Crime Intel

Brazil: Police seized 322 kg of cocaine hidden in a false compartment inside a bi-trem truck transporting mineral ore on the MGC-497 highway in Iturama, Minas Gerais. The driver, who showed signs of nervousness and gave contradictory answers during the stop, was arrested for drug trafficking.

Bolivia: Authorities seized 43.8 tons of sodium carbonate and 10.5 tons of sodium sulfate stored in customs warehouses in Oruro, both considered crucial chemical precursors for cocaine and base paste production. The chemicals are suspected to have originated from China.

Venezuela: A military and police operation destroyed a camp in Apure used for drug trafficking, uncovering a clandestine airstrip, a fixed-wing aircraft with registration YV-3054, and seizing 631.5 kg of cocaine packaged in 523 bricks. The site included six logistical structures equipped for permanent occupation, with beds, hammocks, gas cylinders, water tanks, large amounts of aviation fuel, kitchens, radios, and other supplies.

Brazil: A major police operation targeting the Comando Vermelho (CV) criminal organization in Rio de Janeiro resulted in the death of one of its most wanted leaders, Claudio Augusto dos Santos, along with six other suspected members, and the arrest of 116 individuals. The operation, involving 150 officers from the Special Operations Battalion (BOPE) supported by two armored vehicles, took place across multiple favelas in Santa Teresa and led to armed confrontations, a hostage situation with one civilian killed, and chaos including the torching of a city bus. Authorities seized a total of 105 kg of cocaine, 611 kg of marijuana, and 21 firearms.

Mexico: Juan Carlos Valencia González, known as El 03 or El Pelón, has reportedly become the new leader of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) following the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias El Mencho, who was killed by Mexican special forces in Tapalpa, Jalisco. Valencia González, a dual US-Mexico citizen born in California and raised in the criminal lineage of both the CJNG and the Milenio cartel, was previously indicted in the US in 2020 for trafficking large quantities of narcotics and organizing violent crimes. He has overseen CJNG paramilitary groups such as Grupo Élite, directing operations in Jalisco, Michoacán, Zacatecas, and Guanajuato. His US citizenship complicates American efforts to prosecute or surveil him due to legal restrictions. The US Department of State is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

Mexico: Authorities seized 317 kg of methamphetamine and a property in Tecate, Baja California during the "Operación Frontera Norte". Additionally, in Tijuana, 39.5 kg of methamphetamine and a vehicle were seized, and one person was detained.

Mexico: Angel Esteban Aguilar Morales, alias Lobo Menor and leader of the Ecuadorian criminal group Los Lobos, was arrested in Mexico City after a coordinated intelligence operation involving Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador, following two months of international surveillance. Aguilar attempted to enter Mexico under a false Colombian identity and was tracked from Medellín and Itagüí to the Polanco district before being apprehended at the airport. He is suspected of masterminding the 2023 assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio and is linked to drug trafficking, extortion, and homicide, with ties to Colombian EMC (Estado Mayor Central), FARC dissidents, and major Mexican cartels. The capture was enabled by a red notice from Interpol. Aguilar has been quickly extradited to Colombia to face charges related to organized crime and political violence.

Italy: The Hydra investigation has led to a major trial in Milan involving 45 defendants accused of forming a criminal alliance between Cosa Nostra, 'ndrangheta, and the Camorra, operating as a consortium in Lombardy and beyond. Key evidence comes from recent collaborators Gioacchino Amico and Bernardo Pace, whose testimonies describe coordinated summits, joint illicit activity, and direct links to figures like Paolo Errante Parrino and, indirectly, Matteo Messina Denaro. Both pentiti detail the fluid cooperation among mafias and confirm a shared structure reaching into local politics, though large portions of their statements remain sealed. Pace died by suicide in custody after beginning his cooperation, raising investigative questions.

UK: A total of 943 kg of cocaine was seized at Southampton Docks after a container carrying pallets of bananas arrived from Nicaragua via Panama. The operation, conducted by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in partnership with Border Force, targeted transnational smuggling routes.

Germany: Erkan Akyol, former leader of the Hells Angels chapter in Cologne and later associated with the Bandidos, has reportedly died in Tehran under disputed circumstances. Wanted internationally for a 2015 murder in Cologne, Akyol survived an assassination attempt in Istanbul last year before fleeing to Iran about six months ago. The official police report lists a heart attack after a medical visit as the cause of death, but members of the biker scene suspect poisoning, as his associate in Iran is also suffering from apparent poisoning and kidney failure. Akyol, whose recent public split from the Hells Angels in favor of the Bandidos drew significant attention, had allegedly continued to orchestrate criminal activity from abroad until his death. Repatriation of his remains is hampered by regional conflict.

China: Authorities arrested seven individuals and placed 12 under criminal compulsory measures in Hubei province, targeting fentanyl precursor chemical traffickers. The operation, initiated in December, focused on dismantling the full supply chain from production to storage and export, and led to 22 criminal cases involving fentanyl precursor chemicals. This represents the first widely-publicized legal crackdown on fentanyl chemical suppliers in several years following ongoing pressure from the USA.

