Tag

Europol

All articles tagged with #europol

world20 days ago•7 min saved

Spain-led sweep dismantles one of Europe’s largest smuggling rings

European authorities, led by Spain and Europol, arrested 78 people in Spain and Algeria as they dismantled a cross-border network that moved MDMA from Spain/Portugal to Algeria and used ghost speedboats to smuggle migrants and weapons back to Spain and Ibiza. The cache included 18 fast vessels, firearms, and cash, with migrant profits alone estimated at over €24m. The operation covered 17 locations and linked the group to other crime networks, underscoring a diversified criminal enterprise spanning the Western Mediterranean.

via BBC|

#algeria #europol #migrants

crime21 days ago•2 min saved

Spain-Led Raid Cracks Major Western Mediterranean Smuggling Ring, 78 Arrested

A Spain-led operation with Europol and police from France, Portugal and Poland dismantled one of the Western Mediterranean’s largest migrant-smuggling networks, arresting 78 people (77 in Spain and 1 in Algeria) and seizing assets including 18 high-speed boats. The group operated two-way routes between Europe and Algeria, moved more than 2,000 migrants, and generated over €24 million in profits, charging up to €12,000 per person. The network offered a wide range of services to other criminals—storage, transport, refueling, maintenance, and counter-surveillance—while using informal hawala networks to move funds; authorities described it as among the most complex and dangerous criminal networks detected in the Mediterranean, with 17 locations searched across Spain and high-value targets among the detainees.

via Al Jazeera|

#crime #europe #europol

world27 days ago•7 min saved

Europe's teen murder-for-hire network exposed

European police reveal a 'violence-as-a-service' network called Foxtrot that recruits teenagers via social media to carry out killings across Europe for cash; cases in Sweden and the UK illustrate how young operatives are guided through gamified, game-like instructions and are often caught before payment. Europol's GRIMM taskforce has led to hundreds of arrests across 11 countries, with the leader linked to Iran now based in Tehran, while convictions and extraditions continue in several jurisdictions. The network’s actions and ongoing arrests underscore cross-border cooperation efforts to curb this violent trend.

via BBC|

#europe-crime #europol #foxtrot-network

world1 month ago•186 min saved

Global probe uncovers chat-group networks that drug and rape partners

An international police operation spanning multiple countries has exposed highly organized networks of men who drug and rape their partners and coordinate assaults through encrypted online chat groups. Led by Europol with involvement from German and British authorities and collaborators in the US, Brazil, Canada, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain, the effort—named Project Medusa—has identified more than 150 offenders and victims, opened over 270 leads, and resulted in dozens of arrests (57 reported). The case follows high-profile incidents like Gisèle Pelicot and CNN’s undercover reporting on online networks that teach and enable drugging and rape, highlighting the evolving, cross-border challenge of drug-facilitated sexual violence and the push to take down the platforms that host such material.

via CNN|

#drug-facilitated-sexual-assault #europol #multinational-operation

technology3 months ago•6 min saved

European Police Dismantles First VPN, Unmasks Thousands of Criminals

European authorities led by France and the Netherlands, with Europol and Eurojust, dismantled the First VPN service used by cybercriminals for ransomware and data theft. Investigators infiltrated the service, seized 33 servers, and arrested its administrator, identifying about 506 users and producing 83 intelligence packages that supported 21 Europol-facilitated investigations. The operation underscored how VPNs marketed as ‘no-logs’ can mislead users who believe they are safe, even as criminal activity relies on such infrastructure.

via Ars Technica|

#cybercrime #europol #law-enforcement

cybersecurity3 months ago•4 min saved

Global raid shuts down ransomware-linked VPN First VPN and seizes its infrastructure

An international operation led by France and the Netherlands, with Europol/Eurojust support, dismantled the ‘First VPN’ service used by ransomware and data-theft actors. Authorities seized 33 servers across 27 countries, shut down key domains, disrupted infrastructure, and arrested the administrator in Ukraine. Investigators infiltrated the VPN to recover data, with Europol reporting 506 identified users and 83 intelligence packages shared to aid ongoing investigations into ransomware and related crimes. While VPNs have legitimate uses, criminals leveraged this service to hide activity; all identified users have been notified and further legal action may follow.

via BleepingComputer|

#cybercrime #cybersecurity #europol

world3 months ago•3 min saved

Europol-led sting cripples transatlantic cocaine routes

A two‑week international operation coordinated by Europol disrupted a major cocaine trafficking network moving drugs from Latin America to Europe. Authorities seized over 12 tons of cocaine and about 9.5 tons of hashish, intercepted eight vessels, and arrested 54 people. The effort highlights evolving, offshore multi‑stage transfers in the Atlantic to evade major ports, with focus on the area between the Canary Islands and the Azores, termed the so‑called cocaine highway.

