Year: 2014

On 9th^th September 2014 in a major international police operation led by the Bavarian Landeskriminalamt supported by Europol, 950 law enforcement officers in nine countries raided 138 properties and arrested 100 individuals, delivering a major blow to Eurasian mobile organised crime groups operating in Europe.

Two further individuals were indentified as the main targets and European Arrest Warrants have been issued for their arrests. These two suspects are thought to be responsible for the mass production and forgery of mainly Czech, Romanian and Bulgarian passports, identity cards and counterfeit drivers’ licences. These documents were used by hundreds of Eurasian criminals throughout Europe, to regularise their stays in the EU, claim welfare benefits and commit other offences, ranging from thefts and robberies to racketeering and violent crime.

As a result of yesterday’s coordinated action in the participating countries:

• 100 individuals were arrested (Austria 1; France 28; Germany 4; Greece 6; Portugal 1; Romania 1; Spain 49; Sweden 10)
• 138 properties were searched (Austria 4; France 35; Germany 37; Greece 5; Portugal 5; Spain 41; Sweden 11)

The following items were seized:

• 57 forged documents (Austria 1; France 5; Germany 13; Greece 2; Portugal 3; Romania 5; Spain 26; Sweden 2)
• Five firearms
• EUR 26 000
• Drugs (amphetamine and cannabis – 1.9 kg)
• 1200 packs of counterfeit cigarettes
• One stolen vehicle
• Over 300 pieces of jewellery and watches
• Burglary tools.

The action day also led to the identification of the perpetrators of 29 burglaries in Spain and at least three burglaries in Germany.

The two main suspects were charging between EUR 250 and 1500 per ID document they supplied, which was paid in advance by bank transfer through various financial service providers. The forgeries were sent by mail, and later by courier, to various recipients in several European countries. Up until April 2014, these two suspects are thought to have been responsible for dispatching at least 300 packets throughout Europe.

The operation was led by German law enforcement authorities, with Europol providing support since early 2013. This support included information and intelligence exchange and analysis, providing expertise, and financing of operational meetings. For yesterday’s action, Europol experts were present with mobile offices in Madrid, Munich and Paris. Authorities in the Czech Republic and Romania also supported the operation yesterday with real-time checks of information and intelligence.

Computer Security Seminars for Algarve Businesses and Residents

With cybercrime being the largest growing crime with an estimated annual global cost of  US$338 billion through fraud and lost time, it is important that we are more aware of the threats and what preventive steps can be taken to minimize the risk.

Safe Communities Algarve is therefore organizing in a conjunction with the Polícia Judiciária (Judicial Police) a series of Computer Security seminars for residents, the first two which will take place on 24^th and 30^th September 2014 in Quinta do Lago, Loule and Tavira respectively.

The key note speakers are Inspector Ricardo Valadas and Jim Litchko.  Ricardo is a cybercrime investigator from the Polícia Judiciária Cybercrime Unit and Jim Litchko, CISSP, computer security expert, author of six cybersecurity books, Johns Hopkins University professor from the USA.  Ricardo and Jim are renowned experts in cybercrime and cybersecurity in Portugal and the United States, respectively.  Both have conducted many presentations to international audiences both here and overseas, and their approaches are very practical with excellent interaction with audiences.

Topics to be covered include: work of the Judicial Police in investigating cybercrime in Portugal; work of the FCCN; technical developments; child pornography; cyber-attacks and preventing such attacks; types of on-line fraud; Ransomware and Phishing attacks; on-line transactions and the use of credit cards; and, cost-effective and practical preventative counter-measures.  Details of the program which may include other speakers will be published shortly.

We are pleased that there will be a representative from the Mayor of Loule’s office attending on 24^th and the Mayor of Tavira has been invited to attend the event on 30^th September.

The details and timings of the two events are as follows:

• 24^th September 1730   – 1930 hrs –  Conrad Hotel, Quinta do Lago
• 30^th September 1730  – 1930 hrs – Municipal Library, Biblioteco Municipal Alvaro de Campos, Tavira. 

The events are in English and entry is free. It is planned to devote around half of the seminar to questions and answers.

