In a major operation, coordinated by Eurojust, authorities from Romania, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary and Portugal took action against an organised crime group involved in illegal fishing in contaminated waters, tax evasion and money laundering. The contaminated fish was stored in, and transported to, several EU countries in improper and unsanitary conditions, and then sold to Romanian companies. As a result of the joint action day, enabled through a coordination centre set up at Eurojust, the EU’s Judicial Cooperation Unit, almost 250 searches were performed, 13 people in total were arrested as well as 11 boats and 30 tons of contaminated fish were seized and taken from the market. Eurojust assisted in real time with the issuing of three European Investigations Orders from Romania towards Hungary during the action day, thus allowing for real-time exchange of information. The members of the organised crime group (OCG), who were former fishermen, developed a sophisticated mechanism for poaching and purchasing fish from contaminated territorial waters in Italy, Spain and France, where fishing is prohibited as the fish in those areas is unfit for consumption. The contaminated fish was sold to Romanian companies, which were especially set up as ‘ghost’ fish marketing companies to serve the OCG’s criminal activities. Through those companies, the OCG members obtained fishing permits and VAT codes for the trades, but did not acquire the mandatory sanitary authorisations for intra-Community trade of products of animal origin. They used fake invoices and other falsified documents to resell the fish in Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Portugal and Romania, reaping substantial illicit profits, including by evading taxes and laundering money. The OCG did not have a pyramidal structure, but acted at several levels on which distinct cells were formed, based on each specific activity (fish poaching, freight transport, trade etc.). Eurojust actively supported the cooperation between national judicial and law enforcement authorities from Romania, Spain, Hungary, France, Italy and Portugal. As a result, the criminal activity of the OCG was documented, and all gathered information was used to block 30 tons of additional contaminated fish from entering the Romanian market. The Romanian Sanitary, Veterinary and Food Safety Authority destroyed the entire amount of seized fish. In 2018, the Prosecution Office of the Court of Appeal of Constanța, Romania, initiated a criminal investigation into the OCG. The Investigative Judge No 4 and the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) of Lleida, Spain, launched a parallel investigation into the same OCG, followed by the PPO of Venice, Italy, and the PPO of Tarascon, France. All Member States combined their efforts with spontaneous exchanges of information, also facilitated by European Investigation Orders (EIOs). Eurojust helped the national authorities throughout their investigations, including with drafting, issuing, transmitting and executing the EIOs during the action day. A coordination meeting was also held at Eurojust, with the participation of Europol, to decide on the investigative and prosecutorial strategies and solve judicial and operational issues. Europol assisted the investigations with cross-matching of information and evidence, demonstrating links to France and Italy. 850 police officers were deployed during the operation from national law enforcement authorities, including the Italian Guardia di Finanza, the Spanish Policía Nacional, and the French Gendarmerie Nationale, Office central de lutte contre les atteintes à l’environnement et à la santé publique (OCLAESP).

On a joint action day, supported by Eurojust, the French and Romanian authorities arrested 11 members of an organised crime group (OCG) involved in the smuggling of 308 migrants to the UK. 18 house searches were carried out and weapons as well as around half a million euro in cash were seized. Eurojust actively coordinated the parallel national investigations to bring down the criminal group in its entirety, prevent conflicts of jurisdiction and decide on the best place to prosecute. This successful case clearly demonstrates the added value of judicial cooperation facilitated by Eurojust, which helps to bridge the gap between diverging national legislations. The French investigation into the group was initiated in August 2018, followed by the Romanian and UK authorities in March 2019, and the Dutch ones in May 2019. On 6 June 2019, based on the quick and effective exchange of information between all countries involved at a coordination meeting at Eurojust and an operational meeting at Europol, the main targets as well as the hierarchical structure and modus operandi of the OCG were quickly identified. During the action day (12 June), Eurojust facilitated the swift and simultaneous execution of several French European Investigation Orders and European Arrest Warrants, issued towards the Romanian and UK authorities. The migrant smuggling OCG was composed mainly of Romanian truck drivers, middlemen and leaders. The OCG members smuggled migrants mostly of Palestinian, Iraqi, Iranian and Afghan origin, using trucks that belonged to Romanian companies. The migrants were transferred to transit sites in the North of France, as well in Belgium and the Netherlands, with the UK as destination country. The truck drivers promised a ‘guaranteed transit’ to the migrants, charging them with a fee ranging between €11 000 €14 500. The total illegal proceeds amount to €3,4 million approximately. So far, 59 active OCG members were identified. The criminals are accused of illegal migrant smuggling, participation in a criminal organisation, as well as money laundering.

