1- EUROPOL ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF ITS 2012 LAW ENFORCEMENT PHOTO COMPETITION
[Europol press releases]
Date: 2012/12/6
Europol is delighted to announce the results of its 2012 law enforcement photo competition, which yet again has attracted some fantastic entries.
First prize has been awarded to Alexandra McHugh, a photographer with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in Canberra, who captured a solemn image depicting the repatriation of an AFP officer who died in service.
José Cordoba, from Spain’s Guardia Civil, clinched second prize with his dramatic photo of an injured person being evacuated by helicopter from cliffs on the northern Spanish coast.
A Metropolitan Police Officer from the UK took third prize with her image of a Notting Hill Police Constable on duty in the city.
The 2012 photo competition attracted a record number of entries, from all corners of Europe and beyond. Open to law enforcement photographers from the EU and those countries with Europol cooperation agreements, this year saw 63 photographers from 22 countries submitting over 250 law enforcement photographs. The quality entries portray the highs and lows of law enforcement work, across the spectrum of services including police, border and customs guards, SWAT teams, Gendarmerie and more.
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2- 10 COURIERS ARRESTED, 1.25 MILLION EUROS STOPPED AND 4 KILOS OF SYNTHETIC DRUGS SEIZED AFTER CHECKS AT 28 EUROPEAN AIRPORTS
[Europol press releases]
Date: 2012/12/12
JOINT PRESS RELEASE
With the support of Airpol and Europol, law enforcement authorities from 15 countries have carried out a two-day successful cross-border action covering 28 European airports.
Operation ‘Goodeye’ made use of Passenger Risk Indicators (PRIs) to detect couriers of illicit commodities hiding amongst the vast numbers of outgoing passengers that leave European airports on a daily basis.
The participants in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland included various Police services, Border Guards and Customs agencies. These agencies often worked in mixed teams to combine their skills and competencies.
In total, 10 suspected couriers were arrested during last month’s cross-border action, including European citizens and couriers of West African and Asian origin. Over €1.25 million worth of illicit cash shipments were stopped for seizure and/or further investigation, including euros and US dollars. In addition, officials seized cannabis and 4 kg of synthetic drugs destined for Central America. Other illicit commodities included a suitcase containing stolen mobile phones, false identity documents from multiple EU countries and cultural heritage goods being illegally taken out of South-East Europe, i.e. 19 silver coins and other objects weighing over 3 kg.
Using Europol tools, cross-checks of suspects were performed, yielding positive hits in Europol’s databases related to payment card fraud. In addition, Europol’s Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA) was used for the rapid exchange of live operational data between participating countries.
One week prior to this cross-border action, a workshop was held at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to facilitate the exchange of best practices, tools and tactics related to outgoing passengers. The 30 workshop participants included representatives from the different law enforcement agencies working at European airports, as well as Liaison Officers based at Europol.
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3- EUROPOL SUPPORTS SUCCESSFUL COOPERATION BETWEEN AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Date: 2012/12/13
[Europol press releases]
With the support of Europol, 16 operations against facilitated illegal immigration networks have been carried out by Austrian and Hungary authorities in the last 14 months, and 439 facilitators have been arrested.
In September 2011 Austria and Hungary launched a joint reponse to the significant increase of illegal immigration into their countries by establishing Project FIMATHU (Facilitated Illegal Immigration Affecting Austria and Hungary). As a result, 7249 illegal migrants were apprehended and 891 smuggling incidents were identified in total in the two countries. The illegal migrants were mainly smuggled via Serbia to Hungary. Once on Hungarian soil they were smuggled onwards in mini-buses or vans to Vienna, often hidden in concealed compartments.
Within Project FIMATHU all relevant criminal intelligence was shared with Europol, including data extracted from over 500 mobile phones that had been seized. Europol has been processing and analysing the data to find interesting links between Austria, Hungary and the source and transit countries, to identify the criminal networks organising the illegal immigration.
The successful results have meant that interest in the project has grown to the extent that 10 new countries have joined, namely: Bulgaria; Croatia; Czech Republic; Germany; Poland; Romania; Serbia; Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland. The common aim is to dismantle the illegal immigration networks operating via the Western Balkans as well as in other European countries.
Europol’s support to the project is integrated in the EU Operational Action Plan on Immigration which has been prepared to meet the strategic goal: “To use the intelligence picture and risk analysis for more effective and cost-efficient border control, investigation and prosecution at the external borders and within EU territory”.
