Forthe past year reporters from The Times, The Sunday Times and News Corp Australia have been unlocking the secrets of the global cocaine industry for a new podcast, Cocaine Inc. This is the inside story of the British beauticians recruited as cash mules by a criminal mastermind. In Dubai’s gold souk two British drug dealers...
European parliamentarians are questioning whether the United Arab Emirates should have been taken off the “gray list” of countries at risk of money laundering and terrorist financing, following revelations that Dubai property owners include a host of dubious characters like drug lords and sanctioned businessmen. In mid-May, OCCRP and more than 70 international media outlets...
The UAE has been accused of being a leading recipient of tens of billions of dollars worth of gold smuggled out of Africa every year, reflecting growing concern over the illicit trade in the region’s precious metals. In a comprehensive study, Swissaid estimated that about 435 tonnes of gold worth about $31bn were exported undeclared...
East London money launderer on the run after smuggling suitcases stuffed with cash to Dubai. An east London money launderer is on the run after smuggling an estimated £5 million in cash stuffed in suitcases out of the country. The National Crime Agency this week appealed for help to find Abdul Fahad, of Meads Lane, Ilford, who absconded on bail...
Each year, money launders funnel $2 trillion in ill-gotten gains into the financial system. And a lot of that money travels by air, in cash, often in people’s suitcases, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Sunday (April 21). The report cited figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) showing that international...
Elmedin Konaković, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, denied allegations of ties to the “Tito and Dino” drug gang. He claims that he is the target of certain media close to the former regime, and that he will resign if any of the allegations incriminating his name are proven. The EUROPOL document is...
Worried families seek return of relatives trapped in warzone after false promises from agent. At least 20 Indian citizens are trapped on the front lines of the war in Ukraine after being tricked into travelling to Russia and then forced to join the army. Relatives of some of those who have been sent to fight...
As the glittering skyscrapers of Dubai continue rising ever higher, new evidence shows this glitzy emirate has also constructed a massive offshore haven enabling some of the world’s most repressive regimes and drug cartels to shield wealth and escape consequences for human rights abuses. An in-depth investigation drawing on leaked property records and intelligence sources...
Abdelkader Bouguettaia, 36, was arrested in early November 2023 following a visit by the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, to the United Arab Emirates to strengthen judicial cooperation. He was eventually released in mid-December by the UAE judiciary. The arrest of “Bibi” had taken on the airs of a trophy. A few days after a lightning...
Led out by a beaming Adam Kadyrov, the son of the Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, a group of muscular men sporting black beards strode on to the brightly illuminated stage in Dubai last week to receive gold medals and a $5,000 (£3,960) cheque. The men were members of the notorious Chechen Akhmat Kadyrov special police regiment, a group...