, 10:22 Police make largest ketamine seizure ever in the Netherlands
The police found more than 2,000 kilos of ketamine in a shed in Muiderberg. According to a spokesperson, this is the largest quantity of the drug ever found in the Netherlands. A 55-year-old man from Naarden who was in a house near the shed was arrested.
The discovery was made at the beginning of this month, but has only now been made public. The police had received an anonymous tip about a large shipment of narcotics that was allegedly on the site on Googweg. In a shed near a home, officers found dozens of boxes full of ketamine. Several kilos of hard drugs were also found.
According to the police, the drugs had a street value of almost 55 million euros. The narcotics have been removed and now destroyed.
The discovery was made at the beginning of this month, but has only now been made public:
Ketamine is a painkiller that is also used as a party drug. The drug is not on the lists of prohibited hard and soft drugs, but is a medicine that may not be traded without registration. Possession in large quantities is also not permitted. Anyone who deals in the drug without registration risks a prison sentence of up to six years.
The police say that the trade in ketamine is often accompanied by other forms of crime such as money laundering and weapons possession.
Ecuador's army intercepts 22 tons of cocaine, one of the largest seizures ever
22 tons (22,000 kilos) of cocaine were intercepted during a military operation in Ecuador. It is one of the largest drug seizures ever in the country.
The Ecuadorian army reports on X that the drug seizure is the result of more than six months of observation and surveillance by military intelligence. The military says it believes the cocaine was intended for transport to Asia, Europe and North and Central America.
The REAL Griselda Blanco: As The Godmother Of Cocaine's estate sues Sofia Vergara and Netflix, a look at how drug boss went from a thief and prostitute to making $80m a MONTH
Ecuador's army intercepts 22 tons of cocaine, one of the largest seizures ever
22 tons (22,000 kilos) of cocaine were intercepted during a military operation in Ecuador. It is one of the largest drug seizures ever in the country.
The Ecuadorian army reports on X that the drug seizure is the result of more than six months of observation and surveillance by military intelligence. The military says it believes the cocaine was intended for transport to Asia, Europe and North and Central America.
Ecuador makes largest ever cocaine seizure in the world Nowhere in the world has so much cocaine ever been seized at once by the authorities.
Portsmouth drugs bust: Narcotics gang are caught trying to smuggle £10million of cocaine in banana boxes shipped from the Dominican Republic - as three men are arrested
"Tito El Borracho" & "Mauro" Captured In Colombia For Drug Trafficking The Men Are Wanted For Extradition By Authorities In Peru & United States For Trafficking Tons Of Cocaine Hydrochloride To USA & Caribbean.
German-Iranian top criminal arrested in Colombia for cocaine record February 6, 2024
One of the most wanted people in Europe was arrested in Colombia on Monday : the German-Iranian Pouya Mohmini (44). He is suspected of having smuggled tons of cocaine to the port of Hamburg in collaboration with Colombian and Dutch criminals, among others. The network also operated in the Netherlands and Antwerp. Mohmini was arrested in Ciudad Jardín, an exclusive part of Cali.
16 tons One of the shipments arrived in Hamburg from Paraguay by sea container in February 2021. Ultimately, 16 tons of cocaine were seized . The 13,824 blocks of coke were hidden in 1,728 cans. The final destination of the drugs was The Hague.
Mohmini's group operated from Hanover. Detectives arrested eleven men (aged 27 to 58) after the record discovery during raids in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Many people have already been arrested and convicted in the investigation into the discovery of 16 tons in Hamburg and 7.7 tons in Antwerp, in Germany and the Netherlands. Here there were raids and arrests in Den Bosch and Schiedam, among others. Two Schiedam brothers, among others, were prosecuted here . A Utrecht resident was arrested in Abu Dhabi in the case .
Mohmini, along with several others, is said to have been the mastermind behind the transport. He lived in Colombia with false papers under the name Reza Raskshan.
Konstantinos S. According to Bild, Mohmini belongs to the circle of Konstantinos S. (41), the alleged head of the German criminal network. S. was arrested by detectives in Dubai in 2022, but released on bail.
Other names mentioned in Bild are Andres C. from Laatzen (43, currently in Spain) and IT expert Khaled B. (50, sentenced to ten years in prison in October 2023). The forwarder who helped the smugglers get the cocaine out of the port is also serving 12.5 years behind bars.
