Global Collaboration Against Organised Crime Secures Major Wins

As part of the European Union's Global Illicit Flows Programme (GIFP), CRIMJUST plays a pivotal role in enhancing cross-border collaboration to counter transnational organized crime. It is implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and INTERPOL.

CRIMJUST aims to help law enforcement and judicial authorities work together more effectively along key illegal trafficking routes. It does this by providing technical support and building strong partnerships in the field. Experts from UNODC and INTERPOL have developed trusted networks in places like Latin America, West Africa, and Europe, allowing them to quickly spot new trends and respond to requests for cooperation. This close collaboration makes it easier to share important information and evidence, create targeted investigation plans, and offer support that follows international laws, like the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime.

CRIMJUST supports the coordination of high-impact operations aimed at dismantling complex criminal networks involved in a wide range of transnational crimes, including drug and arms trafficking, crimes that affect the environment, migrant smuggling, and more.

On September 11, 2024, Guinea-Bissau’s Judicial Police achieved a significant breakthrough with the seizure of 2.63 tonnes of cocaine and the arrest of five international crew members at Osvaldo Vieira International Airport. The private aircraft, which had flown in from Venezuela, was intercepted thanks to a large-scale operation made possible through extensive international cooperation. Agencies including the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre (MAOC-N), the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Portuguese Judicial Police, and INTERPOL played a pivotal role in the operation. 

While these agencies were directly involved, CRIMJUST made a noteworthy contribution behind the scenes: during a CRIMJUST investigative case forum in July 2024, these key partners engaged in a constructive dialogue to gain a deeper understanding of the organised crime group responsible for this emerging trafficking route. This facilitated the development of an operational picture and relationships necessary for a timely and coordinated action.

CRIMJUST also contributed to the successful outcome of Operation "Gran Fenix 18 Bianga", which, in March 2024, dismantled a cocaine trafficking network smuggling drugs from Ecuador to The Gambia and Europe. Following an initial seizure of 2.9 tons of cocaine in 2021 in The Gambia, in November 2023, CRIMJUST brought together competent authorities from Ecuador and The Gambia to discuss international cooperation tools and mechanisms to further the investigations. The transcontinental Operation “Gran Fenix 18 Bianga” resulted in ten raids, the seizure of 3.1 tons of cocaine and several arrests. The dismantled criminal network was found to have connections with criminals in Spain and France. 

In another major success, CRIMJUST facilitated the establishment of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) between Cape Verde and Brazil in July 2022. This collaboration contributed to the arrest in October 2023 of one of Europe’s most wanted drug traffickers with the involvement of EUROPOL, connected to the Balkan Cartel. The operation spanned multiple Brazilian states and resulted in 16 arrests, including members of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) criminal organization, demonstrating CRIMJUST’s capacity to support the coordination of targeted operations that dismantle powerful criminal networks.

CRIMJUST’s influence extends beyond drug trafficking. Since February 2024, it has been helping to form a JIT between Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to target the notorious "Tren de Aragua" gang, a transnational criminal organization involved in human trafficking and other serious crimes. 

In June 2024, CRIMJUST held another impactful investigative case forum in Rio de Janeiro, bringing together law enforcement officers from the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Brazil, and Spain. The forum focused on "Operación Vuelta," which sought to dismantle a migrant smuggling network trafficking individuals from the Dominican Republic to Spain using falsified travel documents. Just two months later, Brazilian Federal Police raided several locations in São Paulo, rescuing two victims and uncovering further evidence of the smuggling ring’s operations.

For November 2024, CRIMJUST is planning to bring together prosecutors from the Ibero-American Network of Prosecutors to work on a practical guide to strengthen cross-border cooperation in countering crimes that affect the environment.

Each of these operations illustrates how the Global Illicit Flows Programme through CRIMJUST is fostering critical cross-border collaboration, exchange of information and intelligence, as well as cross-border evidence gathering mechanisms necessary to combat transnational organized crime. From tackling drugs and firearms trafficking to migrant smuggling and countering environment crimes, CRIMJUST has demonstrated its value as a key contributor to the strengthening of global responses against illicit flows. 

By uniting law enforcement, judicial authorities, and investigators across continents creating bridges between different legal systems and national institutions, overcoming language barriers, identifying synergies and cultivating a new mindset among criminal justice officials, CRIMJUST ensures that no border stands in the way of justice.