Netherlands: Ridouan Taghi, convicted of ordering multiple gangland murders and leading a criminal organization in the Marengo trial, has taken his complaints about prison conditions to the European Court of Human Rights. Taghi, 48, received a life sentence in February 2024 and is appealing the verdict. He has filed 21 complaints concerning his detention at the maximum-security EBI prison in Vught, where he has been held since December 2019. Dutch authorities imposed exceptional restrictions amid intelligence that he continued directing criminal activities from prison, using intermediaries including lawyers, and reports of plans for a violent escape. His communications, family visits and contact with other prisoners have been severely restricted. The European Court has now asked the Dutch government to justify the prolonged isolation and explain whether the measures remain necessary and proportionate under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Italy: Four bomb attacks in five days across Rome and its metropolitan area have renewed concerns over criminal groups competing for control of drug markets and local businesses. The latest wave includes an explosive device detonated outside a betting shop in Ciampino, an attack on a garage in La Rustica and an explosion targeting the home of a car dealership owner in Castelverde. The violence follows earlier bombings involving businesses and individuals linked by investigators to criminal networks operating in territory historically associated with the Senese clan. Giampiero Cioffredi, regional representative of anti-mafia association Libera, warned that Rome has become a meeting ground for traditional mafia organizations, locally established mafia clans, foreign criminal groups and drug trafficking networks.

Italy: The Guardia di Finanza has executed the definitive confiscation of €300,000 in property belonging to Luigi Raso, 68, a convicted drug trafficker linked to the Mannolo ’ndrangheta clan of San Leonardo di Cutro, Calabria. The assets comprise a building in Isola Capo Rizzuto divided into three residential and commercial units. Raso was convicted in the Malapianta investigation, which targeted the Mannolo clan’s drug trafficking operations, receiving a final sentence of eight years and eight months. He also received a separate seven-year, four-month sentence for usury and extortion aggravated by mafia methods. Investigators documented threats against a victim between 2014 and 2019, including intimidation intended to force the withdrawal of accusations after Raso’s arrest. Financial investigations uncovered substantial property renovation investments disproportionate to his declared income. Raso has been placed under three years of special surveillance with residency restrictions.

Thailand: Customs seized 469 African elephant tusks weighing 3.04 tons, along with 66.2 kg of tusk fragments, 0.18 kg of elephant tail hair, and a lion carcass hidden in two shipping containers at Laem Chabang port. The contraband, originating from Zambia, was concealed inside 32 processed wood blocks coated with paraffin wax to obstruct X-ray detection and mixed among 536 wood blocks totaling 56 tons. The operation relied on intelligence from the Wildlife Justice Commission and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. DNA sampling was conducted to determine the tusks’ origins. The elephant tail hair was likely intended for talisman production.

Australia: Three people have been charged over the importation of 120 kg of cocaine concealed inside two cabinets shipped from Greece to Melbourne. Australian Border Force officers detected irregularities in the consignment on October 9, with X-rays revealing 120 packages of suspected cocaine wrapped in Euro-branded packaging.

Paraguay: Undercover police intercepted a red Scania truck in Mariano Roque Alonso carrying between 16,000 and 20,000 liters of ethyl acetate, a chemical precursor to cocaine, hidden in blue barrels under sand.

Argentina: Raúl Alberto Cuello, alias “Tuerto Cacho”, one of Córdoba's most notorious drug traffickers, has been arrested again following a major operation targeting his alleged criminal organization. Cuello, who was previously arrested in 2018 and sentenced to five years in prison for drug trafficking in 2021, was among 19 suspects detained during 52 coordinated raids across five neighborhoods of Córdoba. The Anti-Narcotics Police Force (FPA) seized 47,013 doses of cocaine, 1,119 doses of cannabis, 12 firearms, a ballistic vest, four cars, three motorcycles and cash in Argentine pesos and US dollars. The Córdoba Public Prosecutor's Office described Cuello as one of the city's most significant drug traffickers.

