Customs and Police target drug couriers in operations at airports across Africa and Brazil

February 13, 2012

INTERPOL on February 13, 2012 released the following:

“DAKAR, Senegal – An operation to disrupt the trafficking of drugs from South America to Europe via Africa has resulted in the seizure of more than 500 kilogrammes of drugs and the recovery of cash totalling two and half million euros in 25 airports across Western and Central Africa and Brazil.

Operation Cocair 3, led by the World Customs Organization (WCO) supported by INTERPOL and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), also resulted in nearly 50 arrests in addition to the recovery of guns, counterfeit products including medicines and goods prohibited from export such as ivory and cultural artworks.

Cocaine, heroin, cannabis, ecstasy, methamphetamine and amphetamines were among the drugs discovered in suitcases and a variety of hiding places including tins of tuna and in one instance, beneath a woman’s wig.

In addition to normal risk profiling by customs officers, during the two-week operation in November and December 2011, advance passenger information checks against INTERPOL’s global databases enabled the early identification of individuals suspected of involvement in drug trafficking, leading to their arrest either as they attempted to leave Brazil or upon arrival at their destination airport.

In addition to the WCO communications network among the participating countries, INTERPOL’s global network connecting each of its 190 National Central Bureaus also led to arrests in countries not taking part in Cocair 3. The Command and Coordination Centre at INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France liaised with countries to pass on information about high-risk passengers, such as a 48-year-old South African man arriving from Brazil via Lisbon who was taken into custody at Maputo airport in Mozambique with 53 capsules of cocaine in his stomach.

Announcing the results in Dakar, Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya said, “It is essential that we unite and coordinate our efforts on a daily basis to fight illicit drug trafficking in all its forms and on all fronts: this is a scourge exacerbated by the effects of globalization. Operation Cocair 3 – the result of some excellent cooperation between WCO, INTERPOL, UNODC and the European Commission – is a fine example of the success we can achieve.”

Ahead of the operation more than 40 customs and law enforcement officers from the participating countries were given specialist training provided by INTERPOL and the WCO in combating drug trafficking.

“Drug traffickers will use every opportunity to exploit any weakness in security, which is why joint police and customs operations such as Cocair are so important in producing an effective law enforcement response against this form of criminality,” said INTERPOL’s Acting Executive Director for Police Services, Bernd Rossbach.

Operation Cocair 3 was carried out under the umbrella of AIRCOP, a project funded by the European Union and Canada aimed at building drug-interdiction capabilities at selected international airports through improved inter-service coordination and international cooperation. The project, involving INTERPOL, the UNODC and the WCO also aims to promote information-sharing between services at national and international level as well as an intelligence-led approach to countering drug trafficking.

Participating countries in Cocair 3; Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal.”

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Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.’s
INTERPOL Red Notice Removal Lawyers Videos:

INTERPOL Notice Removal

INTERPOL’s Red Notice

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To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal.

The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.


The United Nations and INTERPOL to strengthen collaboration in West Africa

February 13, 2012

INTERPOL on February 13, 2012 released the following:

“LYON, France – The Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General for West Africa, Said Djinnit today met with Ronald K. Noble, the Secretary General of International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to discuss issues of common concern in West Africa.

The discussion covered a range of cross-border issues such as transnational organised crime including illicit drug trafficking and the proliferation of weapons in West Africa and in the Sahel Region as well as piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

Meeting at the INTERPOL General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France the two Officials stressed the importance of joining efforts to efficiently address the increasing complexity of transnational organized crime which seriously threatens the stability of the sub-region and is an impediment to its development.

They also highlighted the key role of INTERPOL’s expertise in information sharing through high-tech infrastructure to enable national police services to work together.

In this regard, they reviewed the latest achievements and challenges of the West Africa Coast Initiative (WACI) aimed at combatting illicit trafficking and organized crime in the sub-region. This joint UN/INTERPOL project was launched in 2009 to support the Regional Action Plan of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to address the growing problem of illicit drug trafficking, organized crime and drug abuse in West Africa.

The two Officials reiterated their commitment to strengthen their collaboration in support to ECOWAS efforts to make West Africa a safer place.”

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Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.’s
INTERPOL Red Notice Removal Lawyers Videos:

INTERPOL Notice Removal

INTERPOL’s Red Notice

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To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal.

The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.


Missing Swiss mother and child found in France

February 11, 2012

INTERPOL on February 10, 2012 released the following:

“LYON, France – A Swiss mother and her daughter who had been listed as missing and who were the subject of an INTERPOL international Yellow Notice, or missing persons alert, have been found safe and well in the South West area of France on Thursday 9 February.

