Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project

Meet the people behind the scenes who power OCCRP’s journalism. In the latest “Inside Job” feature, we speak with OCCRP’s Head of Journalism Products Fabienne Meijer, a driving force behind the organization's audience-first, product-led newsroom. Recently named one of Editor & Publisher Magazine’s “Tomorrow’s News Trailblazers,” Fabienne shares her insights on how the media industry can innovate, by putting audiences' perspectives and needs at the center of change. She also shares what motivates her, the challenges facing the industry, and how she switches off. Read more about Fabienne her work here: buff.ly/W3e3Bjm

JUST OUT: 🔴 Record At-Sea Cocaine Bust The Work of Fugitive Kingpin, Officials Say Read more in OCCRP Weekly, our flagship email newsletter on the latest in organized crime and corruption: eepurl.com/yC9DzBed3n Subscribe: eepurl.com/dv_Lov

Federal prosecutors are urging a judge to make an example of Nomma Zarubina, who was jailed pre-trial after allegedly stalking and harassing the FBI agent investigating her. occrp.org/en/news/prosec…

"Predatorgate," has won Floodlight Gaming’s second Investigative Journalism Game Jam. Based on an investigative report into Predator spyware by Athens-based outlet Inside Story, the winning game prototype, was described as a “love letter to old school journalism” by its creators, Izzy Fiacco and Z. Daniel Barnett. Announced at the INDIGO games industry conference in Rotterdam, the winning team will receive $5,000 and a place in SpielFabrique’s Launchpad Program, which offers individualized industry mentoring and support. Inside Story journalist Eliza Triantafillou (@e_triantafillou) whose reporting inspired the game, said she was delighted to see the investigation get another life in a video game. “Our story is based on a multi-year, complex investigative report on illegal spyware surveillance of Greek journalists, ministers, opposition politicians, judges — it is widely regarded as one of the greatest scandals in recent Greek history.” This edition of the investigative journalism game jam challenged developers to build interactive, in-browser games directly from published reporting. Play “Predatorgate” and read more about Floodlight Gaming here: buff.ly/Pw0fySD

Fueling frustration for Sierra Leone parliamentarians, fugitive Dutch trafficker Joseph Leijdekkers allegedly masterminded a 30-ton cocaine shipment from his West African hideout, Spanish authorities told OCCRP. Leijdekkers has not been charged in the case. occrp.org/en/news/dutch-…

Just days before the opening match, cybersecurity experts and the F.B.I. are warning fans about a sophisticated wave of fake websites, malicious betting apps, and data-stealing traps. occrp.org/en/news/as-the…

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2026 European Press Prize! OCCRP, together with our partners at SVT and more than 30 media outlets, is honored to have been named a finalist for the Investigative Reporting Award. Our cross-border investigation, "Scam Empire," drew on nearly two terabytes of leaked data to provide an unprecedented look inside an insidious cyberfraud industry that police officials say costs the public hundreds of billions of dollars a year. We're grateful to the European Press Prize jury for this recognition. Read the full investigation here: buff.ly/miBdOdx

On May 18, 2025, Ruth López, chief legal officer at the human rights organization Cristosal, was arrested in El Salvador as part of a government crackdown against human rights defenders and journalists. This year, OCCRP named López as an Anti-Crime & Corruption Hero Award winner, which honors individuals confronting organized crime and corruption head-on — often at great personal risk. López is a preeminent figure in the fight against systemic corruption and authoritarian overreach in El Salvador, spearheading high-stakes legal challenges against President Nayib Bukele’s administration, including investigations into the misuse of public funds during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of transparency surrounding the country's Bitcoin implementation. It has been over a year since López's arrest, and she remains in pre-trial detention with no confirmed trial date. In El Salvador, the excessive use of pretrial detention has been used in many cases to hold individuals in detention for years without trial. Cristosal and advocacy groups are demanding a public, speedy, and fair trial, as well as an end to Lopez’s unjustified pretrial detention. #FreeRuth buff.ly/J0vQQgr

The detention of a deputy oil minister marks a dramatic escalation in Iraq’s new anti-corruption purge, signaling a crackdown on graft within the country’s most vital economic sector. occrp.org/en/news/millio…

After money tied to a notorious Russian tax fraud slipped into Armenia's financial system unnoticed by regulators, the victim is stepping in to demand an immediate asset freeze. occrp.org/en/news/armeni…

OCCRP has obtained corporate documents for 31 companies registered in Azerbaijan, which have managed the safety aspects of “shadow fleet” tankers that avoid sanctions in order to trade in Russian oil and other petroleum products. occrp.org/en/news/dozens…

During a nighttime attack on Kyiv, the apartment of Slidstvo.Info (our member center in Ukraine) journalist Yanina Kornienko @_yanina_k_ was severely damaged. Windows and doors in the building were blown out.

Wilmer Chavarría, the presumed leader of the Los Lobos syndicate, claims the Ecuadorian government wants him silenced because he claims the president is tied to drug trafficking and political murder. occrp.org/en/news/ecuado…

A widening property-fraud investigation into a $4 billion luxury resort linked to Jared Kushner has led Albanian authorities to freeze developer assets, compounding pressure from public protests and international critics. occrp.org/en/news/albani…

Australian authorities confirmed the American extradition request for Ian Taylor on money laundering charges. OCCRP previously reported that the Taylor family set up offshore firms that were used by crime groups. occrp.org/en/news/us-req…

Floodlight Gaming is at INDIGO 2026! What happens when investigative journalism meets game development? 🔵 Visit our booth to play game prototypes of “Dark Money” and “Hunting the Hunter,” 🔵 June 2nd, 10:30-Noon, Floodlight Gaming: Transforming High-Stakes Reporting into Interactive Experiences — Join us to explore the powerful crossover between these two storytelling industries. 🔵 June 2nd, 5:30-6 p.m. Award ceremony: we’ll announce the winner of the 2026 Investigative Journalism Game Jam!

Read the full story here: occrp.org/en/investigati…

Leaked Russian documents describe “cognitive strikes” against Western audiences, @DelfiEE and OCCRP found out. The goal of these influence operations is to “deepen internal contradictions between ruling elites” and stir up protests — in part by abandoning overtly pro-Russian messaging. The strategy played out in false-flag operations across Europe, including severed pig heads left outside Paris mosques, vandalism targeting Jewish sites, and plans to frame Ukrainians for provocative attacks. @ichbinilya breaks it down: