\r\n\u00a9 2022<\/p>\r\n
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The cocaine traffickers targeted in this investigation used different maritime routes and modus operandi. The criminal network is connected to a seizure of over half a tonne of cocaine, with a street value of a EUR 50 million, at the port of Plo\u010de in southern Croatia in late March 2021. The drugs were concealed in a modified cargo container floor. This seizure is a further indication that international drug trafficking organisations are increasingly targeting smaller EU ports.<\/p>
On the action day on 26 November 2024, law enforcement authorities arrested 11 suspects (2 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1 in Croatia and 8 in Serbia). One of them is a high-value target. During the house searches, law enforcement officers seized weapons and a large amount of ammunition, as well as several expensive vehicles, watches and over EUR 1 million in cash. Four other individuals under investigation for belonging to this network are already in imprisoned. International Arrest Warrants have been issued for three others.
The criminal network bribed several corrupt customs\u2019 officer to avoid police and customs controls during the logistical phase of the export. One corrupt customs officer was arrested during the operation. The other arrests were of members of the criminal network who played different roles in the organisation. Some of them led different criminal cells, while others either financed the activities or coordinated and arranged the logistics. One of the suspects, a high-value target arrested in Serbia, was already wanted by an EU Member State. He was involved in a million-euro theft as part of the notorious Pink Panther group. Both the theft and his escape from prison after his conviction date back to the early 2000s.<\/p>
This investigation is a follow-up to a previous operation against a connected criminal network<\/a>. These cross-border operations are the result of intelligence developments following the takedown in March 2021<\/a> of the encrypted communications platform Sky ECC. The recent takedown of three encrypted communication tools used by criminals \u2013 EncroChat, Sky ECC and Anom \u2013 revealed the prevalence of Balkan criminals in the global cocaine trade and related organised crime activities. The following authorities took part in this action:<\/strong> <\/p>
In cooperation with France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and with the support of Europol\u2019s Drugs Unit, Serbia was able to identify the key targets on its territory and map their criminal activities across the world. This criminal organisation is believed to be linked to a large-scale criminal network importing multi-tonne shipments of cocaine from Colombia through Brazil and Ecuador.<\/p>Europol\u2019s Operational Taskforce<\/h2>
Europol responded to this threat by creating an Operational Taskforce, consisting of countries inside and outside the EU, to effectively combat the threat emanating from criminal networks with ties to this region. This action day is a result of this Operational Taskforce, which is ongoing\u2026.<\/p>