Colombia: A multinational anti-drug operation involving Colombia, the Dominican Republic and the US resulted in the interception of a go-fast boat carrying a reported 555 kg of cocaine and the arrest of three suspects. According to Colombian authorities, the Colombian Air Force used aerial intelligence and surveillance to detect the suspicious vessel, track its movements and provide information that enabled the Dominican Navy to intercept it at sea.

USA: Willinton Henao Gutiérrez, alias “Mocho Olmedo”, a leader of the FARC dissident group Frente 33, was extradited from Colombia to Miami on October 22 to face federal cocaine trafficking and money laundering charges. US prosecutors accuse the 45-year-old of participating in a conspiracy involving at least 5 kg of cocaine between September 2021 and August 2022, with operations spanning Colombia and South Florida. His extradition had been suspended in 2025 because of his role as a representative in peace negotiations under former Colombian President Gustavo Petro. The new Colombian government subsequently authorized his transfer. Henao also faces allegations in Colombia involving killings, forced displacement and the recruitment of minors during the armed conflict in Catatumbo. He was extradited alongside six other suspects, including alleged associates of the Gulf Clan and Tren de Aragua criminal organizations.

South Africa: Police discovered a suspected clandestine drug laboratory in Ramokokastad, seizing 20 bags of drug material totaling approximately 800 kg, alongside various chemicals, generators, gas cylinders, stoves, cooking pots, and equipment used in drug production. The site featured three drying areas and a cooking bay. Preliminary evidence points to the manufacture of Mandrax and crystal methamphetamine, though the substances await forensic analysis. Four suspects, two women aged 71 and 24, and two men aged 19 and 52, were arrested, while a fifth suspect remains at large.

UK: Five men, including two former British Army soldiers, were sentenced to prison on October 23 for smuggling 425 kg of cocaine into Britain aboard the fishing boat *New Horizon*. The drugs were recovered from the English Channel in June after being dropped at sea in GPS-marked packages. The crew brought the cocaine ashore at Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne, where it was unloaded using a forklift and flatbed truck before National Crime Agency officers intervened. Former soldiers Alan Colquhoun and William Donohoe, who helped organize the operation, received 16 years each. Ian Smith was sentenced to 12 years, Daniel Ruffell to eight years, and Jacob Cronin to six years and eight months. Investigators said the smugglers were acting on instructions from an international organized crime network, with the two organizers using the aliases “Navigate” and “Bruce Wayne”. All five pleaded guilty.

Spain: Irish drug trafficker John Gilligan, 74, who was acquitted of ordering the 1996 murder of investigative journalist Veronica Guerin, faces a possible 11 years and three months in prison over a drug laboratory at his Costa Blanca villa. Spanish prosecutors are seeking eight years for drug trafficking, two and a half years for illegal firearm possession and nine months for criminal gang membership, plus a €120,000 fine. Gilligan was arrested in December 2024 during Operation Overlord, when police raided his Orihuela Costa home and discovered ketamine, cocaine, cannabis, drug-processing equipment and a modified Mondial 6mm revolver concealed in a wall. Investigators accuse him of supervising a drug-manufacturing and distribution operation spanning Alicante and Murcia. Two North Macedonian brothers will stand trial alongside him. Gilligan previously served a lengthy prison sentence in Ireland for major cannabis trafficking. No date has yet been set for the Spanish trial.

Türkiye: Authorities have arrested Valmir Berisha in İzmir, a fugitive wanted by German judicial authorities on allegations of drug trafficking, threats and unlawful deprivation of liberty. Berisha was being sought internationally through an Interpol diffusion notice issued at Germany's request. His capture comes amid a broader Turkish effort to pursue organized crime suspects operating across European borders. Ankara is seeking to expand cooperation with European governments, including a recently agreed joint action plan with Belgium targeting drug trafficking and organized crime.