Mohmini's lawyer Dimtrios Kotios states that M. denies the accusations. M. has now been extradited to Germany and is awaiting transfer in Frankfurt to a detention center in Lower Saxony.
Paraguayan businessman Diego B. (39) is also accused of international drug trafficking. He is believed to have been held in custody in the United Arab Emirates since late last year.
Drug busts result in arrests, seizures Thunder Bay warrants were carried out.
The following people have been arrested as a result of Project Marble: Jordan Agostino, 28; Juan Pulido, 29; Brandon Spencer Stevens, 26; Elizabeth Bennardo, 26; Phillip Pasciullo, 23; Lynn Katherine Rolfe, 62; Nicole Rolfe, 32; Landon Bennett, 34; and Diana Vecchio, 32.
Brit is arrested in Spanish narco raid after heavily-armed cops find nearly 10,000lbs of cannabis in his villa in one of Andalucia's 'largest ever' drugs busts
A drugs-busting police unit armed with chainsaws, a massive cannabis farm and a mysterious blaze: What IS going on in the village that inspired The Archers?
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) explores in their latest Leadership Insights newsletter story, how the maritime industry takes action against drug smuggling onboard.
Mexico says it seized over 40 tons of meth from a drug lab in Sonora state By The Associated Press
Published February 12, 2024 11:22 am
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican law enforcement agencies say they seized over 40 tons of methamphetamine at the biggest drug lab found during the current administration. The Mexican navy said Monday that the lab was located in Quiriego, a township in the northern border state of Sonora. It says the 91,000 pounds (41,310 kilograms) of meth found there was equivalent to about half of the 162,000 pounds of the drug Mexico has seized all year so far. Photos distributed by the navy showed a series of metal boilers and chemical reactors arranged in a line amid brush and low trees. The site was visible from the air. The navy said the raid took place Thursday.
WHAT ARE ‘NARCOLANCHAS’? THE BOATS USED BY DRUG TRAFFICKERS TO CARRY UP TO 3 TONNES OF NARCOTICS INTO SPAIN – AFTER THE HIGH-SPEED VESSEL KILLED TWO GUARDIA CIVIL OFFICERS IN CADIZ
MARBELLA MAYOR’S STEPSON FACES 22 YEARS IN PRISON AND A €30M FINE: JOAKIM BROBERG IS ACCUSED OF LEADING A SWEDISH DRUG CARTEL IN SPAIN, BRIBING POLICE AND MONEY LAUNDERING
8,000 kilos of coke from Suriname intercepted in Spanish port February 12, 2024
Authorities in Spain have seized 8,000 kilos of cocaine in a container at the port of Algeciras. The party came from Suriname and was hidden in a fake generator. This is one of the largest cocaine seizures ever made in Spain.
According to Spanish customs, the cargo came from the port of Paramaribo. The ship sailed with the cocaine in a fake generator in a container and stopped in Panama, after which it arrived in the southern Spanish port city of Algeciras. However, the destination port was Leixoes in Portugal, from where the drugs would then travel by road back to Spain, to be distributed further into Europe.
According to authorities, this is the first time that drugs from Suriname have been intercepted in Spain. They call the route remarkable and say that it was chosen to make the detection of illegal cargo more difficult.
Dutch police help intercept English boat carrying ketamine February 22, 2024
Dutch police assisted in a British operation in which 200 kilos of ketamine were seized on a ship that left Amsterdam and was intercepted in England. Five English men have been arrested.
British police arrested two Englishmen who smuggled the ketamine from the Netherlands to England, and three who helped with the transport. They were arrested in the early morning of February 17. This was after the cargo had been unloaded at a quay on the River Deben in Suffolk, a county in the east of England. The ketamine was then transported by car to a warehouse in Rendlesham. The police found the drugs there after a search.
The National Crime Agency said in a statement on Thursday that the discovery of the drugs is the result of a long-running investigation into the smuggling of drugs from international waters into England.
The action is called a 'fantastic example' of cooperation with the Dutch police and judiciary in combating the overseas drug trade and stopping the smuggling of an 'enormous amount of ketamine', which the police suspect was intended for the English market.
