Europol

11

Aug

23 charged over Covid-19 business email compromise fraud

A sophisticated fraud scheme using compromised emails and advance-payment fraud has been uncovered by authorities in Romania, the Netherlands and Ireland as part of an action coordinated by Europol.  On…

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30

Jul

18 arrested for smuggling more than 490 migrants across the Balkan route

Officers from the Romanian Police (Poliția Română) and Border Police (Poliția de Frontieră Română), supported by Europol, dismantled an organised crime group involved in migrant smuggling across the so-called Balkan…

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14

Jul

18 arrests in Europol sting against migrant smugglers

An investigation led by the Spanish National Police, with close cooperation with the Albanian Police and law enforcement and immigration authorities in Austria, France, Italy, Slovenia, Kosovo, Portugal, the United…

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08

Jun

Over 800 persons detained global crackdown on organised hi-tech crime

Global law enforcement agencies hacked into an app used by criminals and read millions of encrypted messages, leading to hundreds of arrests of organised crime figures in 18 countries, officials…

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03

Nov

European police in coordinated raids against online hate speech

European police launched coordinated raids in seven countries on Tuesday as part of a clampdown on online hatred and incitement to violence, the European Union law enforcement agency Europol and…

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23

Sep

Europol led dark web drugs raid leads to 179 arrests

Police forces around the world have seized more than $6.5m in cash and virtual currencies, as well as drugs and guns in a coordinated raid on dark web marketplaces. Some…

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19

Sep

Original stolen books from Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton found in Romania

During a house search led by the Romanian authorities in the county of Neamt several rare books buried underground were discovered. The books were reported stolen from a warehouse in…

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08

Jul

Dismantling of an encrypted network sends shockwaves through organised crime groups across Europe

Europol and Eurojust have supported the French and Dutch law enforcement authorities in a joint effort to dismantle EncroChat, an encrypted phone network widely used by criminal networks. Over the…

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08

Apr

Major European operation against fraud gang based in Bulgaria and Serbia

A large criminal network involved in fraud, money laundering and social engineering was dismantled in an international investigation. Europol and Eurojust supported the investigation which involved law enforcement and judicial…

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28

Mar

Europol warns against coronavirus scams

The European police authority has warned that con artists are preying on fears of illness by offering fake masks, medicine, COVID-19 tests and even vaccines. Across Europe, many companies and…

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12

Mar

Balkan cocaine cartel taken down in Montenegro

A large Balkan criminal network trafficking drugs, mainly cocaine, from source countries to Europe has been dismantled in a large international operation. This hit has severely disrupted/cut one of the…

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08

Mar

Pan-European operation against trafficking of illegal medical products nets €7.9 million

Europol supported a pan-European operation targeting the illicit online and offline trafficking of misused and counterfeit medicines. The operation, led by the French National Gendarmerie (Central Office against Environmental and…

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18

Jan

Fuel trafficking ring between Poland and Slovakia dismantled

Europol supported an international operation led by the Criminal Office of the Financial Administration of the Slovak Republic (Finančná správa Slovenskej republiky) in cooperation with Polish Customs (Służba Celna). The…

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20

Dec

Crime gang makes over €2 million trafficking illegal steroids worldwide

An investigation by  the Financial Police Division of Hellenic Police, the Central Office to fight Against Environmental and Public Health Crime (OCLAESP) and French Customs (Direction générale des douanes et…

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16

Dec

Over 10 persons arrested for buying counterfeit euros on the Darknet

Between 9 and 11 December 2019 Europol coordinated joint raids against the sale of counterfeit euro banknotes on illegal platforms on the Darknet. Law enforcement authorities from seven EU Member…

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11

Dec

Europe wide operation smashes WhatsApp groups that created and exchanged child abuse material

A successful operation in encrypted chat groups has been carried out by Policia Nacional of Spain.  The investigation, begun in 2017 and led by the Central High Tech Crime Unit,…

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27

Nov

Over 70 arrested in worldwide crackdown on airline fraud

Between 18 – 22 November 2019, 60 countries, 56 airlines and 12 online travel agencies were involved in the 12th edition of the Global Airline Action Days (GAAD), an international…

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16

Oct

Over 300 potential victims of labour exploitation in the agricultural sector identified in pan-European action

Between 16 and 20 September 2019, Europol supported the first Europe-wide Joint Action Days against human trafficking for labour exploitation focusing specifically on the agricultural sector. The operation, led by…

