Chinese Crime Networks targeted by raids in Italy

Guardia di Finanza began the investigation into money laundering and then revealed a large netwrok involving Italians as well as Chinese. Money coming from a counterfeit fashion industry using cheap Chinese cloth to produce Italian fashion items for export to eastern Europe. Smurfing one of the techniques used. brothels and sweat shops discovered, using illegal immigrants whose documents were being held by human traffickers.

World Drug Report 2010: drug use is shifting towards new drugs and new markets

There are links from this UNODC page to the full report, which is a .pdf and seems to be very slow to download. The supply of heroin and cocaine is in decline. Amphetamines are up.

United Nations says that Scotland is global hotspot for cocaine use

Not sure quite why headline writers picked on Scotland here. apparently cocaine use is up all over the UK as Colombian traffickers seek new markets. Heroin use up too. Figures from the new UN World Drug Report.

Work to tackle teenage gangs "patchy"

Joint report by Chief Inspector of Prisons, Chief Inspector of Probation Service and Chief Inspector of Constabulary on missed opportunities to rescues teenagers from lives of crime.

Fugitive "drug lord" arrested in Jamaica

"Dudus" picked up by Jamaican police, allegedly on his way to give himself up at the US Embassy.

Beslan's main terrorist finally caught

It is far too long since I spotted a piece by Yulia Latynina. The sting in this one is in the tail. None of the terrorists captured or killed in the Caucasus recently has been a Chechen or fighting for an independent Chechnya. They were fighting for the Caucasus Emirate. She has comments on the Beslan massacre too as well as some scathing things to say about the security agencies. I must see if she has a blog somewhere

Gang's £60 million drug business among biggest in UK

Skunk smugglers near Swindon. End of their trial, subsequent to "Operation Scarlet". odd that they were importing it. I thought most of this stuff now being grown locally. There's a back story here, I suspect.

Merseyside gang jailed for 60 years for £1 million lorry raids

Gang about 12 strong and judge talks about the heirarchy in his summing up. Operated over a large area, stealing goods from lorries and stealing cars and vans to carry away the contents of the lorries.

Worlds biggest drugs "super cartel" smashed by US in Colombia

Allowing for the hyperbole,this is a big hit. Waiting for more details of the organisation to emerge.

Real IRA plot accused entrapped by MI5, rules judge

Bit of a surprise here, and probably with wider implications. Case against one defendant dismissed, but not against the other defendant. One MI5 agent ruled to have misbehaved, the other to have stayed in characted as an arms dealer. Judges final statement will be worth looking at as it will effectively lay down guidelines for sting operations in the UK, assuming it isnt challenged.