via CBS News|

#atlantic-ocean #canary-islands #cocaine

world4 months ago•2 min saved

Top European drug fugitive arrested in Cancun, Mexico

Hungarian national Janos Balla, aka Daniel Takács and listed among Europe’s ten most-wanted fugitives, was arrested in Cancun after Interpol issued a red notice and Europol arrest warrant for his alleged leadership of a cocaine and ecstasy trafficking network from 2014–2015; authorities say he’s being turned over to Mexico’s immigration agency to determine status and pursue deportation to Europe, in a case driven by cooperation between Hungarian security services and Mexican authorities.

via CBS News|

#cancun #drug-trafficking #europol

technology4 months ago•3 min saved

Global PowerOFF crackdown nets 75k DDoS users, shuts 53 domains across 21 countries

An international law enforcement sweep called Operation PowerOFF, coordinated by Europol across 21 countries, has identified more than 75,000 DDoS-for-hire users, shut down 53 domains, and arrested four people, as part of an ongoing effort to disrupt booter services and raise awareness about illegality; previous phases have seized infrastructure and databases with more than 3 million criminal accounts, and the operation is now shifting toward prevention with awareness campaigns, search-engine removals of illegal content, and on-chain warnings tied to illicit payments.

via BleepingComputer|

#booter-services #cybercrime #ddos

technology4 months ago•5 min saved

PowerOFF global crackdown disrupts DDoS-for-hire networks across 21 countries

Europol-led Operation PowerOFF, backed by EMPACT, coordinated actions in 21 countries to dismantle DDoS-for-hire networks, sending warning emails/letters to over 75,000 suspected users, seizing 53 domains, issuing 25 search warrants, and making four arrests, while launching prevention and awareness measures.

via Europol|

#cybersecurity #ddos #ddos-for-hire

international6 months ago•17 min saved

Musk Condemns Paris Raid on X as Political Motive

France’s national cyber unit, with Europol, raided X’s Paris headquarters as part of a probe into alleged algorithm manipulation and Grok, drawing Elon Musk’s claim that the action is a political attack; prosecutors later broadened the case to potential offenses including Holocaust denial content and sexual deepfakes, with Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino summoned to a Paris hearing on April 20, while EU and UK regulators continue examining Grok and X’s data practices.

via Deadline|

#elon-musk #europol #grok-ai

world6 months ago•452 min saved

Paris raids target Musk's X offices as Grok deepfake probe widens

Paris prosecutors, with the cybercrime unit and Europol, raided the French offices of Elon Musk's X as part of a long-running investigation; Musk and X's Linda Yaccarino were summoned to April hearings and X employees will testify as witnesses. The inquiry, which began with suspected algorithm abuses, has broadened to Grok's sexualized deepfake content, as the EU opens a probe into X's Grok and the company has since barred some Grok users from generating explicit images.

via CNN|

#cybercrime #europol #grok

world7 months ago•3 min saved

Europe’s Largest-Ever Synthetic-Drug Ring Busted in Cross-Border Crackdown

European police led a cross-border operation across Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain that dismantled 24 industrial-scale labs and seized about 1,000 tons of chemical precursors used to make MDMA, amphetamine and meth; more than 85 people were arrested, including two ringleaders from Poland, in what Europol called the largest-ever crackdown on synthetic-drug production, aimed at disrupting the supply chain and reducing violence, corruption and environmental damage linked to trafficking.

via CBS News|

#europol #labs #mdma

world7 months ago•3 min saved

Europe's biggest synthetic-drug crackdown nets 1,000 tonnes of chemicals, 24 labs shut

European police say they dismantled 24 labs and seized around 1,000 tonnes of chemicals used to make MDMA, amphetamine and meth in what Europol calls the largest-ever operation against synthetic drug production; the year-long crackdown across Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain led to 85+ arrests, with investigations tracing reagents to China and India and highlighting the environmental threat from toxic waste.

via Euronews.com|

#cross-border-crime #europol #lab-raids

world9 months ago•2 min saved

International crackdown on massive credit card fraud affecting millions

International authorities successfully dismantled three major credit card fraud and money laundering networks affecting over 4.3 million victims across 193 countries, with operations leading to arrests and asset seizures worth over €35 million, highlighting the power of global cooperation against cybercrime.

via BleepingComputer|

#credit-card-fraud #cybercrime #europol