28 bird traffickers netting €1 million per year arrested in Spain

280 exotic birds were recovered, valued at over one million euros, among which featured macaws, parrots and cockatoos, all of which are endangered species protected by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). These birds were destined to be sold to North African countries – Morocco in particular, where the demand for them is high. Codenamed ‘ORATIX’, this operation took place earlier this year in February and March in the Spanish cities of Malaga, Murcia, Granada, Alicante and Asturias. 

Possibly largest ever bust of banknote counterfeiters in the history of the euro

Law enforcement authorities from Italy, Belgium and France, supported by Europol, dismantled an organised crime network involved in euro counterfeiting. On the action day on 15 July 2020, officers from the Italian Carabinieri Corps (Carabinieri) and its specialised Anti-Counterfeit Currency Unit arrested 44 suspects and froze criminal assets worth €8 million in Italy.

Polish authorities arrest 8 in latest migrant smuggling sting

Earlier in June, the Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) and the Police Central Bureau of Investigation (Centralne Biuro Śledcze Policji) took action with the support of Europol against an organised crime group which is believed to have smuggled more than 150 migrants into Poland en route to Western Europe, earning millions in the process. 

Europol and European Commission lead new project to target organised crime in EU Eastern Neighbourhood

Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, highlighted that:

Large-scale document forgery case cracked in Germany and Greece

On 15 July, the German Federal Police in Halle (Bundespolizei Halle) and the Hellenic Police (Hellenic Police, Ελληνική Αστυνομία), supported by Europol, carried out an arrest and 12 house searches in Germany and an arrest, two house searches and one shop search in Greece as a result of an investigation into large-scale document forgery.

Stronger together: EU Agencies join forces to respond to COVID-19

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nine Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies (CEPOL, EASO, EIGE, EMCDDA, eu-LISA, Eurojust, Europol,

Cross-border VAT fraudsters busted in Portugal: 6 arrests and 32 indictments

The Portuguese Republican National Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana), supported by the Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) and Europol, dismantled an organised crime group involved in cross-border VAT fraud (missing trader intra-community fraud).

Massive investigation in Italy combating online child sexual abuse

A successful investigation to tackle online child abuse conducted by the Italian State Police (Polizia di Stato) of Turin and supported by Europol, has led to 50 investigations and several searches across the country. Working from referrals through Europol by the Canadian National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre (NCECC), investigators targeted suspects producing, exchanging and possessing child sexual abuse material.

Italy and Romania take down cyber fraud ring generating €20 million per year in criminal profits

The Italian National Postal and Communication Police Unit (Polizia Postale e delle Comunicazioni) and the Romanian National Police (Poliția Română), supported by Europol and Eurojust, dismantled an organised criminal group involved in financial fraud, cybercrime and money laundering. 

28 arrested for smuggling migrants in rubber boats from Morocco to Spain

Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), under the supervision of the Arrecife Investigating Court number 3 and supported by Europol, dismantled an organised criminal group smuggling migrants from Morocco to the Canary Islands.  The law enforcement operation led to the arrest of 28 individuals, 5 house searches were carried out. The arrested individuals are suspected of facilitating the transfer of 20 boats with irregular migrants to Spain, gaining over €350 000 in criminal profits.

Terrorist ‘how-to’ guides - focus of latest Europol Referral Action Day

On 2 July, a large-scale Referral Action Day targeting terrorist content online took place at Europol involving units from Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) and 17 countries (13 EU Member States and 4 non-EU countries)*.

Counterfeit currencies worth millions of euros prevented from entering the EU economy in Romania and Spain

In June 2020, Europol supported two separate operations, which led to the dismantling of two illegal print shops for currency counterfeiting, one for euros and one for Romanian leu. Columbian Technical Investigation Unit (Cuerpo Tehnico de Investigacion) and Spanish Police (Policia National) targeted euro counterfeiters in Spain and the Romanian police (Poliția Română) took down one of the biggest polymer banknotes counterfeiters. 

46 MEMBERS OF THE SICILIAN MAFIA COSA NOSTRA ARRESTED

On 1 July, Europol coordinated the international police operation which resulted in the dismantlement of the  Sicilian Mafia Cosa Nostra crime syndicate of Barrafranca. Operation Ultra was led by the Italian Special Operation Department (R.O.S. Caltanissetta) of the Carabinieri (Arma dei Carabinieri), the German Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) and the Landeskriminalamt of Niedersachsen. 