Pensioner, 77, to launch £60,000 claim for 'false imprisonment' more than five years after he and his wife were jailed for bringing £1m of cocaine onto a Caribbean cruise liner
Smugglers slip up as 'Britain's FBI' seize six tonnes of cocaine hidden in banana crates worth £450 million in the UK's biggest-ever Class A drugs bust
Alexandra Mastropetros: Ex-girlfriend of notorious gang rapist Mohammed Skaf learns her fate for intimidating her former lover and smuggling drugs into prison
Spain: over two tons of hashish seized off the coast of Huelva February 24, 2024 Agents of the National Police, in a joint operation with the Guardia Civil and the Customs Surveillance Service of the Revenue Agency, dismantled a criminal organization of drug traffickers who wanted to introduce 2,800 kilograms of hashish from Morocco into Spain. The network, based in the province of Huelva, transported the drugs on modified boats both used for fishing and pleasure to disguise the illicit activity. In total, seven people were arrested who had various means of transport, large displacement engines, weapons - both real and simulated - ammunition, as well as 54,000 euros in cash.
Drugs mule, 77, who smuggled £1m of cocaine onto a Caribbean cruise liner is moved to a maximum security jail after claiming that his 'human rights' were being breached
Female probation worker, 28, who tried to smuggle £7k worth of drugs and phones into prison in a Lucozade bottle after forming a 'relationship' with the criminal is jailed
Oregon lawmakers pass bill to recriminalize hard drugs after overdose deaths soared 190% and Dem-led Portland was forced to declare state of emergency over fentanyl crisis
8.3 tons of cocaine intercepted in the French Antilles, seventeen arrests March 3, 2024
A total of 8.3 tons of cocaine was seized in the French Antilles. Seventeen suspects were arrested during various operations carried out at sea between February 22 and 29. The Public Prosecution Service in Martinique announced this on Saturday. The suspects are two Britons, a Russian, a South African, Colombians, Venezuelans and Spaniards.
Fishing boat 3.1 tons of coke were found on a fishing boat sailing under the Panamanian flag about 2,000 kilometers from the French Antilles. There were four people on board. About 600 kilometers southeast of Martinique, the investigative services found a ton of cocaine on a sailing boat with four people on board.
Venezuela Three tons of cocaine were found on a ship with six Venezuelans about 1,500 kilometers east of Martinique. The passengers have been handed over to Venezuela. Another ton of cocaine was intercepted off the coast of Dominica, a small state north of Martinique. Three suspects have been arrested.
Colombian Leak Gives Rare Glimpse Into Secretive World of ‘Controlled’ Drug Deliveries Credit: James O’Brien/OCCRP by Kevin G. Hall (OCCRP), Nathan Jaccard (OCCRP), Jacqueline Charles (Miami Herald), and Juanita Vélez (CLIP-OCCRP) 14 December 2023
Leaked documents provide a rare window into a little-known program in which U.S. and other foreign law enforcement agencies work with Colombian counterparts to obtain and ship large quantities of cocaine around the world as part of efforts to infiltrate trafficking gangs.
NOS News • Today, 07:20 Surinamese police find 600 kilos of coke on plane bound for Amsterdam
The Surinamese police found almost 600 kilos of cocaine in a Surinam Airways plane bound for Amsterdam. The drugs were contained in seventeen boxes that were hidden in the engine room at the bottom of the cockpit, according to a special police drug unit.
Surinam Airways technicians received a report of "an irregularity" in the aircraft and investigated. After the drugs were found, the police's Combating International Drugs Team (BID team) was called in.
The plane was delayed for hours due to the discovery of the drugs, but eventually departed from Suriname's international airport.
Cooperation A few days ago, the Netherlands and Suriname announced that they wanted to tackle drug smuggling together. Customs officers from both countries will follow training together and exchange information about smuggling methods.
Last year, the Netherlands intercepted 523 kilos of drugs from Suriname. A year earlier that was still 1,187 kilos.
Pioneering Dutch Cocaine Trafficker Sentenced to Life in Prison
Thanks however Mao Romo was not sentenced to life he only got 15 years instead which was a suprise to many, considering how close him and his brother Mario were to Taghi. Mario did get a life sentence.
