Latest news with #Smugglers
Telegraph
12-07-2025
- Telegraph
French police scupper migrant crossing attempt with tear gas
French police fired rounds of tear gas into a crowd of migrants as they hid in sand dunes hoping to board a dinghy bound for Britain. A group of around 200 asylum seekers, including 10 Vietnamese and at least three young children, were forced by police to abandon their attempts to cross the Channel from Gravelines beach, 26 km north-east of Calais, in the early hours of Saturday morning. An inflatable black and white dinghy carrying a dozen asylum seekers and people smugglers onboard, was launched at around 4am (GMT) from the canal that runs through the heart of the seaside town. Only one of its passengers was wearing a life jacket. Another wore a flimsy, bright green inflatable ring around his waist. Smugglers exploit perfect weather The dinghy sailed down the canal to the sea under an auburn sky and in still winds – ideal conditions for the smuggling gangs who have managed to transport 973 migrants into Dover over the past two days. It came to a rest near the shoreline and bobbed gently up and down, waiting for its human cargo. Moments later, 50 migrants broke cover from the dunes, where they had camped overnight, and sprinted across the beach in desperation to reach the dinghy before the police had time to intervene. French police fired a barrage of tear gas, a chemical favoured by riot police that causes severe eye and respiratory pain, into the throng and the dunes, scuppering their plans. In a cloud of irritating white smoke the group beat a hasty retreat. They clambered over a 12ft-high sea wall of rocks and fled towards the town where they looked for a bus to take them back to their makeshift camp in Dunkirk, 13 miles away. Those aboard the dinghy swiftly abandoned the vessel and followed suit. Dressed in tactical gear, the officers walked up to the dinghy, empty of passengers, and plunged their knives into it leaving it a crumpled heap on the sandy white beach. Two of the officers were seen afterwards posing for selfies in front of the deflated dinghy. From resort to trafficking hub Gravelines, a seaside resort town that relies on tourism, has become a trafficking hub for migrants, where as many as 300 can leave in a single day, according to its deputy mayor. It is just one of dozens of beaches on the 200km stretch of coastline used by smugglers. Police officers have admitted it is almost impossible to effectively monitor the entire stretch seven days a week. On Thursday, only hours after Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, and Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, announced a 'one in one out' migrants deal, in the hope of breaking the operations of people smuggling gangs, 573 migrants were trafficked to the UK in 10 small boats. The following day, 353 were trafficked on five small boats. Saturday saw a heavy police presence on the beaches. In Ambleteuse and Wissant beaches, The Telegraph were questioned at 3am in the morning by gendarmes scouring the nearby sand dunes for migrant camps.
Korea Herald
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Lim Yoon-a leads genre-bending 'Pretty Crazy' from hitmaker behind 'Exit'
'Exit' stars Cho Jung-seok and Lim Yoon-a clash in a summer box office battle Never mind red flags — picture the girl next door turning into a demon at night. In "Pretty Crazy," Lim Yoon-a takes on a dual persona in this genre-blending summer entry from the team behind "Exit." "Pretty Crazy" centers on Gil-goo (Ahn Bo-hyun), who falls for Seon-ji (Lim Yoon-a), a new tenant living one floor below. But the budding romance takes a sharp turn when Gil-goo discovers that Seon-ji transforms into a demon each night. Her father soon ropes Gil-goo into the part-time job of protecting her after dark. Backing the film is Film R&K, known for producing consistent summer hits such as "Exit," "Escape from Mogadishu" and "Smugglers," as well as last year's "I, the Executioner." The film reunites Lim with director Lee Sang-geun, following their successful collaboration on "Exit," which drew more than 9.4 million moviegoers during its theatrical run. Lim, an actor as well as a member of K-pop group Girls' Generation, cited their past work together as a key reason she returned. 'I had so many good memories from working on 'Exit,'' Lim said during a press conference held Wednesday in Seoul's Yongsan-gu. 'I remember thinking how happy I'd be if I ever got to work with this team again, and then the director offered me such a lovable character that I gladly agreed to join the project.' Director Lee also reflected on what drove him to make "Pretty Crazy." 'When thinking about what to present as my second film, I felt that since my previous work had a large-scale setup, this time I wanted to create a project that dives deeper into characters and the human experience,' he said. Lim detailed the physical and stylistic changes she underwent to portray Seon-ji's split nature. 'I wanted there to be a clear visual distinction at a glance,' she said. 'Daytime Seon-ji has a pure, clean and girlish image, so I adjusted my hairstyle, wardrobe and even voice tone to reflect that.' She continued, 'For the demonic version of Seonji, I paid attention to every detail from head to toe. While the daytime version has straight hair, the demonic Seon-ji has a curly hairstyle with bold elements. I even got nail art and wore colored contact lenses to show a completely different look. I also tried to differentiate my voice tone, facial expressions and even the way I laughed.' "Pretty Crazy" opens in theaters Aug. 13, shortly following the release of "My Daughter is a Zombie," led by Cho Jung-seok, Lim's "Exit" co-star, now returning as her box office competition. 'I can't believe it's already been six years since 'Exit.' Back then, Cho and I were partners, so it feels meaningful to greet audiences this summer through different films, side by side,' Lim said. ''My Daughter is a Zombie' opens first, and I hope that crowds will continue to pack the theaters with 'Pretty Crazy' right after it.'
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- The Hindu
CCB finds drug peddler they arrested last year still operating from prison
While probing a drug peddling ring in the city, sleuths from the Central Crime Branch have discovered that a 32-year-old person from Kerala, arrested in a drugs case, continued to operate from within the Central Prison complex for the last year over phone. This has again raised questions over security at the prison complex. How can inmates use cell phones despite state-of-the-art jammers is a question that has been dogging the prison for nearly a year now. During a raid on the prison against this accused, he reportedly managed to destroy the cell phone. Based on the findings of a probe, CCB officials recently seized ₹8.7 lakh, part of the proceeds of the crime from different bank accounts after obtaining a court order under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976. According to the police, the accused Amir Khan was arrested by CCB officials in November, 2024, in Amruthahalli and the police recovered MDMA crystals worth ₹71 lakh from him. The accused was booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 and remanded in judicial custody and lodged at the Central Prison. However, when the CCB recently unearthed another drug racket and arrested a peddler, he reportedly confessed that he was supplying the drugs on behalf of Amir Khan, who was operating from the prison. Further investigation revealed that the accused used to get instructions on WhatsApp from Amir Khan and would supply the drugs to consumers through the 'drop location' method. Based on this information, officials obtained the body warrant and took Amir Khan into custody which revealed that the money from the drug trade was being transferred to bank accounts belonging to his relatives. The accounts have been traced and the money seized. The CCB officials invoked SAFEM (FOP) Act, 1976 and NDPS Act, 1985 to seize the proceeds of the crime. The accused challenged the CCB move, but was turned down by the court, sources said.
