Hammer of justice! Drug dealers watch in bewilderment as police dressed in superhero costumes smash down door and shut down narcotics operation
The caped crusaders then force their way into the building and seize packages of cocaine and marijuana, as the suspects watch on in bewilderment.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Thousands of vapes and cigarettes seized in Grimsby raids
Thousands of illegal vapes and cigarettes, hundreds of which were hidden in two loft hatches, have been seized in police products were seized from shops in Grimsby on Wednesday during a Trading Standards and Humberside Police were found placed between machinery and in a wall Ron Shepherd, from North East Lincolnshire Council, said: "We could raid this today and it will be back trading tomorrow, that's how frequent it's happening." In the first shop, sniffer dog Griff discovered illegal vapes, cigarettes and hand-rolled tobacco hidden in loft dog handler Stuart Philips told the BBC: "They put these concealments up high because they think that the dogs can't detect things high."But the dog was on to it, we hadn't even been in the shop for two minutes." In the same shop, a "considerable quantity" of illegal vapes were found hidden among electric units in the building.A further amount of illegal tobacco products were found in another shop, hidden in a make-shift hatch above a door. A ban on single-use vapes came into force in June and they must now be reusable, refillable and should also have an internal tank capacity of no more than 2ml and the level of nicotine in the vaping fluid should not exceed 20ml, the council's trading standards department products must be registered with the Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency prior to being released on to the market, the council added. The authority said the operations were carried out to "stamp out the illegal trade of tobacco products in our borough".Councillor Ron Shepherd, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities, said the raids had led to "an amazing find"."Keeping these products, that do not meet safety standards and are putting lives at risk, off the streets is our main priority."I hope this acts as a warning to others selling illegal products [that] we will not tolerate it."Ch Insp Alasdair Booth, of Humberside Police, said the operation had been undertaken "in direct response" to "concerns raised by the local community". Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
The Independent
21 hours ago
- The Independent
Peru seizes record 4-ton mercury shipment in fight against illegal gold mining
Peruvian customs officials have seized a record-breaking shipment of illegal mercury, exposing a cross-border smuggling network that is fueling one of the Amazon's most destructive criminal economies: illicit gold mining. The 4-ton haul — the largest mercury seizure ever made in an Amazon country and one of the world's largest — was discovered in June at the port of Callao, hidden inside gravel-filled bags on a cargo ship bound for Bolivia. Though labeled as crushed stone, the shipment was flagged by customs agents based on international intelligence sharing. 'This crushed stone was laced with mercury,' said Jorge Gallo Alvarado, head of customs enforcement at SUNAT, Peru's tax and customs agency. 'It's a restricted substance because it's used in illegal alluvial mining.' The container, which originated in Mexico, was singled out for inspection by SUNAT's risk analysis team. U.S. specialists later confirmed the presence of mercury embedded in the gravel — a tactic increasingly used to avoid detection at ports. The seized goods are valued at roughly $500,000, SUNAT said. High-value illicit trade Authorities say the bust marks a turning point in efforts to dismantle the supply chains behind the Amazon's illicit gold trade. Mercury, a powerful neurotoxin banned or tightly restricted in many countries, remains essential to the process used by illegal miners across the rainforest to extract gold from river sediment. The method is simple but dangerous: miners mix mercury with gold particles to form an amalgam, then burn it off, releasing toxic vapor into the air. The leftover mercury often flows into rivers, where it transforms into methylmercury — its most dangerous form — and builds up in fish and aquatic life. 'This is a very important seizure,' said Luis Fernandez, a research professor and mercury expert at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, who traveled to Lima to assess the find. 'We don't often see mercury seizures at this scale, especially not in transit through formal customs points," he said. Fernandez estimated the mercury could have been used to produce roughly 1,600 kilograms (3,527 pounds) of gold — worth more than $172 million at current prices. 'This isn't subsistence mining,' he said. 