Latest news with #criminalorganizations
BBC News
14 hours ago
- BBC News
Ketamine swapped for salt as smugglers exploit Europe loophole in booming market
The customs officers at Brussels Airport were stunned. They had opened crates in the back of a lorry expecting to find a tonne of medical ketamine. But somewhere on its journey, the white powder had been switched for zigzagging hundreds of miles across Europe, the contents of the consignment had been verified five days earlier by customs officers at Schipol Airport in the Netherlands, ready for its road trip to somewhere between Amsterdam and Brussels the ketamine had vanished - the authorities believe most likely into the black market - replaced by the salt and freshly forged it is not known where the drug ended up, and no-one responsible has been caught, this case shows the increasingly elaborate methods crime gangs are using to traffic ketamine across Europe and into the exploit its classification in some countries as a legal medicine by transporting it across multiple borders to confuse the authorities. Consignments then disappear and are illegally sold as a hallucinogenic drug."It's clear that criminal organisations are misusing all these long routes," says Marc Vancoillie, head of Belgium's central directorate of investigators have uncovered at least 28 similar consignment switches - involving an estimated 28 tonnes of ketamine - since this case in 2023. Some criminal gangs are now making more money from selling ketamine than other illegal drugs such as cocaine, Mr Vancoille told us, describing the situation as an the UK, ketamine consumption has risen 85% between 2023 and 2024, wastewater analysis - sampling human waste from sewage plants to measure the scale of illicit drug use - figures show there were 53 deaths involving ketamine in 2023. It has been linked to high-profile deaths including those of Friends actor Matthew Perry and drag star The Vivienne. Abuse of the drug can also lead to cognitive problems and permanent bladder organised crime groups "are clearly stepping into this new market", says Adam Thompson from the National Crime Agency (NCA).The challenge for European law enforcement agencies is compounded by the fact that ketamine is used as a vital legitimate anaesthetic in hospitals and veterinary clinics, as well as being a popular illegal recreational on 4 Investigates has examined how organised crime groups are exploiting this dual classification. In countries such as the UK and Belgium, ketamine is classified as a in countries including Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, it is regulated as a medicine, meaning it faces less scrutiny during its import and transit."It starts off being produced for those markets and exported from countries like India," said Mr Thompson. "But then it's diverted by organised crime groups into illicit supply." Armed with this knowledge, the smugglers have developed a preferred route - shipping the drug from India, where it is legitimately produced as a medicine, into Germany, through the Netherlands and Belgium, then on to the the case of the disappearing consignment at Brussels Airport, the drug was originally flown from India to Austria. It was then driven to Germany before being flown to the Netherlands where it was unloaded again and readied for the road trip to Belgium. During all of these connections it was being moved somewhere during this last leg, it was swapped with salt - and it is thought the ketamine entered the black market for illegal another case, a container arriving at the Belgian port of Antwerp which had been verified as containing ketamine, was found to hold groups are also exploiting legal supply chains by setting up front companies to import ketamine under the guise of legitimate use, only to divert it into illicit markets once it arrives in more countries and jurisdictions it goes through, the more difficult it is to investigate, requiring liaison between law enforcement agencies, Belgian and Dutch Police told the BBC. It also helps disguise where the front company - an import company which obtains a legitimate licence - is based."They [the criminals] will put all kinds of steps - companies in different countries - in between. So it's hard for us to backtrack if we find any large quantities of ketamine," said Ch Insp Peter Jansen, a drug expert from the Dutch police. Listen: The Ketamine Trail - Paul Kenyon investigates how tonnes of the drug are getting into the UK Germany, Europe's biggest importer of ketamine, has a huge pharmaceutical industry, so large consignments are less likely to raise 2023 alone,100 tonnes of ketamine were imported from India, Mr Vancoillie says - far more than would be expected for legitimate medical and veterinary use."Between 20 to 25% will be necessary for legal purposes and not more," he told us. "It's tonnes and tonnes and tonnes that disappeared in criminal routes."European police forces say they are planning to liaise with the Indian authorities to try to tackle the problem, with Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office telling us it carries out intensive monitoring of new psychoactive substances like added it was "in close contact with national and international authorities, organisations and institutions in order to be able to anticipate and react to further developments and new trends". 'Needle in a haystack' The smuggling network sees plenty of reward in England and Wales, where an estimated 269,000 people aged 16-59 reported using ketamine in the year ending March 2024, government figures show. Among young people aged 16-24, usage has soared by 231% since 2013."Ketamine is a very cheap drug compared to some other illicit drugs," the NCA's Adam Thompson explained. "It's sold for about £20 a gram at street level, compared to £60 to £100 for cocaine."The drug is being smuggled into the UK through two main routes - concealed in small parcels sent by post, or hidden in lorries and vans arriving via ferries and the Channel Tunnel, the NCA hundreds of thousands of parcels arriving in the UK only a small percentage are spotted. It's "very easy to hide that needle in the haystack," Mr Thompson Belgium, some criminal groups are using AirBnBs to store ketamine before sending it through France to the UK, by cars, lorries or trucks, according to Mr one case, somebody reported as suspicious a group of men who were moving IKEA boxes into a van. The vehicle had been hired, which meant the authorities were able to track its prior movements back to an AirBnB in Staden, they found 480kg (1,058lbs) of ketamine, along with 117kg of cocaine, and 63kg of heroin, stored in a British nationals were eventually linked to the case and ketamine use continues to rise and trafficking methods grow more inventive, authorities across Europe are calling for greater international co-operation."It's a responsibility of agencies and countries across the globe," Mr Thompson warned, "to think about this."
