Tony Kingham

National Crime Agency arrests for offences linked to people smuggling have gone up by more than 55 per cent in a year, according to new figures.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, seized more than 18 million units of electronic nicotine delivery systems–commonly known as vapes–valued at over $175 million, as part of a targeted initiative called Operation Red Mist.

A lorry driver has been jailed for smuggling more than £7m worth of cocaine hidden on a vehicle carrying a consignment of Kim Kardashian's Skims underwear and clothing.

The AFP and Australian Border Force (ABF) are seeking public assistance following the seizure of 14kg of cocaine concealed within a consignment of two tonnes of fruit pulp at Melbourne Airport.

Spanish National Police officers, in a simultaneous operation across 15 Spanish provinces, have arrested 34 people for using fraudulent Colombian documents to enter Europe. The migrants, through several criminal networks based in Colombia, acquired Colombian identity cards and passports, allowing them to enter the Schengen Area without needing a visa. Once they had the documents, they traveled to Peru or Brazil and from there flew to Spain, France, or Portugal. They paid between €5,000 and €10,000 for a complete package that included documentation, accommodation, and travel.

Romanian Border Police with Bulgarian border police officers, stopped a car registered in Romania on DN 5 for inspection.

Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, has piloted a system that allows patrol vessels to verify the authenticity of the satellite signals they rely on to navigate, a growing concern in the Black Sea, where jamming and spoofing are persistent. The pilot, run in cooperation with the Romanian Border Police and European partners, used Galileo, the EU's satellite navigation system. Romania has now launched a tender for new coastal patrol vessels that will be required to carry the same capability.

Border police officers at Henri Coandă International Airport in Bucharest, working alongside customs officials, have intercepted a significant quantity of undeclared cigarettes carried by three Romanian nationals arriving from Istanbul.

Air and Marine Operations, along with the US Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations interdicted a maritime smuggling attempt in western Puerto Rico, resulting in the apprehension of 64 migrants.

The Border Guard leads the development related to the EU Action Plan on Cable Security safeguard critical maritime infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The Border Guard has together with the Finnish Navy and several companies tested a new type of observation equipment at sea.