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

At a joint press conference today, French and Dutch law enforcement and judicial authorities, Europol and Eurojust have presented the impressive results of a joint investigation team to dismantle EncroChat, an encrypted phone network widely used by criminal networks.

12 arrests in big hit against ‘Ndrangheta mafia in Italy

During an action day in the early hours of 30 June 2020, over 200 officers from the Italian Carabinieri  (Arma dei Carabinieri) in Piedmont and the Italian State Police (Polizia di Stato) of Turin arrested 12 alleged members of the Italian crime syndicate ‘Ndrangheta. This coordinated and decisive action is the result of a long and complex investigation carried out by the Italian authorities with the support of Europol and law enforcement authorities from Croatia, France and Germany. 

VAT scammers arrested in Hungary after evading close to €10 million in tax

An international law enforcement operation involving 5 countries has resulted in the arrest in Hungary of the 2 ring leaders of an organised crime group which has caused 3.4 billion forints (€9.7 million) in tax loss to the Hungarian state budget.  On 23 June, some 33 premises belonging to the crime gang were searched in Hungary, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia and Serbia in a series of coordinated raids. The investigators seized one real estate property with a market value of 12.5 million forints HUF (approximately €36 200 euro).

Fake wines sold under expensive Italian labels off the market

The Italian NAS Carabinieri of Florence (Arma dei Carabinieri), supported by Europol, took down a network of wine counterfeiters, selling online fake premium Italian wines. Law enforcement officers carried out raids in eight Italian provinces (Avellino, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Brescia, Como, Foggia, Pisa, Prato and Rome). The investigation discovered that low quality wines were refilled in bottles under original labels and then sold as real ones on a big online auction platform.

2 500 tonnes of waste trafficked from the Canary Islands to Africa

An organised crime group has been dismantled by the Spanish Civil Guard SEPRONA, with the support of Europol and the Italian Carabinieri for illegally moving hazardous waste from the Canary Islands to several countries in Africa. Those arrested are also suspected of document fraud to carry out their illegal activities.

2.5 tonnes of waste trafficked from the Canary Islands to Africa

An organised crime group has been dismantled by the Spanish Civil Guard SEPRONA, with the support of Europol and the Italian Carabinieri for illegally moving hazardous waste from the Canary Islands to several countries in Africa. Those arrested are also suspected of document fraud to carry out their illegal activities.

EMCDDA and Europol join EU institutions in dialogue on the impact of COVID-19 on the world drug situation

On the occasion of International day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, the EMCDDA and Europol are joining representatives of the EU institutions today in providing the European perspective on the impact of COVID-19 on the world drug situation. The panel discussion will conclude a special event of the United Nations’ Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and is co-sponsored by the European Union and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)(1).

Police recover ‘millions’ in stolen treasures after busting archaeological crime gang in Bulgaria

An international crime gang that ransacked ancient sites in Bulgaria and trafficked stolen archaeological goods whose total worth exceeds several millions of euros has been broken up as a result of an international police operation coordinated by Europol. 8 individuals were arrested and some 4,600 archaeological items were recovered as a result of this sting. 

Terrorism in the EU: geographically widespread and multifaceted

Terrorists’ ultimate goal is to undermine our societies and our democratic political systems. Terrorism generates fear, empowers political extremes and polarises societies.  Europol’s EU Terrorism Situation and Trend report (TE-SAT), published today, pulls together facts and figures on terrorist attacks and arrests in the EU in 2019: 

Exploiting isolation: sexual predators increasingly targeting children during COVID pandemic

Video calls with friends and family, social media interaction, online games, educational use: during the corona lockdown children’s lives promptly shifted even further from the real world into an online virtual one. Sex offenders have found in this development a tempting opportunity to access a broader group of potential victims.

Two print shops producing fake EU documents dismantled in Paris

The French Border Police (Police Aux Frontières) within the French National Police (Police Nationale), supported by Europol, dismantled a large criminal network involved in document fraud. 

Individual arrested in Madrid for transferring money to Syria to fund the return of foreign terrorist fighters to Europe

On 9 June 2020, Europol supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) in arresting a man in Madrid suspected of transferring money between several European and Arabian countries via the Hawala informal money transfer system with the aim of reintroducing foreign terrorist fighters in Europe.