Mizué Bachelard, aged 35, and her seven-year-old daughter Hanaé from Chexbres near Lausanne, Switzerland had not been seen since the evening of Thursday 26 January.

INTERPOL’s Command and Coordination Centre at its General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France liaised closely with the National Central Bureaus in Berne and Paris, with any messages relating to this case being treated as a priority.

INTERPOL Yellow Notices are circulated to help locate missing persons, especially minors, or to help identify persons who are not able to identify themselves.”

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Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.’s
INTERPOL Red Notice Removal Lawyers Videos:

INTERPOL Notice Removal

INTERPOL’s Red Notice

————————————————————–

To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal.

The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.


Jamaica hosts second INTERPOL programme to enhance fight against drugs and organized crime in the Americas

February 10, 2012

INTERPOL on February 9, 2012 released the following:

“KINGSTON, Jamaica – The second session of the three-year training programme coordinated by INTERPOL to boost national law enforcement’s ability to fight drugs and organized crime across the Americas has opened in Jamaica.

The two-week course (6-17 February), organized by INTERPOL’s Capacity Building and Training Directorate, brings together 18 law enforcement officials from different enforcement agencies in Central America and the Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Colombia, Curacao, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica and St Lucia) involved in transnational investigations against illicit drugs and organized crime.

“Most of the countries gathered here today are located in the supply chain of organized crime and drug trafficking. We are grateful to INTERPOL for encouraging a necessary collaborative approach between countries and agencies to fight against organized crime,” said Owen Ellington, Commissioner of Police of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, as he opened the programme.

With the programme hosted by Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Head of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Kingston, Kevin Blake, said: “Capacity building is one of the most critical aspects to developing international cooperation against organized crime. By choosing Jamaica to host the second session of this programme, INTERPOL has recognized our efforts to strengthen international police cooperation in the region”.

“We have already collected good practice cases from our previous session in Panama as a result of the commitment of the participants. With this training programme INTERPOL is proud to renew its commitment to supporting capacity building in the region,” said Rosinete de Santana Barbosa, Assistant Director for INTERPOL’s Sub-directorate for the Americas.

As part of a combined approach the programme will be run bilingually in Spanish and English. Participants include drugs and organized crime investigators from specialized law enforcement agencies, customs officials, and INTERPOL National Central Bureau officials involved in international cooperation.

Agencies represented at the training include the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the International Narcotics Control Board, as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the National Police of Colombia and the Jamaica Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.”

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Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.’s
INTERPOL Red Notice Removal Lawyers Videos:

INTERPOL Notice Removal

INTERPOL’s Red Notice

————————————————————–

To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal.

The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.


INTERPOL Group of Experts on Corruption recognized for its valuable contribution

February 6, 2012

INTERPOL on February 2, 2012 released the following:

“LYON, France – The final meeting of the INTERPOL Group of Experts on Corruption (IGEC) saw members formally recognized for their contribution by INTERPOL’s Secretary General Ronald K. Noble at a ceremony at its General Secretariat headquarters.

Key among the achievements of the IGEC since its creation in 1999 are the production of the Global Standards to Combat Corruption in Police Forces/Services and the Library of Best Practices, comprehensive documents which have been accepted worldwide as essential texts for corruption investigators.

Secretary General Noble said the organization, and each of its 190 member countries, owed the IGEC members a debt of gratitude for their outstanding and dedicated service.

“The INTERPOL Group of Experts on Corruption has done much more than accomplish its mandate. It has created a strong foundation in which INTERPOL anchors its present and future anti-corruption initiatives. This foundation is a lasting legacy to our strong and successful partnership for the past 11 years,” the INTERPOL chief told the gathered experts.

The final meeting of the IGEC marked the completion of the group’s mandate and the development of INTERPOL’s anti-corruption activities, including initiatives to assist law enforcement bodies in recovering and returning stolen public funds to victim countries. A key element in this is the INTERPOL Global Focal Point Platform, a network of specialists available worldwide 24/7 to respond to emergency requests for assistance where a rapid response is crucial to law enforcement in order to avoid losing the money trail.

Secretary General Noble presented medals and certificates to Chairman of the IGEC, Hon. Justice Barry O’Keefe AM, former Supreme Court Judge of New South Wales, Australia and Commissioner of the ICAC in New South Wales; Vice-Chairman of the IGEC Michael Hershman, President of the Fairfax Group and co-founder of Transparency International; Sue Akers, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police Service; Kevin Ford, Managing Director and Chief Compliancy Officer with Regulatory DataCorp; Dr Michel Girodo, Professor in Criminology at Ottawa University, Canada; Paul Lachal Roberts with the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and Abu Kassim Bin Mohamed, Commissioner with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption.

