In a joint action day last week, with the support of Eurojust and Europol, 19 alleged heads of an organised crime group suspected of large-scale drug trafficking from Ivory Coast and Nigeria to Italy, were arrested in Italy and in several other countries, in execution of European Arrest Warrants.
New Europe reports that during the investigation, 150 suspects were arrested. The network smuggled heroin and other drugs to Italy, in false bottoms in shoes and suitcases, and hidden pockets in clothing. The narcotics were treated with spices to render them undetectable via x-ray, and to drug-sniffing dogs.
In total, 230 kg of heroin, 20 kg of cocaine and 2 kg of MDMA were seized during the action day.
The couriers departed directly from the places of production of narcotics, such as East Africa, Pakistan, China, Laos and Latin America (cocaine in various forms: paste, liquid and powder). After the first seizures, the drugs, still coming from those countries, were stored in Tanzania, South Africa and Brazil.
From these countries, the drugs were transported to northern Europe, reaching Italy using the most diverse transportation means. Subsequently, the OCG began to use European couriers.
Via New Europe / Eurojust
European Parliament committees have backed plans to establish a new EU programme aimed at accelerating defence innovation in response to the changing security environment created by Russ...
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and the leaders of the Parliament's political groups met in Dublin this week to discuss priorities ahead of Ireland assuming the rotating pr...
Morning Briefing
Court Clears Way for €78 Million Evans Building Redevelopment
A Court of Appeal ruling has reinstated Valletta Luxury Projects' concession to redevelop the histori...
Morning Briefing
PM says economic success must not be taken for grantedPrime Minister Robert Abela has warned that Malta’s economic success cannot be taken for granted, stressing that...
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
Apple has increased the prices of selected MacBooks and iPads worldwide, citing a sharp rise in the cost of memory and storage chips driven by growing demand from artificial intelligence...
Samsung Group plans to invest around 1,000 trillion won ($648 billion) in South Korea over the next decade, according to a media report, in a major push to convert surging AI-driven semi...
The European Parliament has approved a major new initiative aimed at reducing workplace accidents and strengthening worker protection across the European Union, as concerns continue to g...
The European Union has approved new rules aimed at tightening the screening of foreign investments in strategic sectors, marking a major shift in Europe’s approach towards economic secur...
Reference is made to the road traffic incident involving one of our buses on 18 June 2026 in Mosta, during which our bus driver sustained serious injuries. We would like to express our s...
GO ENERGI is offering households the opportunity to take advantage of the Government’s current grants to support PV systems and battery storage through a range of solar energy solutions ...
The U.S. and Iran released the text of an interim agreement their presidents have signed to end their war on Wednesday, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to resume attacks and...
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had reached an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Te...
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
Ukraine will carry out preemptive attacks on facilities Russia is using for its war, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his evening address on Wednesday, as Kyiv expands strikes on ...
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukraine had submitted a revised application to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a club of mostly advanced...