This is likely to be heavily subscribed and seating is limited. Attendance is on a first come first served basis so if you would like to reserve seats please contact Safe Communities Algarve using our contacts page or on 913045093. Entry is free.

 

 

It was reported on 10^th September 2014 that a joint investigation by the  Judicial Police (Portugal) and Spanish National Police led to the seizure of 1,300 kilograms (1.3 metric tonnes) of cocaine in Portugal. The information obtained resulted in two operations in two days resulting in the seizure of 44 backpacks filled with drugs. So far nine members of the organization, including three in Portugal and six in Spain have been arrested. The aim was to smuggle the drugs into Spain for distribution later on.

The investigation commenced in late 2013 and since its inception the investigations have focused on the dismantling of an organization dedicated to trafficking large quantities of cocaine and hashish based in Huelva. The information obtained during investigation resulted in surveillance being undertaken on 7 September in the area of ​​Altura near Vila Real San Antonio (Portugal), which was believed to be the staging point for the supply of a significant amount of cocaine to Spain.

At noon, the officers noticed the arrival of three vehicles with one occupant each. After parking the vehicles in a warehouse, police proceeded to identify and search the vehicles, finding in two of them a total of 20 blocks with five bags of cocaine with a weight of 600 kilos. The three subjects were immediately arrested in the warehouse car park for drug trafficking.

As a result of further investigations 24 similar backpacks deposited in an abandoned quarry near Faro, loaded with 700 kilograms of cocaine were also located. After this, six other members of the gang were arrested in Spain in Huelva and Seville.

The investigations was carried out by agents of the Narcotics Group of the police in Cartagena and UDYCO of Huelva Provincial Police in conjunction with the Judicial Police in Faro (Portugal).

The value of the drugs is estimated at €80 million.

Dr Luis Mota Carmo, Director of the Judical Police Portugal South stated “This network had its headquarters in Spain and that the arrests were a massive blow to the criminal organization”.

 

Comment

This is a massive seizure of cocaine by European standards one of the largest being in the UK in 2011 where 1.2 tons was found hidden on a boat with a street value in the UK of £300 million.

Interestingly one of the world’s largest seizures of cocaine took place on 1^st September in Peru (the largest supplier of cocaine) where 8.5 tons was seized. According to police this was destined to Spain and Belgium.

 

Lusa new agency have reported today that road users contacted by phone or by SMS to pay off debts allegedly owed to the Portuguese toll road management company Brisa are the potential victims of fraud, the latter company warned.

The statement said the company had learned of such contacts whereby the caller who claims to be from the company, informs the person that they owe money to the company and provides them with a bank account to pay this to or asks for bank account details.

“We would inform our users that these are fraudulent contacts, totally alien to this company and that might jeopardise the privacy and security of clients and harm their interests,” said Brisa, one of the main highway operators in Portugal.

Brisa added that the company only ever contacted clients by letter for the regularising of such debts and that it would be taking legal action over the incidents “in order to guarantee its own interests along with those of its clients.”

SCA Advice – If you are contacted in this way do not pass on any personal details and instead try and obtain the senders/callers number and report to police.

 

Law enforcement authorities from Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom, supported by Europol and Eurojust, today contributed to simultaneous operations to stop the distribution of prescription-only counterfeit medicines in the European Union.

Today’s operations resulted in seizures of several million pills with an estimated value well in excess of EUR 10 million, a large amount of cash and several vehicles, including luxury models, and the freezing of more than EUR 7.5 million in bank accounts and assets. In addition, 12 suspects were arrested.

The law enforcement activities aimed to specifically counter the activities of the organised crime group (OCG) behind the supply and online distribution of counterfeit medicines – mainly erectile dysfunction pills – and their money laundering activities.

Following intelligence gathered during a criminal pharma case by the authorities in Spain that provided Europol with useful leads and that also assisted further investigations in Austria, France and the UK, several operational meetings were held to inform and exchange information with the concerned Member States and other involved countries. Eurojust organised a coordination meeting to discuss a common strategy among the authorities involved, including the establishment of a joint investigation team (JIT) among Spain, Austria, France and the UK and supported by the authorities in Cyprus, Hungary, and Slovakia, and common action days. Members of the JIT will now travel to other involved countries to facilitate the exchange of information.