Other IGEC members not present at the ceremony: Mark Codd, Chief Security Officer with Siemens; Theodore Greenberg of the World Bank; Wolfgang Hetzer, Anticorruption Advisor (OLAF); Martin Kreutner of the International Anti-Corruption Academy; Patrick Moulette, Head of the Anti-Corruption Division, Organization for Economic Co-operation And Development; Professor Pakdee Pothisiri, National Anti-Corruption Commission, Thailand and Ryan Wong, Director of Investigations, Independent Commission Against Corruption, Hong Kong, China.”

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Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.’s
INTERPOL Red Notice Removal Lawyers Videos:

INTERPOL Notice Removal

INTERPOL’s Red Notice

————————————————————–

To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal.

The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.


INTERPOL workshop in Riyadh looks to boost regional efforts against human trafficking

February 6, 2012

INTERPOL on February 2, 2012 released the following:

“RIYADH, Saudi Arabia ‒ International police cooperation as well as best practices on identifying victims of human trafficking and related investigation techniques were the focus of INTERPOL’s Training Workshop Against Trafficking in Human Beings held in Riyadh.

Co-organized with the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences which hosted the event, the five-day workshop (21-25 January) brought together more than 50 participants and 10 experts from 12 Arab countries, including regional representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Organization for Migration.

The workshop reviewed regional crime trends and priorities, as well as the use of INTERPOL tools and services by human trafficking investigators.

The importance of regional cooperation between INTERPOL and Naif University against the trafficking in human beings in enhancing capacity building for the wider law enforcement community was recognized at the event by the President of the University, Professor Abdul Aziz Alghamdi, and the Assistant Director of INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Human Beings Sub-Directorate, Jon Eyers.

A cooperation agreement on the provision of law enforcement training for countries in the region and beyond in specialist areas including trafficking in human beings as well as drugs and organized crime was signed between INTERPOL’s Capacity Building and Training Unit and Naif University in June 2011.

Further regional initiatives including operational workshops in the area of people smuggling and human trafficking will be undertaken this year by INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Human Beings Sub-Directorate.”

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Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.’s
INTERPOL Red Notice Removal Lawyers Videos:

INTERPOL Notice Removal

INTERPOL’s Red Notice

————————————————————–

To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal.

The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.


INTERPOL issues global alert for missing Swiss mother and child

February 6, 2012

INTERPOL on February 1, 2012 released the following:

“LYON, France – INTERPOL has issued an international Yellow Notice, or missing persons alert for 35-year-old Mizué Bachelard and her seven-year-old daughter Hanaé from Chexbres near Lausanne, Switzerland who have not been seen since the evening of Thursday 26 January.

Mrs Bachelard and her daughter stopped to fill their car, a blue Nissan Micra registration number VD 551’987 at a service station in Bursins near the French border at around 7pm on Thursday 26 January. Mrs Bachelard withdrew money from a cash machine in Versoix the same day and also made a withdrawal from a bank in the 6th arrondissement area of Paris at around 9am on Friday 27 January. Information provided to investigators has led to concerns for Mrs Bachelard’s well-being.

Mrs Bachelard is described as 160cm, of thin build, with brown eyes and long brown hair which is often tied back. She was last seen wearing a pink jumper, checked trousers or pyjama bottoms and a light brown coat.

Hanaé is 120cm, of thin build, with blue eyes and mid-length brown hair and was last seen wearing a white and red striped jumper, dark trousers and a blue hooded jacket.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the missing mother and child are urged to contact the investigating Swiss authorities on +41 (0)21 644 44 44 or their local police station.

INTERPOL’s Command and Coordination Centre at its General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France is liaising closely with the National Central Bureaus in Berne and Paris, with any messages relating to this case being treated as a priority.

INTERPOL Yellow Notices are circulated to help locate missing persons, especially minors, or to help identify persons who are not able to identify themselves.”

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Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.’s
INTERPOL Red Notice Removal Lawyers Videos:

INTERPOL Notice Removal

INTERPOL’s Red Notice

————————————————————–

To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal.

The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.


INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 190 member countries.

January 27, 2012

INTERPOL on January 26, 2012 released the following:

“Our role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. Our high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century.