Venezuela: Security forces seized 631.5 kg of cocaine and destroyed six clandestine logistics camps, known as cambuches, near the Indigenous Community Las Campanas in Apure state during Operation/Fuerza 03-26 Vuelvan Caras. The operation involved rapid response units and the National Bolivarian Police's Drug Division, leading to the confiscation of 523 packages of cocaine, a fixed-wing aircraft, a clandestine airstrip, radio transmitters, over 8,000 liters of AV-GAS, and various other trafficking equipment.

Mexico: Authorities arrested Juan Carlos Montero Mestre, alias Lobo Menor, in Polanco, identifying him as the mastermind behind the 2023 assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in Quito. Subject to an Interpol red notice and wanted in both Colombia and Ecuador, Lobo Menor is linked to drug trafficking, extortion, and homicide, with connections to Mexican cartels and Iván Mordisco, a dissident FARC faction leader in Colombia.

Brazil: Federal Police (PF) and Federal Highway Police (PRF) seized 400 kg of cocaine during an operation targeting interstate trafficking. Three suspects were arrested in São Desidério, Bahia, along with the confiscation of three high-value vehicles used for transporting the drugs. Authorities also seized mobile phones and satellite internet antennas, technology commonly used by criminal organizations to coordinate logistics in remote areas and while moving illicit shipments.

Argentina: The Supreme Court confirmed the extradition of Guillermo Rafael Boscán Bracho, alleged head of the Banda del Yiyi and local cell leader of the Tren de Aragua criminal group, to Venezuela, where he faces charges including aggravated extortion, homicide, terrorism, and organized crime. Identified as one of Venezuela’s ten most-wanted, Boscán Bracho was detained in Corrientes after entering the country under a false identity and is accused of managing operations related to money laundering and terrorism financing since at least 2019. Tren de Aragua, which evolved from a local group tied to prison networks in Venezuela, has expanded across Latin America and has recently been linked to criminal activity in North America.

Brazil: A total of 124 kg of cocaine was discovered in May 2022 by customs divers, concealed in waterproof bags in a submerged cavity 12 meters below the waterline on the hull of the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Great Sea, arriving from Santos at La Rochelle's port in France. After a four-year joint investigation involving French and Brazilian authorities, Operation Cousteau led to coordinated raids with over 40 Brazilian federal police and resulted in the arrest of two suspects linked to a Brazilian criminal organization specializing in drug trafficking. The investigation uncovered the cocaine was destined for the European market and exposed a broader network shipping drugs from Brazil to Europe via maritime routes. In addition to the arrests, three vehicles, five declared firearms, and luxury watches were also seized during Brazilian searches.

USA: Servando Gómez Martínez, known as La Tuta and former leader of La Familia Michoacana and Los Caballeros Templarios, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to traffic narcotics before a federal court in Manhattan. He remains in pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while awaiting trial, after being extradited from Mexico along with other criminal figures in August 2025. The indictment alleges he operated as an executive for La Familia Michoacana, trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine from Michoacán, particularly via the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, to the USA.

Italy: Bernardo Pace, a mafia boss recently sentenced to 14 years and 4 months in the Hydra trial for his role in a criminal network uniting Cosa nostra, ’ndrangheta, and camorra in Lombardy, died by suicide in his cell at the Lorusso e Cutugno prison in Turin. He had begun cooperating with Milan’s District Anti-Mafia Directorate as a state witness and was due to provide key testimony against organized crime figures. The Hydra case involves 45 other defendants facing trial, with previous convictions for 61 additional accused. Pace’s death highlights persistent systemic issues in Italian prisons, including severe overcrowding, around 1,450 detainees held in a facility designed for just over 1,000, and ongoing reports of inadequate mental health care and staff shortages.

Belgium: Abdelilah El Messaoudi, a leading cocaine trafficker with Moroccan origins, reportedly fled Türkiye after evading extradition and is now believed to be hiding in Morocco. Authorities in Antwerp connect him to trafficking operations involving several tens of tons of cocaine through the port, uncovered by the decryption of EncroChat and Sky ECC encrypted networks. He faces over 34 years in prison and has been active for more than a decade, making him one of the most wanted figures in large-scale cocaine trafficking.

Albania: Hajdar Çopja, a fugitive linked to a major cocaine trafficking organization, is reported to be living in Dubai under multiple identities and displaying a lavish lifestyle on social media. He and his brother, Franc Çopja, extradited to Belgium in 2023 and sentenced in 2026 to 25 years for ordering a 2020 murder, have reportedly invested proceeds from cocaine trafficking in luxury assets in Dubai, including high-value property in Palm Jumeirah. The Çopja group has been involved in a violent conflict with the Erion Alibej family, an ongoing feud rooted in drug deals and marked by assassinations and revenge across Albania and Europe.