British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford who has been on death row in Bali for more than 10 years for drug smuggling 'is offered glimmer of hope to escape firing squad'
Bolivian police seized 7.28 tons of cocaine last Thursday. The shipment was on its way to the port of Antwerp. The packages of cocaine were attached to iron structures contained in two containers.
Bolivia has no seaport. The plan, according to Bolivian authorities, was to sail the shipment to Antwerp via Chile, Peru and the Panama Canal. The interception was made at Pisiga at the border crossing with Chile.
Three men have been arrested, one aged 50 and two aged 20. It concerns the drivers of the trucks.
Last January, 8.7 tons of cocaine were seized in Bolivia. That shipment was impregnated in wooden planks and was on its way to the Netherlands. This was the "largest drug seizure in the history" of the country, according to what they said in the national authorities at the time.
Bolivia is becoming increasingly important in the cocaine trade. A lot of cocaine goes from there on to Asia, Europe and North America.
Bolivian police seized 7.28 tons of cocaine last Thursday. The shipment was on its way to the port of Antwerp. The packages of cocaine were attached to iron structures contained in two containers.
Bolivia has no seaport. The plan, according to Bolivian authorities, was to sail the shipment to Antwerp via Chile, Peru and the Panama Canal. The interception was made at Pisiga at the border crossing with Chile.
Three men have been arrested, one aged 50 and two aged 20. It concerns the drivers of the trucks.
Last January, 8.7 tons of cocaine were seized in Bolivia. That shipment was impregnated in wooden planks and was on its way to the Netherlands. This was the "largest drug seizure in the history" of the country, according to what they said in the national authorities at the time.
Bolivia is becoming increasingly important in the cocaine trade. A lot of cocaine goes from there on to Asia, Europe and North America.
Brit drug-smuggling nan Lindsay Sandiford, 67, who has been on death row for 10 years could be 'spared firing squad if she can survive another year in prison'
Ecuadorian cocaine via West Africa to Europe (VIDEO) March 23, 2024
Last Wednesday, police in Ecuador announced that they had busted a drug organization that transported Colombian cocaine to destinations in Europe with a stopover in Gambia, West Africa. Twelve people have been arrested.
Cans The director of the anti-drug police said the arrests were the result of 36 months of investigation. There have been ten raids on locations in the coastal provinces of Manabí and Guayas, where the major container port of Guayaquil is located. The cocaine was collected in Manabí warehouses and then went to other warehouses near Guayaquil. From there, packages of cocaine were loaded into containers containing various deck cargoes, including cans of fish and seafood.
Gambia The containers were destined for Gambia. The cocaine was stored again in Gambia and then transported to Europe.
Cocaine is often sailed north from West Africa on seagoing vessels and transferred to fishing vessels on the high seas and transported to destinations in Southern Europe.
See more posts about the West African cocaine route:
Spanish police: cocaine on Italian 'Ndrangheta fishing boat
2.4 tons of cocaine found on “bomb ship”
African route on fishing boats: 3.3 tons of cocaine caught on the high seas
Cocaine in Renaults: Dutchman arrested for cocaine line in West Africa
More cocaine was seized in Colombia and Ecuador in 2023 than in 2022. Authorities in Colombia seized 739.5 tons of cocaine, 12.1% more than in 2022. Ecuador intercepted almost 200 tons of cocaine last year in 2023, slightly more than 2022. This is evident from an inventory by InsightCrime .
20 guns, nearly 100 kg of cocaine, $100K in cash: Montreal police make 'major' drug bust
In what police describe as a "major" blow to organized crime, police say they have seized a massive stash of illegal drugs and weapons after 20 searches were done in Toronto and the Montreal area.
it looks like the exporting of between 30-40 TONS of cannabis was done years ago and is only coming to light now. charges date between 2002-2013 for the smuggling, shueppel was arrested looks like sometime in 2019. this cannabis export network would almost have to be connected to those active around same time...cournoyer, gary james arnold, nicola varacalli, dimaulo bros ? etc. etc. many groups from years ago using same M.O.
Dutch arrested in Spain after finding 16 tons of impregnated cocaine April 8, 2024
The Spanish police, customs and tax authorities found 16,560 kilos of cocaine during raids on various locations in Reus, Spain (in the Catalan province of Tarragona). Five suspects of Dutch, Albanian and Lithuanian descent have been arrested.
