232 arrested as Europol dismantles four major drug smuggling networks
BRUSSELS — Authorities have dismantled four major criminal networks responsible for fuelling the flow of drugs into the European Union and Turkey, the EU's law enforcement agency Europol said in a statement.
It follows a series of "coordinated raids" supported by the agency, which led to the arrest of 232 suspects, including several "high-value targets".
Europol said the investigation, codenamed Operation Bulut, took place across multiple jurisdictions and involved authorities in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
The law enforcement agency said that the groups were arrested in connection with the seizure of at least 21 tonnes of drugs in Europe and Turkey, including 3.3 million MDMA tablets.
Europol said the groups had used both traditional smuggling routes and sophisticated logistics.
Investigators also reportedly exposed the groups' involvement in money laundering, violent crime and a wider network of organized criminal activity.
Europol said that the use of "encrypted communication platforms" such as Sky ECC and ANOM had been a crucial tool in the operation.
Over the past two years, Europol has played a key role in coordinating efforts across Europe to support investigations into these criminal networks, the agency said.
By hosting high-level coordination meetings, Europol brought together all involved countries to develop a joint strategy, while intelligence shared through its channels helped map the networks' structure and identify links to other cases, it added.
However, fighting drug trafficking networks in Europe is "a game of cat and mouse," according to Socialist Member of the European Parliament, Sandro Ruotolo.
He was part of a parliamentary delegation that visited the ports of Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands to assess measures to clamp down on the flow of drugs at two of the European Union's major entry points.
The MEPs toured container terminals and met with local port authorities to receive briefings on how organized crime gangs conduct their drug smuggling operations.
"We know the amount of drugs being seized, but how much is actually getting through?" Ruotolo asked, explaining that while scanners at the port of Rotterdam can detect cocaine hidden inside fruit, they are unable to spot it when it is concealed in fabrics. — Euronews
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