Crime Intel

Mauritius: Eight Thai nationals have been detained in an investigation into suspected maritime drug deliveries involving the Thai-flagged yacht Dreamer, intercepted off Mauritius last week. 1/5

Seven crew members were arrested following a search of the yacht on October 23, while an eighth suspect was detained at Mauritius's international airport on October 27 as he prepared to leave the country. 4/5

Police seized mobile phones, cash and documents, and reportedly discovered photographs of suspected drug packages. 5/5

Mauritius: Eight Thai nationals have been detained in an investigation into suspected maritime drug deliveries involving the Thai-flagged yacht Dreamer, intercepted off Mauritius last week. 1/5

Investigators are examining reports that speedboats approached the vessel to collect bags of cannabis and hashish for distribution on the island. 2/5

Local reporting indicates that the inquiry concerns two suspected cannabis shipments totaling more than one tonne, although authorities have not confirmed recovering that quantity. 3/5

Spain: For the first time, a Spanish court has applied maritime piracy charges to a suspected drug-trafficking crew accused of attacking police in Spanish territorial waters. 1/5

The suspects, three Spaniards, one Albanian and one Colombian, also face accusations of smuggling and assaulting law enforcement. The judge extended the piracy accusation to all five occupants, not just the pilot, reasoning that the violent maneuver formed part of their coordinated escape. 4/5

The decision opens a new legal avenue for prosecuting attacks by maritime drug-trafficking networks. 5/5

Spain: For the first time, a Spanish court has applied maritime piracy charges to a suspected drug-trafficking crew accused of attacking police in Spanish territorial waters. 1/5

Five men were remanded in custody after their high-speed boat rammed the Guardia Civil patrol vessel Río Guadalmedina during a pursuit near the mouth of the Guadalquivir River on October 22. 2/5

Officers had interrupted a gasoline transfer between two narcolanchas, prompting a chase lasting approximately 100 minutes. The collision tore a 63-by-32-centimeter hole in the patrol boat's hull and injured four officers. 3/5

Denmark: Six men convicted of continuing the activities of the banned Loyal to Familia (LTF) gang are appealing their sentences as proceedings begin in the Eastern High Court in Copenhagen. 1/4

Police observed young men on bicycles monitoring access routes, while the photograph was later circulated on Instagram with references to LTF and another gang. Participants subsequently gathered at an Østerbro restaurant, where police also documented security arrangements. 3/4

In March 2024, Copenhagen City Court convicted 11 men, ruling that the events were organized demonstrations of the gang's continued presence rather than ordinary social gatherings. They received prison sentences ranging from 30 days to four months. 4/4

Denmark: Six men convicted of continuing the activities of the banned Loyal to Familia (LTF) gang are appealing their sentences as proceedings begin in the Eastern High Court in Copenhagen. 1/4

The case concerns two gatherings on March 26, 2022, when approximately 50–60 men assembled on Blågårds Plads, posed for a group photograph and displayed hand signs associated with LTF. 2/4

Türkiye: Police in Istanbul have arrested S. G., an internationally wanted suspect accused by Belgian authorities of running a major cocaine trafficking network that transported 2 tons of cocaine concealed in 6 tons of copper powder from Colombia to Belgium. 1/4

According to Türkiye's Interior Ministry, S. G. held a leadership position in one of Belgium's major cocaine trafficking organizations, maintaining contacts in Colombia and coordinating shipments for distribution across Europe. 3/4

Investigators also accuse him of procuring chemicals used to separate cocaine from the substances in which it had been concealed or absorbed, a method designed to disguise narcotics within apparently legitimate cargo. 4/4

The suspect was detained on October 28 in the Zeytinburnu district during an operation by Istanbul's narcotics and intelligence police. 2/4

New Zealand: Police seized 137 kg of cocaine concealed as 137 individual bricks inside several bags within a shipping container at a south Auckland facility, after staff raised the alarm during unpacking. 1/2

The shipment, which arrived from the Netherlands via Balboa, Panama, also contained two Glock pistols, multiple ammunition magazines, and about 200 rounds of ammunition. Authorities have launched an investigation and are coordinating with international law enforcement and New Zealand Customs. 2/2

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Colombia: Navy seized 1.25 tons of cocaine hidden among fish inside rectangular packages, distributed in 42 bales, aboard an artisanal vessel intercepted west of Chocó during a maritime interdiction operation in coordination with the JIATF/S. 1/2

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The packages were concealed in ice chests within the cargo hold. Three crew members were arrested, and the vessel was towed to Buenaventura Coast Guard Station. 2/2

Bolivia: Brazilian Engri Júnior de Almeida Maia, 38, known as “Júnior Trindade” or the “Pablo Escobar of Goiás”, was captured after a shootout with anti-narcotics police in Concepción, Santa Cruz, on October 24. Shot in the head, he remains hospitalized in critical condition. 1/4