Illegal streaming service with over 2 million subscribers worldwide switched off

The Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) dismantled a large criminal network illegally distributing audio-visual content in Europe, Asia and the Middle East and laundering the criminal proceeds. The investigation, supported by Europol and Eurojust, also involved law enforcement authorities from Belgium, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, France, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Europol – EU IPO report on IP crime and its links to other serious crimes

This new report on how IP crime supports the activities of organised criminal gangs adds to the growing evidence that counterfeit goods are an attack against society requiring an international response. It demonstrates the interconnection between IPR crime and other types of serious crimes highlighting the links between actors committing these offences.

Arrest in Spain for dissemination of jihadist terrorist propaganda

On 3 June 2020, Europol supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) in arresting a man in Madrid on suspicion of radicalisation and for dissemination of jihadist terrorist propaganda via the internet. The individual’s constant activity on social media where he glorified the so-called Islamic State (IS) attacks brought him to the attention of investigators. Whilst under surveillance, he showed a high level of radicalisation in his closed circle, and demonstrated a full adherence to the postulates of terrorist groups, fully justifying their violent actions.

Spanish High Value Target arrested in Dubai

An intense cooperation between the Dubai State Security Agency, European Law Enforcement, ENFAST and Europol has led to the arrest of a high value target wanted under an international arrest warrant issued by Spain. The fugitive was apprehended by the State Security Agency in Dubai. Europol, the European Law Enforcement Agency, successfully coordinated the highly specialised investigative operation.

Page headline/Title Arrest in Spain for dissemination of jihadist terrorist propaganda

On 3 June 2020, Europol supported the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) in arresting a man in Madrid on suspicion of radicalisation and for dissemination of jihadist terrorist propaganda via the internet. The individual’s constant activity on social media where he glorified the so-called Islamic State (IS) attacks brought him to the attention of investigators. Whilst under surveillance, he showed a high level of radicalisation in his closed circle, and demonstrated a full adherence to the postulates of terrorist groups, fully justifying their violent actions.

Europol launches the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre

Today Europol launched the new European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC). The Centre will enhance the operational support provided to the EU Member States and EU bodies in the fields of financial and economic crime and promote the systematic use of financial investigations. The new EFECC has been set up within the current organisational structure of Europol that is already playing an important part in the European response to financial and economic crime and will be staffed with 65 international experts and analysts. 

The most recent fishing season sees 108 smugglers arrested and over 2 tonnes of glass eels seized in Europe

On the occasion of the World Environment Day, which takes places tomorrow, Europol marks this day by promoting environmental action and its commitment to support EU Member States in tackling environmental crime. The annual Operation Lake aims to combat trafficking of endangered species in the EU and to dismantle violent organised crime groups involved in associated illegal activities, such as environmental crime, smuggling, money laundering, tax evasion and document counterfeiting.

A record number of 1 346 tonnes of illegal pesticides taken off the market in 2020 global operation Silver Axe

Europol coordinated the fifth edition of operation Silver Axe which saw twice the amount of illegal products seized compared to last year’s operation. The yearly law enforcement operation, which targets the counterfeit and illicit trade of pesticides, took place between 13 January and 25 April and involved 32 countries.

3 arrested in Hungary in €1.4 million VAT fraud investigation

Last week, the Hungarian National Tax and Customs Administration (Nemzeti Adó és Vámhivatal) unravelled a sophisticated tax evasion scheme which caused close to half a billion forints (€ 1.4 million) in tax loss to the Hungarian state budget. A total of 3 individuals were arrested for their involvement in this value-added tax (VAT) fraud scheme.

Capture20: policing in times of pandemic

Capture20 is this year’s edition of Europol’s photo competition. The 2020 edition comes at a time of unprecedented crisis for our communities and the law enforcement officers tasked with protecting them. At times, it seems as though COVID-19 has penetrated every aspect of our daily lives. It is no different for law enforcement: as criminals have quickly adapted their techniques to exploit our fears around the COVID-19 pandemic, policing must adapt too.

EU Drug Markets: Impact of COVID-19

What effect is COVID-19 having on the largest criminal market in the EU? 

8 arrested for smuggling migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the EU via Croatia

In the early hours of 27 May 2020, some hundred officers from the Croatian Police (Hrvatska Policija) and the Bosnian State Investigation and Protection Agency (Državna agencija za istrage i zaštitu) with the support of Europol targeted suspected of smuggling migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European Union via Croatia. As a result, 4 suspects were arrested in Zagreb and Glina (Croatia), and 4 in Bihać, Cazin and Velika Kladusa (Bosnia and Herzegovina). 

