Tag Archives: Spain

No justice for Romania’s trafficked children

Posted on December 16, 2019 by Gary Cordner

This article on trafficking of Roma children won the top prize for Balkan journalistic excellence. Police in the UK and elsewhere in Europe have arrested hundreds of Roma children from the small Romanian town of Tandarei for theft and related … Continue reading →

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18,000 trafficked artifacts seized

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Gary Cordner

This article reports a coordinated international investigation, Pandora III, that has resulted in the seizure of 18,000 illegally trafficked cultural artifacts and the arrest of 59 individuals. Besides Europol and the World Customs Organization, the Spanish Civil Guard led the … Continue reading →

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Europol counter-terror efforts

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Gary Cordner

An interview with Catherine De Bolle, Europol executive director and former commissioner general of police in Belgium, is available here. She discusses counter-terror developments in Belgium following the 2016 attacks in Brussels and current EU-wide initiatives including those focused on … Continue reading →

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Elder fraud

Posted on March 9, 2019 by Gary Cordner

U.S. authorities announced a year-long “largest-ever” elder fraud crackdown resulting in criminal and civil charges against 260 defendants for defrauding more than 2 million victims out of $750 million, as reported here. The total annual loss to elder Americans is … Continue reading →

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Tennis anyone?

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Gary Cordner

This press release reports the conclusion of a sports fixing investigation in Spain, with 83 arrests including 28 professional tennis players. The case involves an organized crime group that “bribed professional players to guarantee predetermined results and used the identities … Continue reading →

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Thieves in law arrested in Spain

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Gary Cordner

This article reports 130 arrests and searches of 70 properties in Spain and France, following investigation of the Armenian faction of the Russian organized crime group “Thieves in Law,” described as “the largest and most dangerous group in Europe right … Continue reading →

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Trafficking in Sicilian antiquities

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Gary Cordner

This article reports the culmination of a 4-year antiquities investigation in Europe resulting in 43 arrests and recovery of 25,000 archaeological items valued at $47 million. This blog post provides further information on the case, which focused on Roman and … Continue reading →

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Drug trafficking via Spain

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Gary Cordner

This article details shifts in the trafficking of drugs from Latin America to Europe and discusses investigative cooperation between the U.S. and Spain. Smuggling from Colombia and Venezuela through Caribbean countries, especially the Dominican Republic, has increased in recent years … Continue reading →

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Big busts

Posted on April 26, 2018 by Gary Cordner

Some big cases in the news. The site Webstresser.org, allegedly responsible for 4 million DDoS cyber attacks worldwide, was taken off-line with arrests and seizures in at least 11 countries. Spanish police seized 9 tons of cocaine from a ship … Continue reading →

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3D printing — implications & applications

Posted on January 25, 2018 by Gary Cordner

This article explains how 3D printing works and provides numerous examples of its use in committing as well as investigating crimes. As the authors note, “You can purchase a basic 3D printer, which fits on a desk, for well under … Continue reading →

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