Since the beginning of the investigation in September 2012, more than 300 000 pills with an estimated value of EUR 2 million have been seized in Austria alone. However, it is thought that this represents only one-fifth of the total transactions made by the OCG in Austria. In France, payments totalling EUR 9 million were identified as having been processed over three years. In Spain, counterfeit goods worth more than EUR 1.5 million have been seized and three people arrested. Over the last two years, the UK authorities have identified more than EUR 12 million in transactions involving counterfeit and unlicensed medicines. The Hungarian authorities were involved in a similar operation last year.

These latest operations were coordinated from Eurojust premises in The Hague. This facilitated the swift exchange of information, resolution of legal issues and the elaboration of a final overview of the results, tailor-made for the needs of the involved judicial authorities. At the same time, Europol provided valuable assistance by deploying a mobile office for real-time analysis and cross-checking of data on the spot. Simultaneously, experts and analysts from Europol assisted the police and provided forensic and analytical support during the action day.

The counterfeit medicines targeted by this operation are imported into the European Union from Asia and contain incorrect dosages and ingredients which pose a serious health hazard.

The Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police and the Head of the BBC will be questioned by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee on 2nd September 2014.

In the meantime both have responded to initial questions put to them by the Committees Chairman the Rt Hon Keith Vaz. Following receipt of the letters he has reportedly said that the replies ” raise even more questions”.

A copy of the letter from the Chief Constable of the South Yorkshire Police can be found here.

Following the letter I sent to the Chairman Home Affairs Committee on 17th August I have also sent a list of questions which I feel should be asked.

 

On Wednesday 20^th August 2014 one person was killed and another seriously injured following a dispute in a bar in the Avenida sa Carneiro (The Strip) Albufeira.

The person who died was a bouncer employed by the bar who was stabbed with a knife and the perpetrator was seriously injured. The incident occurred at about 3:00 a.m., when the bouncer intervened on a disagreement between an employee and a group of customers, of Portuguese nationality resident in Greater Lisbon.

The clash was interrupted by the intervention unit of GNR. Two ambulances arrived at the scene and despite efforts by the crew of Emergency Resuscitation and Ambulance Basic Life Support INEM the bouncer later died. The perpetrator is in hospital in Lisbon. The Judicial Police are investigating the incident.

Reports in the Correira da Manha dated 22^nd August suggest that the perpetrator had been banned from the bar 3 days beforehand and had returned to seek revenge.

Legality of Search warrant should be questioned

I am sure that everyone was shocked to learn about an allegation against Sir Cliff Richard and the search of a property owned by him in the UK. However in my professional judgement more troubling is the fact that the search was televised live resulting in it becoming media headlines and the subject of social media gossip and speculation worldwide. Whatever happens from here Sir Cliff’s reputation has been seriously damaged.

Sir Cliff is a very high profile figure now facing extraordinarily sensitive allegations, and even before being interviewed the police have allowed the search of his home to become a media event. Reportedly to compound matters he only learned about this after it appeared on television! Remember, no one has been arrested or charged by the police in connection with this investigation, let alone tried and convicted. Unless he is convicted, he must be presumed innocent.

In accordance with the provisions of Section B of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, (PACE)  “The right to privacy and respect for personal property are key principles of the Human Rights Act. Powers of entry, search and seizure should be fully and clearly justified before use because they may significantly interfere with the occupier’s privacy. Officers should consider if the necessary objectives can be met by less intrusive means”. It goes on that the “Powers to search and seize must be used fairly, responsibly, with respect for people who occupy premises being searched”

To my mind there are serious questions for the police to answer as to whether some of these conditions were in fact followed. Clearly “privacy” is a key issue and we now understand, that despite earlier denials by the Police, it appears that the media were in fact tipped of as a BBC producer is reported to have heard that the raid was going to happen, and phoned South Yorkshire Police, who confirmed the information was correct; the reasoning for disclosure being that they considered it “protected the integrity of the investigation”. This confirmation enabled the BBC to arrange for a news crew to be at the property in readiness for the police arriving. The BBC was also able to run an interview with a uniformed South Yorkshire officer, standing outside the force’s Sheffield headquarters, within moments of the raid starting.