26 arrested for smuggling irregular migrants through Belgium and France

Law enforcement and judicial authorities from Belgium and France, supported by Europol and Eurojust, dismantled a large criminal network involved in migrant smuggling. 

International collaboration leads to arrest of child sexual abuser in Italy

Within 10 days of the discovery of the videos online, a 30-year old individual was arrested by the Italian State Police (Polizia di Stato) as a result of an international police effort to track down this man who produced child sexual abuse material.

Europol and Capgemini Netherlands seek pioneering solutions to tackle cyber threats

When it comes to enhancing cybersecurity throughout Europe, collaboration between the private and the public sector is essential for improving digital resilience and exchanging intelligence. With this MoU, Capgemini and Europol have established and agreed to foster collaboration on various activities. This includes the development of cyber simulation exercises, capacity building, and collaborating on prevention and awareness campaigns.

Doping trafficking ring with professional athletes dismantled in Italy

The Italian Carabinieri Corps (NAS Carabinieri), supported by Europol, targeted a criminal network trafficking illegal medicines and doping substances.   

Migrant smugglers and human traffickers to become more ruthless and clandestine says new Europol report

Countries around the world have closed their external borders in a bid to control and isolate COVID-19. In these circumstances, criminals are finding new ways to abuse the vulnerability of irregular migrants wishing to enter or travel across Europe and those financially struggling, victimised in labour or sexual exploitation schemes.  

Game on for Europol and CENTRIC

Europol and the Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research (CENTRIC) sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The agreement formalises a long-standing partnership and encourages ongoing effective collaboration, combining relevant expertise and state-of-the-art technology. Europol and CENTRIC have worked together on a number of initiatives and research projects, including the development of a cryptocurrency investigation game in 2019.

101 arrested and 19,000 stolen artefacts recovered in international crackdown on art trafficking

More than 19,000 archaeological artefacts and other artworks have been recovered as part of a global operation spanning 103 countries and focusing on the dismantlement of international networks of art and antiquities traffickers.  101 suspects have been arrested, and 300 investigations opened as part of this coordinated crackdown. The criminal networks handled archaeological goods and artwork looted from war-stricken countries, as well as works stolen from museums and archaeological sites. 

Hacker group selling databases with millions of user credentials busted in Poland and Switzerland

Polish and Swiss law enforcement authorities, supported by Europol and Eurojust, dismantled InfinityBlack, a hacking group involved in distributing stolen user credentials, creating and distributing malware and hacking tools, and fraud. 

Beyond the pandemic - What will the criminal landscape look like after COVID-19?

Based on criminal information from investigations in the Member States, Europol is assessing the impact of the pandemic across three phases; current, mid- and long-term phase. The report anticipates developments across the threat landscape that will have an operational impact on law enforcement authorities across Europe. Europol also identifies five key factors that influence organised crime during and after the pandemic. 

Child abuse: Nursery school teacher and her partner to be prosecuted in Hungary

The Hungarian National Police (Magyar Rendőrség), supported by Europol and other operational partners, identified a nursery school teacher and her partner to be behind the distribution of child sexual exploitation material on the dark net. The two victims have since been brought to safety and the case is now in the hands of prosecutors.

International police cooperation leads to the arrest of a dark web child sex abuser in Spain

The suspect produced explicit videos of a young boy to gain access to sites and forums on the dark web dedicated to child sexual abuse and exploitation. International cooperation was key to cracking the case: Europol supported the Spanish National Police by analysing information received from Queensland Police in Australia. The COVID-19 crisis forced experts from the Central Cybercrime Unit to carry out their duties from Madrid and coordinate officers on the ground in Barcelona remotely.

Viral marketing: Counterfeits in the time of pandemic

From websites selling fake COVID-19 blood screening tests taken down by several EU Member States’ law enforcement authorities to the seizure of substandard facemasks originating from Brazil and the sale of chloroquine via instant messaging apps: counterfeiters have been quick to cash in on COVID-19. The outbreak of the coronavirus disease has offered an opportunity for fast cash, as criminals exploit shortages of genuine products and the anxieties of regular citizens.

Corona crimes: multi-million face mask scam foiled by police across Europe

As part of a case coordinated by Europol and Interpol, financial institutions and authorities across Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have foiled an attempt to cheat health authorities out of millions of euros by selling them non-existent face masks.  A chain of referrals