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4- INTERPOL-EUROPOL OPERATION RESULTS IN GLOBAL SEIZURES OF FAKE AND ILLICIT FOOD
Date: 2012/12/14
[Europol press releases]
A joint INTERPOL-Europol operation targeting fake and substandard food and drink, as well as the organised crime networks behind this illicit trade, has resulted in the seizure of more than 135 tonnes of potentially harmful goods ranging from every day products of coffee, soup cubes and olive oil, to luxury goods such as truffles and caviar. A further 100 tonnes of misdeclared and/or potentially hazardous food was confiscated during investigations linked to Operation Opson II.
Operation Opson II (3 - 9 December), which involved 29 countries from all regions of the world, resulted in the recovery of more than 385,000 litres of counterfeit liquids including vodka, wine, soy sauce and orange juice, in addition to fish, seafood and meat declared unfit for human consumption, as well as fake candy bars and condiments.
Fake and substandard food and drink are often produced, transported and stored without any form of regulation or hygiene controls, so consumers buying these illicit goods are risking their health and safety and the criminal networks make millions in profits which can be used to fund other illegal activities such as human and drug trafficking.
Operation Opson II saw the number of participating countries rise from 10 in 2011 to nearly 30 this year, an increase which, says Simone Di Meo, a Criminal Intelligence Officer with INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Illicit Goods unit, reflects a growing awareness of the problem and the organised crime involvement.
“With this year’s operation going beyond Europe and involving countries in Africa, the Americas and Asia, this will enable us to gather even more intelligence about the networks behind this criminal activity and potentially identify global links with other types of crime,” says Mr Di Meo.
Coordinated by INTERPOL and Europol, the week-long operation was supported by customs, police and national food regulatory bodies in addition to partners from the private sector. Checks and raids were carried out at airports, seaports, shops, markets and private homes.
“With this operation we are showing the criminal networks involved in this line of business that they are not safe and, just as important, we are helping to protect public health and safety. In many cases, the quality of the packaging of the fake food and drink is so well done that consumers may not even be aware that they are buying illicit products and potentially risking their lives,” says Chris Vansteenkiste, Project Manager of the Intellectual Property Crime Team at Europol.
Among the key aims of Operation Opson II (meaning food in ancient Greek) were to develop practical cooperation between national law enforcement, food and drug agencies and private companies; identify the organised criminal groups behind the trafficking and raise the awareness of consumers and governments about this type of crime.
Countries which took part in this operation are Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Colombia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Latvia, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and the USA.
Investigations are continuing in many countries and for additional information on national activities, please contact the enforcement agencies of the countries concerned.
Watch the videos:
Operation OPSON II - video 1
Operation OPSON II - video 2
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5- MAJOR NETWORK OF PAYMENT CARD FRAUDSTERS DISMANTLED
Date: 2012/12/14
[Europol press releases]
With the support of Europol, 56 suspected members of a major network of payment card fraudsters (38 in Bulgaria, 17 in Italy and 1 in the Netherlands) have been arrested in a coordinated raid across Europe this week. This major police operation was led by Italy and Bulgaria and was coordinated from the Operational Centre at Europol headquarters in The Hague. Earlier arrests carried out since the investigation started brings the total number of suspects arrested up to 105.
During the successful operation, the key suspects involved in the organised crime group were arrested and an illegal payment card factory, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, raided. In Bulgaria alone, more than 300 police officers were involved and in total 400 officers were active on the day in an operation spanning several European countries.
The now dismantled organised crime group was very sophisticated and behind an advanced and very profitable scam which has affected thousands of card holders in 20 European countries. Their modus operandi (skimming) involved stealing people’s credit and debit card numbers and PIN codes by implanting card reading devices on ATM machines. It is estimated that this criminal group realised about 1 500 000 euros a month through their illegal activities - equal to 50 000 euros per day. This was done by conducting illegal transactions overseas - mainly in the Dominican Republic and Peru – using the skimmed cards’ details.