Bolivian authorities accuse him of involvement in 12–15 contract killings in Bolivia and more than 40 cases in Brazil, including suspected links to the murder of a Bolivian police officer. 3/4

Investigators say his network used aircraft to transport cocaine toward Brazil and potentially Europe, while providing logistical support and armed protection to other trafficking organizations, including Sebastián Marset's network. 4/4

Brazilian investigators identify him as the founder and leader of Amigos do Estado (ADE), a criminal organization linked to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). 2/4

Mexico: Authorities dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory in Los Brasiles, Culiacán, confiscating 100 kg of methamphetamine, 32 liters of chemical precursors, and diverse production equipment, which was destroyed on-site to prevent further use.

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USA: Federal prosecutors have charged 13 people, including 11 US citizens, with transporting stolen vehicles from the US into Mexico for use by drug cartels. 1/3

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The investigation, Operation Southbound Takedown, uncovered a suspected supply route in which privately owned cars and rental vehicles were stolen across the Southwest, driven to El Paso, Texas, and delivered across the border to criminal organizations. 2/3

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Authorities have recovered 29 vehicles worth approximately $1.14 million, including armored SUVs and a modified pickup truck. Investigators say the vehicles supported cartel operations rather than simply being resold on the black market. 3/3

Italy: The Supreme Court has overturned an order keeping Giuseppe Calabrò, 76, a suspected ’ndrangheta figure, in custody while he appeals a life sentence for the 1975 kidnapping and murder of 18-year-old Cristina Mazzotti. 1/4

He initially remained free after sentencing because, under Italian law, the verdict was not final. Police arrested him two days later over concerns he might flee, citing suspected mafia connections and a plane ticket to Calabria. 3/4

However, the Supreme Court found insufficient evidence of a current flight risk or an active criminal network capable of helping him escape. The Milan Tribunal must now reassess his detention. His life sentence remains in place pending appeal. 4/4

The teenager was abducted for ransom and died after being held in an underground pit and heavily sedated, despite her family paying for her release. Calabrò, known as “'u Dutturicchiu”, remained free for decades before being convicted in February 2026, more than 50 years after the crime. 2/4

Italy: Antonio Macrì, 57, a convicted ’ndrangheta figure from Crotone, has had his 41-bis prison regime revoked after 19 years following a ruling by the Rome Surveillance Court. 1/5

One justification cited the use of German hackers by Crotone-based clans, despite Macrì having no access to computers since 2007. His defence also disputed claims about his leadership position and questioned whether he belonged to the Megna or Vrenna-Bonaventura-Corigliano clan. 4/5

Macrì will remain imprisoned under a high-security regime, with his sentence scheduled to end in 2031. 5/5

Italy: Antonio Macrì, 57, a convicted ’ndrangheta figure from Crotone, has had his 41-bis prison regime revoked after 19 years following a ruling by the Rome Surveillance Court. 1/5

Macrì, formerly identified as a leading figure in a criminal group operating in Crotone’s Fondo Gesù district, was convicted of mafia association and murder in the Herakles maxi-trial. 2/5

His lawyers successfully challenged repeated extensions of the restrictive regime, arguing that authorities relied on investigations into ’ndrangheta activities with no demonstrated connection to him. 3/5

Spain: The police have announced the results of Operation Sauron, a major investigation into a hashish trafficking network importing drugs from Morocco, with 86 suspects arrested and 10.8 tonnes of hashish seized. 1/5

Investigators also discovered that Moreno received more than €5,000 net per month from a graphic arts company without working there, as part of a suspected money-laundering arrangement. 4/5

The investigation involved 33 searches, seizures of 21.8 kg of marijuana, 25 vehicles and nearly €466,000 in cash, with 18 suspects remanded in custody. 5/5

The organization operated seven storage and distribution hubs across Madrid, Guadalajara and Valencia, using encrypted communications, rented properties and industrial warehouses. 2/5

Investigators identified Juan Carlos T. B., alias “Moreno”, as the network's leader, responsible for negotiating supplies in Morocco and coordinating shipments into Spain. He escaped a police operation in Madrid in March but was arrested in Tangier on October 8 and is awaiting extradition. 3/5

France: Gendarmes are searching the Atlantic coastline for a suspected 15-tonne cocaine shipment believed to be drifting towards beaches between the Basque Country and the northern tip of the Médoc peninsula. 1/4

Investigators have not established where the shipment originated, which vessel transported it or why the cargo may have been abandoned at sea. Possible explanations include mechanical problems or an emergency dumping to avoid interception. 3/4

The situation recalls the cocaine wash-ups along France's Atlantic coast in 2019. 4/4

A gendarmerie helicopter was deployed to monitor the coastline as authorities prepared for possible cocaine packages washing ashore. 2/4