During raids in Reus, the investigative services discovered a processing center to extract the impregnated cocaine from the pellets. The pellets were camouflaged and shipped from South America to the Spanish coast via sea containers.
920 bags of cocaine-infused pellets were seized during the operation. Each weighed 18 kilos, for a total of 16,560 kilos. The wood sticks also serve as fuel for boilers or stoves.
The criminal organization had two industrial warehouses in Reus. One of them was used to store and 'cool' the coke for at least three months. The other for packaging, sealing and storing the drug after it had been extracted from the material in which it was camouflaged.
During the raids, 5 kilos of synthetic drugs (speed and MDMA), 3,965 euros in cash, two hydraulic presses, drug production equipment, a truck and a luxury vehicle were seized.
5 to 6 tons of coke in Belgian warehouse, Dutch arrested April 12, 2024
The Federal Judicial Police (FGP) Antwerp, in collaboration with the special units of the federal police, raided a warehouse on Terbekehofdreef in Wilrijk (district in Antwerp) on Wednesday. Eleven suspects were found and arrested there. The Antwerp public prosecutor's office reported this on Thursday. In the warehouse, police found dozens of packages of cocaine and various weapons. The amount of cocaine is provisionally estimated at 5 to 6 tons. A twelfth suspect was later arrested. The public prosecutor's office has charged the investigating judge with the importation of narcotics, possession of prohibited weapons and participation in a criminal organization. The twelve suspects between the ages of 24 and 60 with Belgian, Dutch and Guinean nationality are brought to trial.
High-powered speedboats being used for drug smuggling off Irish coast . A drug running boat that was seized during the drugs bust operation by Royal Navy warship HMS Trent , issued on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Picture: British Ministry of Defence/PA. Custom-made, high-powered narco speedboats — which killed police officers in Spain this year — are being used in drug smuggling operations off the Irish coast.
Two Spanish police officers were killed when a high-powered speedboat smashed through a police boat which was intercepting a drug trafficking operation earlier this year. Eight people were subsequently arrested.
Detectives from West Cork travelled to Spain earlier this month to share intelligence and collaborate on plans to intercept international drug smuggling operations. They are also due to visit Lisbon in the coming weeks to collaborate with Portuguese police and anti-drug smuggling organisation MAOC(N). Custom-built rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) are designed with a deepened hull to hold extra product in the front of the boat for drug traffickers and organised crime gangs. An extra fuel-holding area is also built into the hull so the ship can stay fuelled at sea for longer. They can also carry multiple high-powered engines.
These narco-boats also sometimes carry large drums of extra fuel which can be used and then cast out to be replaced with bales of drugs when picking up product.
These boats are now seen in drug smuggling operations across Europe.
A garda source said: "Little teams of these mercenaries will pick up the product and slip off into the darkness again for a price. They’ll move as quickly as they can, crossing borders to a safe haven.”
Ireland is “a major stepping stone” from drug gangs into Europe, they said.
“We’re on the main thoroughfare. Ireland is the main stop after the Azores from South America.
“So other countries will help Ireland when they can, pass on information. They know that it is a major stepping stone for Europe at the moment, especially when so much is publicised about our lack of resources to police it — by the navy or ourselves — and those highlighted facts don't go unnoticed. People are watching. It’s literally a free run-in."
A custom-made, high-powered RIB has been intercepted by gardaí, and unconfirmed reports from the public have been made of other potential sightings of these vessels.
The boats can be made in Portugal, sent to Holland, and moved onwards to countries such as Ireland, a source said.
Earlier this month, dramatic footage of a boat chase was released by Spanish police after officers chased a narco-boat and seized large quantities of cocaine and cannabis.
Spain's Guardia Civil arrested 63 people after officers seized more than 12,000 kilos of cannabis and 630 kilos of cocaine along the Andalusian coast and the Guadalquivir river.
Balkan traffickers have mastered the logistics of smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe, authorities say. On land and sea, police are scrambling to keep pace.
Several flight attendants have just been arrested, and are accused of smuggling $8 million in drug money from the United States to the Dominican Republic.
Dutch navy intercepts 1072 kilos of cocaine in the Caribbean May 13, 2024
Dutch navy intercepts 1072 kilos of cocaine in the Caribbean The Dutch naval ship Zr.Ms. Groningen intercepted a total of 1,072 kilos of cocaine in the Caribbean during two separate actions on April 24 and 28. The Defense in the Caribbean reported this on Monday.