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Colombia's cycling star ‘Lucho' Herrera quizzed over murder conspiracy
Luis 'Lucho' Herrera has publicly denied belonging to criminal organisations. (EPA Images pic) BOGOTA : Former top cyclist Luis 'Lucho' Herrera appeared before Colombian prosecutors yesterday, to address claims he was involved in the murder of four farmers decades ago. Sixty-four-year-old Herrera voluntarily appeared at the offices of prosecutors in the capital Bogota, AFP reporters witnessed. He was to be questioned about allegations by two former paramilitaries that in 2002 he conspired to kill four of his neighbours in central Colombia. The two ex-paramilitaries – members of one of the bloody far-right death squads that for decades fought Colombia left-wing guerrillas – claim 'Lucho' gave them about US$9,700 to murder four men. They alleged that Herrera claimed the men were rebels who wanted to kidnap him, but were in fact farmers who had refused to sell their land. Lawyer Hernando Benavides said his client Herrera was innocent and a 'victim of events of which he is unaware'. One of the paramilitaries was recently sentenced to more than 22 years in prison over the forced disappearance of the men. A source from the prosecutor's office told AFP that Herrera had been invited to provide his 'free version' of events, and was not obliged to attend as he is not listed as a defendant. Herrera has publicly denied belonging to criminal organisations or purposely causing anyone harm. But he could yet face formal charges. His brother Rafael Herrera was also requested to be present yesterday.
The National
6 days ago
- The National
Syrian government says it has seized all Captagon production labs
Stimulant has been an illicit export for years and has become popular across the Middle East
Phone Arena
21-05-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Verizon wants to keep customers locked to its network for longer
Verizonhas requested the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to free it from the requirement of unlocking phones after 60 days of you buy a phone through a carrier, it's usually locked to that company's network for a predetermined period, preventing you from using the handset on another network. As Light Reading notes, when Verizon purchased 700MHz spectrum in 2008, it agreed to unlock phones after 60 days. The FCC upheld this condition when approving the company's acquisition of Tracfone in 2021. Verizon has argued that it should be freed from this obligation as it only harms consumers, competition, and itself. Verizon believes it isn't fair that it's one of the only few companies subject to this requirement. It also points out that all carriers have different locking practices, mainly because the FCC adopts requirements according to circumstances specific to each provider. For instance, T-Mobile was asked to commit to a 60-day unlocking period for MVNOs Mint and Ultra which it acquired last year — Verizon , May 2025 The FCC proposed a rule last year that would introduce a uniform unlocking policy of 60 says. T-Mobile and AT&T have voiced disapproval of the policy, arguing it would impact their ability to combat fraud and offer device subsidies. Verizon also claims that the policy makes it easier for criminal organizations to traffick subsidized devices from the US to foreign countries. Verizon says it loses hundreds of millions of dollars every year from subsidies paid to fraudsters. A 60-day locking period is not enough to deter device fraud, according to the company. Verizon states that since it's one of the few companies subject to a 60-day unlocking period, it has become the main target of such fraud. According to an analysis by the Brattle Group, there was a "sharp increase in the number of TracFone devices that deactivated before making enough payments for Verizon to recover the subsidy on the device" after the unlocking period was reduced from 365 days to 60 days. The company also says the unlocking rule is outdated and the industry has evolved a lot since its introduction 18 years ago. At that time, carriers subsidized phones and required customers to commit to multi-year service contracts to recoup the cost of discounts. Customers who wished to leave early were charged a termination fee. — Verizon , May 2025 The company says the 60-day rule impedes its ability to discount devices and compete aggressively for price-sensitive consumers, particularly in the prepaid market. Interestingly, the company hasn't said it will increase subsidies if the rule is waived. Instead, it says the removal of the rule will allow it to "more effectivelydeploy subsidies and other mechanisms to make phones more affordable, lower upfront costs, and enable customers to obtain quality, cutting-edge devices."Lastly, Verizon says that the FCC might be overreaching its authority by imposing rules like this. The company expects the Commission to rescind the requirement until an industry-wide unlocking policy is officially introduced. Verizon hasn't said how long it wants to keep phones locked, but notes in its filing that the industry standard is a minimum of 6 months or longer. — Verizon , May 2025