In the granting of a search warrant by the courts, any information that might undermine any of the grounds of the application must be included in the application for the search, or the court’s authority for the search may be ineffective. In my opinion if the police were aware of the BBC’s knowledge of the investigation at this stage, this should have been stated. If however the police disclosure to the media about the search took place after the search warrant was approved by the court, it begs the question as to whether the court was subsequently informed of this of this development. If the court was unaware of this the legality of the search warrant could be in question.

If a claim is brought against the police for the way in which a warrant was obtained or executed, the consequence can be long, drawn out and costly litigation. Police forces risk paying out compensation for trespass to property, breach of Article 8 (PACE) and malicious procurement of a search warrant.

From my 30 years police experience and having conducted numerous investigations and search operations under the provisions of PACE, the accepted practice of the police is not to identify those who have been arrested, let alone those who are merely fall within the scope of what the police have described in this case “as being at a very early stage of investigation”.  This is also the guideline published by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

The Leveson Report, covering the relationship between press and the police recently stated:

“I think that it should be made abundantly clear that save in exceptional and clearly identified circumstances (for example, where there may be an immediate risk to the public), the names or identifying details of those who are arrested or suspected of a crime should not be released to the press nor the public”.

South Yorkshire Police, who are conducting the investigation into the allegations involving Cliff Richard, may have the added task of explaining to Cliff and his lawyers why he was afforded no such privacy.  Unless they have a good explanation, there may be serious consequences not least in the civil courts.  Because while Cliff Richard is innocent in the eyes of the law, the verdict in the eyes of the baying public is being pronounced every second; just view social media and Twitter and you will see what I mean.

It is hard to see how the advance disclosure could “protect the integrity of the investigation” as claimed by the police, unless as has been reported they were being pressured by the BBC in that the corporation was about to publish details of the investigation. If this had been done ahead of the search, the operation could have been compromised.  The police decision to disclose details however has far broader implications, has certainly damaged the integrity of the investigation and possibly violated Sir Cliff’s human rights.

I have written a letter to the Chairman of the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee as clearly there are some very important questions to answer. Amongst these is whether there was breach of guidelines in the release of the information; whether pressure was placed on the police by the BBC for them to televise the search; whether such pressure had any influence on the timing of the search itself and the nature and full extent of the collaboration between the Police and BBC concerning the investigation. These are very serious matters. A copy of this letter can be found here.

It is a criminal offence under the Penal code to disclose details on an ongoing police investigation.

 

David Thomas

Former Assistant Commissioner

Hong Kong Police

At 0326 hrs 0n 20th  August 2014 a Night Guard in Lagos detected two youngsters to make a graffiti at a Renault display wall located at Rua Dom Vasco da Gama, Lagos. The night Guard contacted the PSP who together approached the suspects seizing two cans of spray paint. They were also found to have made graffiti across the road including doors and windows of shops and a car.

By 05:00 and at a time when the PSP and Night Guard checked the extent of damage, they caught in the act and in the same area, two other young people also making graffiti.

It was reported by the Night Guard service that that the four young men are friends and they are on holiday in Portugal.

 

On 19^th August 0340 hrs the GNR Intervention Public Order Unit on patrol in Albufeira detained a person aged 29 years for possession of a prohibited weapon.

The action followed a report made to the GNR patrol that there was a person in a nightclub establishment in possession of a firearm. The patrol went to the location concerned and apprehended the person who was found to have a 9mm pistol, a charger and five rounds of 9 mm ammunition.

Following this approach, the individual was identified and it was established that he had no licence for this weapon. He was then arrested and the weapon and ammunition seized.

The detainee was arrested earlier this year for the same offence. The detainee, who lives in the municipality of Tavira area, will appear in court for application of remand/reporting conditions.