The Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), in close cooperation with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (Bayerisches Landeskriminalamt) and with the support of Europol, has conducted an operation against the international criminal organisation ‘Black Axe’. The action resulted in 34 arrests and significant disruptions to the group’s activities. Black Axe is a highly structured, hierarchical […]
EU strengthens legal protections and support systems for victims of crime
The new rules, provisionally agreed by EU co-legislators, seek to reinforce support and protection measures for victims and their rights in criminal proceedings. On Wednesday evening, negotiators from Parliament reached an informal agreement with the Council to update the 2012 Victims’ Rights directive following a proposal by the Commission in 2023. The agreement succeeds in: strengthening […]
54 individuals arrested in action against labour exploitation
Over the last weeks, law enforcement, border guards and labour and tax authorities across Europe joined forces to identify and tackle labour exploitation. This recent edition of the EMPACT Joint Action Days targeted trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation purposes, with a special emphasis on the agricultural sector, gastronomy, and temporary work agencies. In […]
Frontex Concludes Contest to Counter Criminal Use of Drones at EU Borders
Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, has completed the final testing phase of its prize contest focused on countering the criminal use of drones at the EU’s borders. The trials were hosted by the Portuguese Air Force, at Campo de Tiro base, in Samora Correia, providing real-life conditions to assess the systems in […]
Over 30 potential victims identified in action against human trafficking enabled online
From 15 to 19 September 2025, Europol supported the fourth edition of the EMPACT Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) Hackathon, an action week against human trafficking enabled online. It was led by Dutch authorities, with the support of Germany and the United Kingdom, and brought together 73 specialists from 26 countries across the world. Eurojust […]
Five central suspects arrested in whole-sale cocaine trafficking case
Between 1 and 2 October, the Colombian Police (Policia Nacional de Colombia) and the Spanish Guardia Civil, supported by Europol, targeted four key suspects, linked to the so-called Clan del Golfo, allegedly responsible for whole-sale cocaine trafficking operations from South America to Europe. In particular, the criminal network oversaw first-hand the production, transportation and distribution […]
EU backs reinforced Europol role on migrant smuggling and trafficking
The European Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council to reinforce Europol’s role and inter-agency cooperation in the fight against migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. This regulation was proposed by the Commission in November 2023. The fight against migrant smuggling is a Commission priority, as President von der […]
PhD – Sociology – Sweden
The PhD position is part of the 5-year project “Sexual and Reproductive Outcomes of Violent Crime (SeRO)” funded by a European Research Council 2025 Starting Grant. Dr. Signe Svallfors leads the project as its Principal Investigator (PI). The project uses mixed methods to investigate how local violent crime affects sexual and reproductive health outcomes in […]
Spain dismantles criminal network smuggling migrants from Algeria to the EU
The Spanish Guardia Civil, supported by Europol, dismantled a criminal network smuggling migrants by boats from Algeria to Spain and onwards to other EU countries. The network, led by a Moroccan national, was comprised of both Algerian and Moroccan suspects based in Spain. Their operations relied on significant financial and logistical resources, misusing legitimate businesses […]