Friday, July 23, 2010

Former DAS agents arrested for narco tip-offs - Colombia news | Colombia Reports

Former DAS agents arrested for narco tip-offs - Colombia news | Colombia Reports:
Two former operatives from Colombia's intelligence agency DAS were arrested for allegedly leaking information to the criminal organisation headed by the drug-lord and paramilitary Pedro Olivero Guerrero, alias 'Cuchillo.'

Sufi States Inside The State

Sufi States Inside The State:
>Some Sufi orders for religious and historical reasons succeeded in founding autonomous states inside other sovereign states. In Senegal for instance, many clerical city-states and Jihadi villages emerged as independent beings following some particular historical events. These city-states in Senegambia enjoy total autonomy from the central state, and run their territories as independent structures in all fields. In Kurdistan, the Sufi Derwish in Boiveh has a total control over their religious ceremonial lives and autonomous running of their administration and services. Yet, the Boiveh Derwish brotherhood can’t be considered fully as a state because it is still undergoing many pressures by the Iranian state and has no historical impregnation in time.

Police arrest head of Kosovo Central Bank on suspicion of corruption, raid offices and home | Washington Examiner

Police arrest head of Kosovo Central Bank on suspicion of corruption, raid offices and home | Washington Examiner:
She said police were looking for evidence of abuse of official position, accepting bribes, tax evasion, trading in influence and money laundering.

Letter From Port of Spain | Foreign Affairs

Letter From Port of Spain | Foreign Affairs:
A recent election in Trinidad and Tobago was a hopeful sign that the country is willing to take on its powerful drug gangs. But corruption and gang violence are entrenched forces that the new government may not be able to overcome. Is the country on the verge of unraveling?

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Dirty money drawn to financial markets | The Jakarta Post

Dirty money drawn to financial markets | The Jakarta Post:
The stellar performance of Indonesia’s financial market in recent years has made investments in securities and also currencies a top choice for money laundering, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) says.

Financial markets are attracting money launderers, as opposed to the traditional laundering methods of investing in hard assets such as real estate, due to higher investment returns, better liquidity of assets and legal loopholes, experts say.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

BBC News - Mozambique becoming a drug-trafficking hub - Interpol

BBC News - Mozambique becoming a drug-trafficking hub - Interpol: "Mozambique is increasingly becoming a hub for trafficking drugs from Latin America to Europe, Interpol warns."

Monday, July 12, 2010

Go-Jamaica :: Guyana airports are having drug lapses :: Caribbean

Go-Jamaica :: Guyana airports are having drug lapses :: Caribbean:
Benn said that if this continues to happen it will be a strong indication that they are only seeing ten per cent of what goes through.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Saturday, July 3, 2010

ARCAblog: “Stealing Caravaggio: The Odessa File”

ARCAblog: “Stealing Caravaggio: The Odessa File”:
According to police and criminologists, the Ukraine is rife with Organized Crime, with the Balkan Mafia particularly active. Their history of stealing art for trade or collateral in deals for drugs and arms suggests that this latest theft is another that can be attributed to them. They almost certainly, however, do not read art history publications like Burlington Magazine, which published the 1993 article proving that the Odessa Taking of Christ was a copy.

So, is the last laugh on them? Are the under-educated Mafia undone by their own lack of research? Unfortunately for poetic justice, no. The thieves are not the only ones who may have missed the Burlington Magazine article. Most people think that the Odessa painting is an original—especially if they believe most world newspaper articles, which reported that it is an original Caravaggio worth $100 million. It seems that most newspaper reporters did as little research as the thieves. Among other criminals, the thieves can present newspaper clippings “proving” that their stolen Caravaggio is original, and simply ignore those who might point out its inauthenticity.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Welcome to Freedom Newspaper Online

Welcome to Freedom Newspaper Online:
Two senior officials of Gambia’s National Drug Enforcement Agency have been arrested, following their alleged involvement in facilitating the release of suspects linked to drug trafficking, the Freedom Newspaper can authoritatively report. The suspects were recently nabbed with a large quantity of marijuana—only to be released on bail by the NDEA command in Sibanorr. The conditions attached to their bailing never went down well with some local staffers of the NDEA—amidst allegations of official corruption.