With the active support of Eurojust, the Italian and Romanian national authorities brought down an organized crime group involved in trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation. In a joint action day, coordinated by Eurojust, 8 suspects were placed under preventive measures, 18 house searches were carried out and more than €70 000 in assets and cash were seized. Another three people were deported to Romania. It was the first time that two National Members at Eurojust submitted to the Italian and Romanian competent authorities a formal Joint Request that triggered the initiation of an investigation and the setting up of a joint investigation team. The members of the organised crime group (OCG), mainly composed of Romanian nationals, coerced women and minors into prostitution, initially in the Romanian Pascani district and at a later stage, in the area of Bergamo in Italy. The victims typically stemmed from poor rural areas and precarious family backgrounds, and had a low level of education. The OCG members promised to the victims lawful jobs and a better future in Italy and occasionally recruited them via job centres. The victims were forced to pay to the criminals €100 per day, and an additional amount for accommodation and transportation. The OCG members are suspected of having committed the crime of trafficking in human beings (THB) with the purpose of enslavement, prostitution and sexual exploitation. To target the OCG more efficiently, the National Members for Italy and Romania at Eurojust took the initiative in April 2018 and convinced the Italian Public Prosecutor’s Office of Brescia to open an investigation into the OCG and form a joint investigation team (JIT) with the Romanian Territorial Office of the Directorate for Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism of Iaşi. The Italian National Antimafia Directorate was also involved in triggering the investigation. Eurojust supported the JIT financially and logistically and held two coordination meetings at its premises in The Hague to further facilitate the judicial cooperation between the authorities involved, and help them advance their criminal investigations. The successful outcome of the operation was mainly due to this unique Joint Request, which is based on the special powers granted to National Members by the Council Decision setting up Eurojust as the EU’s Judicial Cooperation Unit. ———————— Photos © State Security Service of Ukraine

  Thanks to Eurojust’s support in coordinating judicial cooperation among Colombia, the USA, France, Spain and Italy, 368 kg of pure cocaine were seized in the Port of Genova, and three men of Italian nationality were arrested. The drugs have a street value of EUR 100 million. In addition to the drugs, cash in excess of EUR 950 000 as well as three cars and a jammer to block transmission signals were seized. Photos © Guardia di Finanza Genova The drugs were acquired in Colombia and transported and tracked during the journey by the Colombian authorities, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the US Customs and Border Protection Authority, the French authorities, the Spanish authorities and the Italian Guardia di Finanza Genova and Direzione Anti-Mafia of Genova, with the constant support of Eurojust. One of the three suspects has vertical links to the ‘Ndrangheta ‘Alvaro’ di Sinopoli.

By Guido Lanfranchi. After the forced resignation of former Sudanese ruler Mr. Omar al-Bashir, Sudan is in the midst of a delicate political transition, with civilian and military entities competing for power. In this context, the United States voiced its support for a civilian-led transitional government, set to put the country on the path of democracy. “We support the formation of a civilian-led transitional government that will be broadly supported by the Sudanese people”. These were the words – loud and clear – repeated several times by Ambassador Donald E. Booth, the United States’ Special Envoy for Sudan. Speaking after a meeting of the Friends of Sudan group – a group of countries interested in supporting the Sudanese people to meet their goals – the U.S. Special Envoy sent a clear message: civilians, rather than members of the military, should lead Sudan’s transition towards democratic elections. Over the last few months, Sudan has been confronting a complex political transition. In April 2019, facing pressure from demonstrations across the country, Sudan’s longtime ruler Mr. Omar al-Bashir relinquished power. In the wake of al-Bashir’s fall, however, civilian organizations and the military started to compete for leading the country’s transitional government – which is supposed to set Sudan on the path towards democratic elections. In this competition, tensions have at times run high, with Sudan’s security apparatus using the force against the civilian demonstrators. Successful mediation efforts – led by Ethiopia and the African Union – eventually led to the signature of a joint political declaration on July 17^th.  Commenting on the wake of these events, Ambassador Booth noted that while the political declarations offers a good base for further dialogue, “there are still a lot of negotiations to be conducted”. He mentioned the importance of open issues such as the relative roles and powers of the Sovereignty Council, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and the Legislative Council – thorny issues that will have to be addressed in order to successfully manage the country’s transition towards democratic elections. While voicing the U.S.’s position on Sudan’s transition, Ambassador Booth also clarified that drafting a solution to these challenges remain a prerogative of the Sudanese people. “The U.S. reaction will depend upon what the Sudanese actually agree upon, and then also, as we say, the broad support of the Sudanese people for any such agreement”. At the same time, however, Mr. Booth clarified that the U.S. will continue its engagement in support of freedom in the country – for instance by supporting the journalists and humanitarian actors active in Sudan. Ambassador Booth also voiced U.S. concerns over a number of human rights violations, including the use of force against the demonstrators during the June 3^rd events – when the military violently dispersed civilian gatherings in the country. In this regard – he noted – negotiations are still ongoing on the establishment of a credible investigation on the events, as well as on the potential provisions of immunity for members of the Sovereignty Council. Therefore, while progress has indeed been achieved in Sudan, much remains to be done yet – Ambassador Booth stressed. “The sooner that Sudan can establish a civilian-led transitional government, it can begin then to address issues of reform and moving forward to a better future”.