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19

Sep

Police across Europe raid illegal streaming service platforms

Police forces across Europe carried out raids against illegal video streaming service platforms. Coordinated by European Union agencies Europol and Eurojust, the raids took place in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands,…

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09

Aug

70 arrests in pan-European action against child trafficking

Europol supported a pan-European operation against trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation, forced begging and labour exploitation. The operation, led by the United Kingdom, involved law enforcement authorities from 16…

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09

Aug

40 arrested in Spain and France for international vehicle theft and trafficking

Europol has supported the Spanish Guardia Civil and the French Gendarmerie Nationale to dismantle an organised crime group involved in the stealing of vehicles. 40 individuals were arrested in connection…

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08

Aug

Suspect arrested in Greece for large-scale document forgery

With the support of Europol, a 50-year old individual was arrested in Greece for large-scale forgery of documents and facilitating illegal immigration. During the action day on 11 July, the…

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29

Jul

Over 18 000 items seized and 59 arrests made in Europe-wide operation targeting cultural goods

Customs and other law enforcement authorities from 29 countries, coordinated by the Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) and supported by Europol, INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization (WCO), have joined…

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26

Jul

Huge international police operation against Balkan cartel trafficking cocaine around the globe

  Law enforcement agencies from across the globe teamed up against a Balkan organised criminal network suspected of large-scale cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe using private planes. The…

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03

Jul

New task force at Europol to target the most dangerous criminal groups involved in human trafficking and migrant smuggling

On 2 July, the Joint Liaison Task Force Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings (JLT-MS) was launched at Europol. This new operational platform will allow liaison officers from all…

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26

Jun

Arrests in the UK and Netherlands in €24 million cryptocurrency theft

The UK’s South West Regional Cyber Crime Unit (SW RCCU) in a joint operation with the Dutch police (Politie), Europol, Eurojust and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has arrested…

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19

Jun

13 arrested for sexual exploitation of young women in French-Romanian operation

A large-scale joint investigation, led by the French Gendarmerie Nationale in cooperation with the Romanian DIICOT (Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism), and supported by Europol and…

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14

Jun

Cryptocurrency experts meet at Europol to strengthen ties between law enforcement and private sector

Over 300 cryptocurrency experts from both law enforcement and the private sector attended the sixth Cryptocurrency Conference hosted at Europol’s headquarters from 12 to 14 June 2019. The event, organised…

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13

Jun

EU-wide operation against counterfeit products, Law enforcement agencies in Malta involved in the operation

More than 4.7 million counterfeit products seized, over 16 400 social media accounts suspended and 3 300 websites closed in the EU-wide operation Aphrodite II against trafficking of counterfeit goods.…

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13

Jun

New threat assessment confirms links between counterfeiting and organised crime in the EU

  Most criminal activity involving counterfeiting is carried out by increasingly professionalised organised crime networks, which can reap large profits while running relatively few risks. That is according to the…

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07

Jun

Big police operation in Portugal against human trafficking for sexual exploitation

  The Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras), supported by Europol, arrested eight suspected members of an international organised criminal group trafficking human beings for sexual…

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03

Jun

Global action against wildlife crime saves 4 400 reptiles from criminal hands

  An international operation against the illegal trade in reptiles has seen hundreds of seizures and 12 arrests in the EU. Europol coordinated information sharing between EU members States which…

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30

May

Arrests in France for looting the archives of libraries throughout Europe

  With the support of Europol, the French National Police (OCBC - National Unit in charge of Cultural goods trafficking) and the Spanish Guardia Civil (UCO) have dismantled an organised…

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24

May

Operation coordinated by Europol against crime gang committing robberies across Europe with stolen vehicles

The Italian Carabinieri (Arma dei Carabinieri), supported by the Munich Police Department, the Criminal Investigation Directorate of the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police (Inspectoratul General al Poliţiei Române) and…

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23

May

Multi-million euro cryptocurrency laundering service Bestmixer.io taken down

  The Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD), in close cooperation with Europol and the authorities in Luxembourg, clamped down on one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency mixing service…

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22

May

Spanish Civil Guard uncover unusual vehicle tax avoidance scheme

The Spanish Civil Guard, supported by Europol, have uncovered an unusual vehicle tax avoidance scheme and that resulted in  the arrest of 20 individuals and the seizure of 11 vehicles.…

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22

May

Europe-wide operation against drug trafficking

  Europol, the European police agency, coordinated a Europe-wide operation against a drug smuggling gang in which 22 persons have been arrested across Europe in a coordinated operation, code-named ‘Icebreaker’,.…

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