The investigation, codenamed ‘Cloning Connection’, was run by the Italian State Police (Polizia Postale e delle Comunicazioni & Squadra Mobile Teramo) and the Italian Carabinieri(Comando CC Antifalsificazione Monetaria and Gruppo CC Ostia-Roma) with valuable support from the Bulgarian General Directorate Combating Organized Crime. Since the start of the investigation, which began in December 2010, Italian law enforcement authorities performed sophisticated investigative measures, including cross-border observations and analysis of 240 000 phone calls. The investigative measures in Bulgaria, which were carried out under the codename SHOCK2, focused on the localisation of suspects and the identification of the illegal production of equipment used by criminals across Europe to skim payment cards. The Bulgarian authorities (Supreme Cassation Prosecutor’s Office, Counter Organized Crime General Directorate, and the Regional Directorates of the Ministries of Interior in Plovdiv, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Kustendil, Dobrich, Blaroevgrad and Pazardzik) focused on the cross-border dimension of the criminal structure by analysing contacts between group leaders and suspects active abroad. During the investigation the factory illegally producing skimming devices was identified near Plovdiv.
Complex analysis of illegal transactions, CCTV pictures and money flows were also carried out. Since the start of the operation two years ago, 49 arrests had been made in Italy, bringing the total number of arrests in relation to this operation up to 105.
On the action day, 11 December 2012, Europol’s Operational Centre was manned by representatives from Italian and Bulgarian authorities in addition to Europol analysts and specialists. The Operational Centre kept direct contact with squads in the field via Europol officers who were present with a mobile office deployed in Bulgaria. The mobile office enabled the fast exchange of intelligence via secure connections. Besides hosting operational meetings and running the Operational Centre, Europol’s experts have also provided significant levels of analytical, technical and logistical support. The Europol officers involved will be part of the core team in the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) which will officially open on 11 January 2013 at Europol in The Hague.
“The operation shows that Europol and its law enforcement partners are determined to crack down on this serious crime. Again, one of the most significant criminal groups active in this field has been taken out of business due to an excellent example of international police cooperation”, said the Deputy Director of Europol, Mr Michel Quillé. He added, “Payment card fraud is a global challenge. Criminals with access to compromised payment card data distribute the data worldwide. In such cases, cross-border cooperation and coordination of international investigations is crucial to effectively tackling this problem”.
Operation Cloning Connection is the latest significant example of a successful action against card skimmers. In July last year, 77 arrests related to another such operation - Night Clone - took place across Europe and in the U.S.A.
Compromising of payment card data
Organised crime groups are always looking for criminal opportunities and for some time they have been targeting the vulnerability of payment cards with magnetic strips. Within the EU, criminals’ work has been made more difficult with the full implementation of EMV technology (chip and PIN), but criminals have since exploited a loophole in these security arrangements by making illegal transactions with EU-issued cards in non-EMV compliant regions, such as the USA, South America and the Russian Federation.
Payment card fraud is an extremely lucrative business, as reported by Europol in its 2011 Organised Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA). The EU is the world’s largest market for payment card transactions and it is estimated that organised crime groups derive more than 1.5 billion euros a year from payment card fraud in the EU.
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6- GANG OF MITSUBISHI CAR THIEVES DISRUPTED
Date: 2012/12/17
[Europol press releases]
Ten people have been arrested, suspected of having stolen approximately 100 Mitsubishi vehicles in Spain and selling them on to customers in Germany and other European countries. The criminal group are thought to have been stealing Mitsubishis from Spain and transferring them to Germany since 2009, bringing in a profit of between 1 and 1.5 million euros for the gang.
Since the end of 2011 the police from Freiburg, Germany, and Guardia Civil from Calpe y Jávea, Alicante, Spain, have been investigating the case in close cooperation with Europol, Italian and Polish police. The criminals, who are of German and Polish nationalities, are responsible for stealing Mitsubishi vehicles and vehicle documents. Their activities were first detected on the Spanish East Coast. Once the gang had located a Mitsubishi vehicle, they broke the lock and stole the car after manipulating the ignition system. Sometimes they only managed to steal the vehicle’s documents, which were then used for the sale of another stolen Mitsubishi. When documents had been stolen from a car, the thieves would mark the car with a discreet sign, i.e. an ‘X’, so that they did not target the same car and documentation again.
On 24 October 2012, 36 searches were conducted in Germany, resulting in the seizure of 26 stolen cars. Most of the cars had been sold in good faith to private individuals who were unaware that the cars were stolen. The 46 year old German main suspect was arrested back in August 2012 and spent one month in custody before he was released on bail. During 2011 and 2012, nine further suspects were arrested in Spain at various stages of the operation, and most recently on 29 November. Further investigations are ongoing.
Europol, the EU law enforcement agency, supported the investigations with operational analysis, the organisation of international operational meetings and - in close cooperation with the German and Spanish Liaison Bureaux at Europol headquarters - fast information exchange between the involved countries was assured.