'It's organized, high-value illicit trade with serious environmental and public health consequences.' A 'gold-mercury-drug trifecta' In Peru's Madre de Dios region, an epicenter of illegal mining, mercury contamination has been detected in drinking water, fish and even breast milk. Long-term exposure to methylmercury can cause irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system, particularly in children and pregnant women. Indigenous and riverine communities that rely on fish for food are especially vulnerable. Peruvian authorities say much of the mercury entering the country is smuggled from Mexico, where it's mined in central states such as Querétaro. Prices have surged in recent years due to booming global demand for gold, reaching as high as $330 per kilogram of mercury — and more than $3,500 per ounce of gold — earlier this year. Some of the mercury seized in June is believed to have originated in small, artisanal mines inside a UNESCO ‑protected biosphere reserve. While the Environmental Investigation Agency, a nonprofit watchdog that investigates environmental crime, has documented that at least 30 tons of mercury have been trafficked annually from Mexico to countries like Peru and Colombia by a single criminal network, the real volume is likely higher. Soaring gold prices and a 400% markup on mercury in the Amazon compared to Mexico have made smuggling increasingly lucrative. Seizures and monitoring suggest flows rose to an estimated 56 tons in 2024, with further increases expected this year. Colombia remains one of the highest per capita emitters of mercury worldwide, with total annual releases reaching up to 150 tons, much of it tied to illegal gold mining. EIA's latest investigation, released in tandem with Peru's announcement, describes a growing 'gold-mercury-drug trifecta' linking illegal mining to transnational crime and environmental degradation. The group's investigators documented how organized criminal groups — including Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel — are now involved in mercury mining and trafficking. 'Until mercury mines are no longer in operation, traffickers will leave no stone unturned to smuggle the metal,' the report states. Growing calls to close mercury mines Traffickers often disguise mercury shipments with false paperwork and front companies, allowing them to slip through customs. Once across the border, the metal is sold to illegal mining camps — often in protected forests or Indigenous territories — where it becomes almost impossible to trace. In Colombia, security sources say armed groups such as the National Liberation Army and the Gulf Clan play a central role in the mercury-for-gold trade. Similar dynamics have been reported in Brazil and Bolivia, where enforcement is weak and black-market demand is high. Although Peru ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013, enforcement has struggled to keep up with the pace and adaptability of trafficking networks. 'These networks are agile,' Fernandez said. 'As gold prices rise, they adapt quickly. Customs authorities need tools, training, and resources to keep pace.' Adam Dolezal, extractive industries campaigner at EIA, said the seizure shows what is possible when customs systems are properly resourced and coordinated — but warned that enforcement alone won't stop the trade. 'Unless mercury production is shut down at the source, this toxic trade will continue,' Dolezal said. Calls are growing to close remaining mercury mines in Mexico and reform global controls on the metal. The issue is expected to take center stage at the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention later this year, where advocates hope to eliminate legal loopholes that allow mercury to be traded for small-scale mining. ____ ____ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Brazil's top court rules out Bolsonaro arrest, for now
BRASILIA, July 24 (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court decided on Thursday not to order the arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro for an "isolated" breach of court-imposed restrictions, but warned he could be imprisoned for future violations. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case in which Bolsonaro is charged with plotting a coup, kept in place the restraining orders he imposed on the former president and clarified he is not forbidden from giving interviews. Moraes last week ordered Bolsonaro to wear an ankle bracelet and stop using social media over allegations he courted the interference of U.S. President Donald Trump, who tied new tariffs on Brazil to what he called a "witch hunt" against his ally. On Monday, the justice threatened Bolsonaro with arrest, saying he breached the restrictions on his social media use - including through third parties - when he talked to journalists in Brasilia. Moraes wrote in his Thursday decision that there is "no doubt" the order has not been complied with, saying that Bolsonaro's son Eduardo, who is in the U.S. to drum up support for his father in Washington, posted the former president's remarks on social media to benefit him. The justice added, however, that given that the breach was "isolated," it did not call for an arrest order. Bolsonaro's lawyers did not immediately comment on Thursday's decision, but the former president has always denied any wrongdoing. In an last week, Bolsonaro described Moraes' decision to prohibit his social media use as "cowardice," and said he intended to continue engaging with the press to ensure his voice was heard.