Türkiye: Coşkun Necati Arabacı, known as “Cehennem Necati”, a former leading Hells Angels figure in Cologne who became president of Hells Angels MC Nomads Türkiye in 2010, has been sentenced to 15 years and six months in prison by an İzmir court. Arabacı was a prominent figure in Cologne's red-light district before receiving a nine-year prison sentence in Germany in 2004 for organized crime offences, including human trafficking and forced prostitution. He was deported to Türkiye in 2007. In the latest case, the court sentenced him to six years for founding and leading a criminal organization, seven years and six months for intentionally injuring two victims, and two years for firearms offences. He was acquitted of the remaining charges, including aggravated robbery. Prosecutors had sought up to 35 years. Arabacı was arrested at İzmir airport in October 2025 after arriving from Belgrade.

Sri Lanka: A joint Navy and Coast Guard operation in the coastal areas of Talalla and Naotunna, Matara intercepted 561.7 kg of drugs, including 321.9 kg of heroin in 275 parcels and 239.8 kg of crystal methamphetamine in 200 packages. The drugs were concealed in 10 sacks and 11 travel bags and transported by dinghy, which was also seized.

India: Police have dismantled another chemical factory linked to a suspected mephedrone trafficking network allegedly financed by Salim Dola, a longtime associate of fugitive Mumbai crime boss Dawood Ibrahim. Officers raided the facility in Telangana on October 21, arresting Ramesh Babu Sake and seizing 44.7 kg of 2-Bromo-4-Methylpropiophenone, a chemical used to manufacture mephedrone, also known as MD. The investigation began in June with the seizure of just 112 grams of the drug in Nalasopara, near Mumbai. It has since uncovered suspected drug laboratories in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, with 69.9 kg of finished mephedrone seized across the investigation. Police accuse Dola, who was detained in Türkiye earlier this year, of financing production facilities through informal hawala money transfers. So far, 25 suspects have been arrested, with investigators tracing a network involved in chemical supply, drug manufacturing, distribution and financial transactions across several Indian states.

Brazil: The Brazilian Air Force intercepted a Robinson R44 II helicopter bearing registration PR-HTC after it entered Brazilian airspace from Venezuela, flying at low altitude without a flight plan. [right: pic of the white R44 in 2012] Radar detected the aircraft over Roraima, prompting the Air Force to deploy an A-29 Super Tucano fighter aircraft to investigate. According to the military, the helicopter failed to follow interception instructions and made an unauthorized landing roughly 100 km from Boa Vista. An H-60 Black Hawk helicopter was then sent to inspect the site, where personnel found the R44 abandoned, with no crew or cargo on board. Brazil's National Public Security Force subsequently destroyed the helicopter by fire. Although the aircraft's registration was visible in images of its destruction, the Air Force initially reported that it had no visible identification during the flight. Authorities have not identified its occupants, established the purpose of the flight or confirmed any connection to drug trafficking.

Paraguay: José Ignacio Hermoza Ledesma, known as “Nacho”, a suspected right-hand man of fugitive drug trafficker Felipe Santiago Acosta Riveros, alias “Macho”, has been arrested in Canindeyú. Anti-drug agents found him on October 22 during a raid on a rural property in Colonia Americana, near Corpus Christi. According to SENAD, Hermoza was a key logistics coordinator for Macho's criminal organization, acting as an intermediary between the fugitive leader, other members of the network and certain indigenous community leaders in the area. Investigators also believe he helped relay instructions from Macho to his associates. Officers seized two mobile phones for examination. The arrest is part of Operation IGNIS, launched in December 2023 to dismantle Macho's organization.

Mexico: David “N”, alias “Mando 20”, an alleged leader of a CJNG cell in Colima, has been arrested in connection with a car bombing that killed six people in Michoacán last December. The explosion took place on December 6, 2025, outside the headquarters of the community police in Coahuayana, where a black Dodge Dakota pickup loaded with explosives was detonated remotely, according to state prosecutors. The blast killed six people and damaged nearby buildings and vehicles. Mexican authorities accuse Mando 20 of helping organize the attack and identify him as a CJNG operational coordinator active around Tecomán, Colima. He was detained alongside two suspected associates, Sinuhe “N” and Cristian “N”, during searches of two properties in Tecomán on October 22. Officers seized firearms, vehicles, cash, documents and CJNG-related material. Investigators are still working to establish each suspect's role in the bombing.