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7- EUROPOL HOSTS MEETING FOR EXPERTS ON ITALIAN ORGANISED CRIME
Date: 2012/12/18
[Europol press releases]
On 13 and 14 December Europol hosted the first pan-European expert meeting on Italian organised crime. The meeting was attended by investigators and prosecutors, from 11 EU Member States, 4 non-EU countries and representatives from Eurojust and Interpol. Among the speakers were Mr Maurizio De Lucia from the Italian National Anti-Mafia Prosecution Service and Mr Michele Prestipino from the Anti-Mafia Prosecution Service of Reggio Calabria.
Italian organised crime groups such as the Calabrese ‘Ndrangheta’, which at the moment is considered the most dangerous and widespread of the Italian mafias (the other main ones being ‘Cosa Nostra’, the ‘Camorra’ and Apulian organised crime), are present in many countries worldwide. The ‘Ndrangheta’ has the capacity to traffic large quantities of narcotics and brokers prices directly with the producers. The profits made on drugs trafficking are typically laundered and infiltrated into different business areas and local economies. Although the profit generated by Italian organised crime is difficult to quantify, estimates assess the ‘Ndrangheta’ alone has an income of 44 billion euros a year, 62% of which derives from drug trafficking, mainly cocaine.
Several bilateral worldwide initiatives have been taken to tackle Italian organised crime, however no joint initiative has ever been launched to fight against this form of crime in a comprehensive and systematic way. Europol is embracing this challenge and this expert meeting was the first step towards the establishment of a dedicated platform for this crime area, which in popular terms is known as ‘Italian Mafia’
“I am pleased that the Italian authorities have asked us to host this important meeting in order to discuss how we can develop coordinated measures to give us better tools to challenge and dismantle mafia organisations. This meeting is also in line with initiatives by the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering (CRIM) and it pleases me that we are complementing the committee’s important work,” says Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol.
The CRIM committee, chaired by MEP Sonia Alfano, was set up in March 2012. The committee focuses on organised crime, including mafias, which are seen as a real threat to the security and freedom of European citizens. In a recent report from the CRIM committee, drafted by MEP Salvatore Iacolino, it was proposed to give assets confiscated from mafias back to society.
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8. FOUR MILLION COUNTERFEIT EUROS CONFISCATED IN PERU
Date: 2012/12/19
[Europol press releases]
The Hague, the Netherlands
On 19 December 2012, the Peruvian National Police (DIRINCRI - Direccion de Investigacion Criminal), in cooperation with the Brigada de Investigación Del Banco de España (BIBE), the US Secret Service and Europol, dismantled a counterfeit banknote print shop in Lima and arrested one suspect. A total amount of 4 437 000 euros and 4 460 000 US dollars in counterfeit banknotes were seized, all 100 denomination notes. Printing equipment, including an offset press and materials for the production of banknotes, were also confiscated.
The raid was the culmination of an extensive operation that has been ongoing for a number of months and has involved information sharing across a number of international law enforcement agencies. A Europol expert was on the spot to provide technical support to Peruvian authorities and to evaluate the counterfeit euro notes and machinery seized.
“The dismantling of this print shop is the first case that Europol has supported on the spot in Peru and is a significant hit against euro and dollar counterfeit distribution. The success of this operation was made possible through the excellent work of the Peruvian authorities and their cooperation with Brigada de Investigación Del Banco de España (BIBE), the US Secret Service and Europol,” says Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol.
Europol, the European Union's Central Office for Combating Euro Counterfeiting, facilitates the exchange of information, and provides expertise, criminal and forensic analysis, training, financial and technical support to law enforcement agencies inside and outside the European Union.
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9. FAKE COSMETICS, SHAMPOO AND WASHING POWDER DESTINED FOR THE EUROPEAN MARKET CONFISCATED IN POLAND
Date: 2012/12/20
[Europol press releases]
With the support of Europol, an organised criminal group behind the production, storage and distribution of forged body cream, perfume, shampoo and washing powder has been dismantled by Polish police. The criminals were producing fake versions of internationally well-known brands.
On 7 December, 90 police officers searched 14 premises in Poland and arrested six members of the organised crime group behind the illegal factories, warehouses and the wholesale process. One of those arrested was a 44 year old man who was sentenced for forgery of a worldwide known cosmetic product back in 2003. The perpetrators have all been charged with being part of an organised crime group producing and distributing goods with counterfeited trademarks. The products were manufactured under primitive conditions and little attention was given to the creation of a hygienic environment.
