April 24, 2024. Posted by Periscope - Hellas
In a large-scale raid conducted yesterday in Bosnia and Herzegovina, law enforcement officers swarmed homes and offices of 23 persons suspected to be part of the ‘inner circle’ of a drug kingpin apprehended in November 2022.
Europol
supported the action, which serves as another milestone in the fight against
the so-called ‘super cartel’, an alliance of criminal networks that controlled
much of Europe’s cocaine trade. As in operation ‘Desert Light’, several
partners from around the globe collaborated to deal yet another major blow to
this criminal structure. Over 40 locations were searched by officers active on
the ground, who were joined by Europol specialists, as well as United States
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
agents.
The primary
objective of operation codenamed “Black Tie” was to indict and prosecute a
Bosnian-Herzegovinian/Dutch national considered a High Value Target by Europol
and the Netherlands. In 2023, the suspect was sentenced to seven years in
prison for drug trafficking by Dutch authorities. Another operational objective
was to disrupt the entire criminal organisation under the command and control
of the High Value Target. This joint international investigation was comprised
of Belgian, Bosnian-Herzegovinian, French, and United States law enforcement,
supported by Europol, according to local media.
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