Go-fasts The Navy made the catch together with the US Coast Guard. The actions were carried out after they were informed about so-called go-fast speedboats by an American patrol aircraft. The Dutch Navy deployed fast interceptor boats to track down the go-fasts. A total of four suspects were arrested in the two actions.
Warning shots During the first action on April 24, a boat carrying the drugs was forced to stop with warning shots. This was not necessary for the second action. The drugs were turned over to the US Coast Guard and have since been destroyed. The suspects will be prosecuted in the United States.
Since the beginning of April 2024, HNLMS Groningen has been active in the Caribbean again. The Dutch naval ship is deployed, among other things, in international 'counter-drug operations', where it regularly collaborates with the American Coast Guard and the Caribbean Coast Guard.
Flash socialite Matthew Doyle was unmasked as an $85million drug-trafficker. Now he's skulking around as a suburban dad, trying to hide his ankle bracelet, after he was mysteriously released early from jail
Inside the secret operation to stop Albanian gangland bosses flooding the streets of Britain with cocaine - and bring down their criminal empires involved in people smuggling and sex trafficking
Renowned Staten Island chef is unmasked as drug kingpin who operated 'like a modern day Fagin' to bully victims into 'servitude' and commit 'mind boggling' crimes
Official statistics on busts of drug shipments originating in Colombia — the world’s largest cocaine producer by far — are scattershot and hard to find. A leak of prosecutor’s office documents helped reporters fill in some gaps.
Key Findings:
Drawing on leaked documents and official data, reporters identified 1,764 separate busts of cocaine originating from Colombia between 2016 and April 2022. About three quarters of these took place on small vessels, such as fishing boats or lobster trawlers. Out of the total, 431 cases took place on large ships, encompassing roughly 264.8 metric tons of cocaine, almost double the weight of the Statue of Liberty. Outside of Colombia, Belgium and Spain were the most common sites of seizures. Of seizures involving large ships, containers and vessels owned by the leading shipping firms Maersk and CMA CGM were the most frequently targeted by traffickers. Early one summer morning, two small boats sidled up to the Cap San Tainaro, a container ship off the coast of the northern Colombian port city of Barranquilla. A dozen men raised ladders and scaled onto the vessel, and then, using ropes and pulleys, began to hoist up bags with hundreds of plastic packages, each of which contained a kilogram of cocaine.
A military helicopter patrolling the area spotted the men and hailed the ship. After four hours, they finally made contact and guided the vessel back to the dock, where authorities boarded it, found the drugs — over one metric ton in total — and arrested those suspected of involvement
This article is part of the NarcoFiles: The New Criminal Order, an international investigation into modern-day organized crime and those who fight it. The investigation began with a leak of data shared by two organizations, Distributed Denial of Secrets and Enlace Hacktivista. Read more about the project here.
Few details of the bust, which took place on August 2, 2018, were included in the statistics reported by Colombia’s authorities. Instead, reporters uncovered the minute-by-minute account of the operation in a massive leak of documents from the country’s prosecutor’s office, known as the NarcoFiles .
In Colombia, the world’s largest cocaine producer, statistics on drug busts are scattershot and hard to find. At least four different agencies keep records of seizures, but they are not easily accessible to the public and often do not overlap. When data is published, it typically includes little beyond the date, location, and amount of drugs seized. And Colombian authorities do not keep data on busts of Colombian shipments that take place abroad, making it difficult to understand the full picture of how drugs are smuggled out of the country.
These limitations make it harder for reporters and civil society to analyze trafficking trends. Drawing on the NarcoFiles, OCCRP’s partner, Cuestión Pública, has spent over a year building a database that aims to change that.
By combing through the leaked files, reporters identified 158 busts of drug shipments that originated in Colombia. They then created a more comprehensive database by contacting Colombia’s defense ministry, prosecutor’s office, navy, and police, and filing freedom of information requests to gain access to their records. The data was also supplemented by reports from Belgium’s Customs Federal Service.
LAX may be drug smuggling gateway of the world, law enforcement sources say Exclusive: ABC7 investigates bag-screening flaws at one of world's busiest airports