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Spain

Spanish police apprehend major drug dealing network

Spanish police raided several homes across Madrid where they discovered two drug distribution lines belonging to the same criminal organisation.

Belgium

Belgian customs seized a record amount of cocaine in 2023

The amount of cocaine seized in Europe continues to rise every year, driven by the growing demand among Europeans.

World News

Euroviews. Amid escalating drug wars, Benelux police is striking back — together

The new Benelux Police Treaty, which entered into force on 1 October, has given law enforcement in all three countries a plethora of cross-border instruments, making it the finest tool in the fight against organised crime in Europe, Frans Weekers and Jochen Stöger write.

Economy

UK facilitates corruption by Central Asian elites, says new report

The UK’s powerful financial sector “bears some responsibility for the continuation of corruption and kleptocracy by Central Asian elites”, according to a British parliamentary report, which also noted the government’s responsibility in the matter.

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World News

Euroviews. The EU’s Ports Strategy should zero in on global hubs of illicit trade

The EU’s Ports Strategy proposes measures to intercept drugs and other illicit goods on arrival in Europe, but disrupting global black market hubs will have a far greater impact, David M Luna writes.

Italy

Italian and Spanish police arrest 58 suspected drug traffickers

The year-long operation leading to the arrests focused on the movement of money through clandestine banking services run by ethnic Chinese individuals.

My Europe Series

France has a growing gang problem. It's so far failed to tackle it

Macron vows the state will be back in the quartiers nord of Marseille. What this statement actually implies is that it isn’t there now. One class-action lawsuit is working on bringing this to court.

World News

Europe key to Syrian regime's amphetamine trade, finds report

Europe has become the main transit route for Syrian Captagon tablets heading to the Middle East, according to the EMCDDA.

Spain

Record cocaine haul hidden in banana shipment intercepted in Spain

Many packages in the nine-tonne-plus drug consignment were labelled with swastikas and the word 'Hitler'

France

France sends elite police unit to Marseille to tackle drugs crimewave

CRS 8 special police unit is being deployed to fight against the bloody war for the control of drug trafficking in Marseille. The gang war has killed 12 people since mid-July.

Netherlands

Record drug haul by Dutch customs officials at Rotterdam port

Prosecutors say the shipment of cocaine seized in Rotterdam has an estimated street value of €600 million.

Singapore

Singapore executes first woman in 19 years for drug trafficking

Human rights groups, international activists and the United Nations have urged Singapore to halt executions for drug offences and say there is increasing evidence it is ineffective as a deterrent.

Mexico

Are weapons sent to Ukraine ending up in the hands of drug cartels?

A Mexican TV report alleged drug cartels and other criminal organisations were illegally buying rocket launchers sent to Ukraine by the West. But is it true?

No Comment

WATCH: Myanmar torches illegal drugs on International anti-drug day

Myanmar junta authorities said they torched almost half a billion dollars worth of illegal drugs on Monday, but warned they were failing to stop a surge in production and trafficking of narcotics.

Portugal

Portuguese authorities seize a tonne of cocaine on a yacht

Authorities in Portugal say they intercepted a sailing boat from Latin America on Tuesday evening carrying around a tonne of cocaine.

World News

Fentanyl has devastated America. Why is Europe being spared?

While fentanyl continues ravaging the US, the European illegal drug market has remained somehow shielded from the deadly synthetic opioid. Is that about to change?

Italy

Italian police dogs find 2,700kg of cocaine hidden in banana crates

The seized cocaine was of the finest quality, according to Italian police, and would have earned drug traffickers more than €800 million in street sales in Armenia, where it was destined.

Colombia

Colombian agents seize submarine carrying three tonnes of cocaine

Colombian agents seized a 30-metre submarine carrying three tonnes of cocaine and arrested three men on Friday.

Serbia

Europol arrests Balkan drug traffickers using a secret chat platform

The Europol team was able to trace the criminal network by accessing their communications on Sky ECC, a popular messaging service for the underworld, akin to WhatsApp for criminals.

Tech News

The dark web: A safe haven for some, a gangsters' paradise for many

An international crackdown on marketplaces on the dark web has brought the fight against illegal trades to shadowy corners of the Internet.