The case was initiated after Europol received intelligence from a private company who had identified that one of its products was being counterfeited. It was concerned about the quality and potential health risks of consumers using these fake products, and consequently the reputation of its brand.
Among the various products found during the raid, local authorities seized more than 10 tonnes of counterfeit washing powder, 12 000 bottles and 60 000 labels of shampoos, 15 000 boxes of body creams and 8200 bottles of perfume. The Polish authorities have published that 90 000 boxes of counterfeit cream have been distributed to the UK market alone.
The low risks, in terms of penalty, and the high profits generated by this kind of activity are increasingly attracting organised crime groups. Individuals involved in this case were also known for drugs and cigarettes trafficking.
Europol has supported the investigation since May 2012 with analysis and specialist advice, plus a Europol specialist was present in Poland with Europol’s mobile office during the day of action earlier this week. The investigations are ongoing and more arrests are expected.
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10. FEAR OF TURF WAR BETWEEN OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE GANGS IN EUROPE
Date: 2012/12/21
[Europol press releases]
The Hague, the Netherlands
The arrival of Comancheros and Rebels from Australia, Rock Machine from Canada, plus Mongols and Vagos from the USA creates tension with established outlaw motorcycle clubs in Europe.
The number of Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG) chapters in Europe has increased at a significant rate since 2010 and the total number of chapters is now over 700. The expansion has in particular happened across North-East and South-East Europe. Aside from an increase among the four main groups - Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (MC), Bandidos MC, Outlaws MC and Gremium MC - the increasing number of chapters is also due to the growth of more local groups such as Satudarah Maluku MC and Blue Angels MC in North-West Europe.
In addition to the tensions associated with the expansion of established OMCGs, the arrival of new OMCGs from Australia (e.g. Comanchero MC and Rebels MC), Canada (e.g. Rock Machine MC), and the USA (e.g. Mongols MC and Vagos MC) has brought fear of intergroup conflicts in Europe.
The main driver for OMCGs to expand is feared to be the desire to increase their role in particular criminal markets by opening chapters in strategic locations, for instance along the trafficking routes for drugs, weapons and human beings. Merely establishing a chapter on the ‘turf’ of another OMCG is interpreted as an act of provocation and is likely to result in violent confrontations and retaliation. The ‘Nordic Biker Wars’ of the 1990s serve as a compelling example of the capacity for extreme violence resulting from an increased concentration of OMCGs in Europe.
The main threat to public safety associated with OMCGs stems from their propensity to use extreme forms of violence. This includes the use of automatic rifles like Kalashnikovs, and explosive devices such as grenades, and the indiscriminate nature with which this violence is often used in open conflicts between rival groups. In general, the use of intimidation and violence is intrinsic to the OMCG subculture and serves to exert control over group members and others such as victims of extortion. In displaying their ‘colours’ and identifying symbols – or ‘patches’ - members of these groups exploit the reputation for violence associated with their particular OMCG to affirm their individual roles in local criminal markets. At present, the majority of violent incidents are reportedly occurring within the context of territorial disputes between different OMCGs, as well as rivalries with local organised criminal groups and street gangs.
The modern culture of OMCGs has become less associated with the use of motorcycles and the ‘biker’ lifestyle – in fact, some members do not even have a motorbike or driving license. This transformation is also reflected in the gangs’ recruitment practices and use of affiliated street gangs. Hells Angels MC, for instance, have set up the ‘AK81’ (Altid Klar 81. Translation: ‘Always Ready Hells Angels’) as an armed response to ‘gang conflicts’ over local criminal markets in Denmark. When recruiting, OMCGs target members of prison gangs, right-wing extremist groups, the hooligan scene and the military, to draw on specialist knowledge and skills.
OMCG members are also known as one-percenters (1%) and they even wear a patch declaring this on their vests, to distinguish themselves from the 99 percent of bikers who are law-abiding citizens.
Given the significant expansion of OMCGs and charters in Europe, Europol has informed its law enforcement partners that dedicated monitoring and analysis is needed because of the risk of clashes and the possible impact on the general organised crime situation.
Europol offers support to countries facing the challenge of dealing with outlaw motorcycle gangs through its analytical and criminal intelligence-sharing capabilities. Law enforcement partners are also encouraged to establish a single point of contact within national law enforcement authorities to deal with the problem effectively.
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