Supporting police worldwide

We work to ensure that police around the world have access to the tools and services necessary to do their jobs effectively. We provide targeted training, expert investigative support, relevant data and secure communications channels.

This combined framework helps police on the ground understand crime trends, analyse information, conduct operations and, ultimately, arrest as many criminals as possible.

Vision and mission

The vision:
“Connecting police for a safer world”.

The mission:
“Preventing and fighting crime through enhanced international police co-operation”.

Read the full vision and mission.

Neutrality
At INTERPOL, we aim to facilitate international police co-operation even where diplomatic relations do not exist between particular countries. Action is taken within the limits of existing laws in different countries and in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our Constitution prohibits ‘any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character’.

A global presence
The General Secretariat is located in Lyon, France, and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. INTERPOL also has seven regional offices across the world and a representative office at the United Nations in New York and at the European Union in Brussels. Each of our 190 member countries maintains a National Central Bureau staffed by its own highly trained law enforcement officials.”

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Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.’s
INTERPOL Red Notice Removal Lawyers Videos:

INTERPOL Notice Removal

INTERPOL’s Red Notice

————————————————————–

To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal.

The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.


Theft of Picasso and other paintings from National Art Gallery in Athens

January 27, 2012

INTERPOL on January 23, 2012 released the following:

“In the early hours of Monday 9 January, three paintings including a Picasso were stolen from the National Art Gallery in Athens, Greece.
Description of paintings

  • “Woman’s Head”, by Pablo Picasso, oil on canvas,51.5 x 38.2 cm, inscription on the back “Pour le Peuple Grec, hommage de Picasso, Paris mai 1946”, dated 14.10.39 (photograph 1)
  • “The Windmill”, by Piet Mondriaan, oil on wood, 1905, 35 x 44 cm (photograph 2)
  • “St. Diego de Alcala in Ecstasy with the Holy Trinity and the Symbols of Passion”, pen and sepia wash drawing by Guglielmo Caccia, 17th century 27 x 16.8 cm (photograph 3)”

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Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.’s
INTERPOL Red Notice Removal Lawyers Videos:

INTERPOL Notice Removal

INTERPOL’s Red Notice

————————————————————–

To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal.

The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.


Chechen Deputy Suspected of Murder off Interpol Wanted List

January 23, 2012

RIA Novosti on January 23, 2012 released the following:

“Russian lawmaker Adam Delimkhanov, who has been accused of murdering Russian Army Commander Sulim Yamadayev, was removed from Interpol’s wanted list, Rosbalt news agency said on Monday.

Delimkhanov was removed on the request of Dubai police, a source within the Russian security service told the agency. He linked the move to Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov’s visit to the United Arab Emirates in November 2011.

Yamadayev, who commanded the elite Vostok Battalion in Chechnya and was awarded the Hero of Russia title for his efforts, was gunned down in Dubai on March 28, 2009. He was shot in the chest with three bullets from a gold-plated gun in the car park of a luxury apartment complex where he was living with his wife and children.

Dubai police accused Delimkhanov, who is a close friend of Kadyrov, of ordering the assassination. Both strongly denied any link to the murder.

Tajik businessman Makhsudzhon Ismatov and Iranian Mahdi Lorniya were accused of planning the murder and assisting the man who pulled the trigger. In 2010, they both received life sentences, but later the Dubai Appeal Court limited their sentences to 27 months without any explanation.

Dubai officials said last year that Sulim was buried in a cemetery in the United Arab Emirates, but Sulim’s brother, Isa, insisted until recently that Sulim was in a coma. In late August, Isa said his family made the decision to shut off the life support machine that was keeping Sulim alive.

Shortly before the funeral, Isa Yamadayev said he was ready to become Kadyrov’s ally and that he held no bad feelings towards the Chechen leader.

Sulim’s other brother, Ruslan Yamadayev, a former member of the Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma, was gunned down in central Moscow in September 2008. He was a prominent opponent of Kadyrov, who denied any involvement in that murder as well.”

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Douglas McNabb – McNabb Associates, P.C.’s
INTERPOL Red Notice Removal Lawyers Videos:

INTERPOL Notice Removal

INTERPOL’s Red Notice

————————————————————–

To find additional global criminal news, please read The Global Criminal Defense Daily.

Douglas McNabb and other members of the U.S. law firm practice and write and/or report extensively on matters involving Federal Criminal Defense, INTERPOL Red Notice Removal, International Extradition and OFAC SDN Sanctions Removal.

The author of this blog is Douglas McNabb. Please feel free to contact him directly at mcnabb@mcnabbassociates.com or at one of the offices listed above.


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