Mexico arrests 10 Colombian ex-soldiers after deadly blast

Ten Colombian former soldiers were among the suspects arrested after an improvised landmine killed six Mexican troops in a drug cartel heartland this week, authorities said Friday. More than 40 explosive devices were seized along with other weapons in the Read More …

Mexico: Cartels are recruiting artisans to manufacture explosives, 3,454 devices seized in Michoacán alone

Criminal groups in Michoacán are recruiting local pyrotechnic artisans to manufacture improvised explosive devices (IEDs), often under threat, according to federal and state authorities. Carlos Roberto Gómez Ruiz, deputy director of the Explosives and Hazardous Materials Unit of the Michoacán Read More …

Mexico: Eight soldiers killed in explosion on the borders of Michoacán and Jalisco

The number of Special Forces soldiers killed by the explosion of a mine-type device on the border between Michoacán and Jalisco has risen to eight, federal sources reported. The initial report had been of two officers and four troops killed Read More …

EU-SOCTA Report: The changing DNA of serious and organised crime

The EU-SOCTA report is Europol’s flagship analysis that provides a comprehensive overview of the threats posed by serious and organised crime in Europe. Published every four years, it identifies key criminal activities, the dynamics of criminal networks, and emerging trends. Read More …

Europol: 18 arrested in series of strikes against cash machine robbers

Europol together with Dutch and German law enforcement authorities have taken decisive action against a Netherlands-based criminal group believed to be specialised in ATM robberies using explosives. 18 members of the highly specialised criminal group were arrested over a series Read More …

Haiti’s Beleaguered Government Launches Drones Against Gangs

A new front for drone warfare has opened a two-hour flight south of Miami. Haiti’s besieged government is using drones strapped with explosives to strike gangs that have turned the nation’s capital into a hellscape. The government is relying on Read More …

The shadow constellation: How Starlink devices are shaping conflict and crime in the Sahel

Violent extremist groups in the Sahel, including Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), are exploiting Starlink to enhance their operational capabilities. Criminal actors are not only trafficking Starlink devices but using them to Read More …

DEA: National Drug Threat Assessment

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) presents the 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA), a comprehensive report that provides a national-level perspective on the threats posed by deadly illicit drugs and the violent transnational criminal organizations responsible for producing the drugs Read More …

France: Prisons targeted with gunfire and arson over a new anti-drug crackdown

French prosecutors said Tuesday they have opened an investigation alleging terrorist conspiracy and attempted murder after several prisons were targeted in incidents that included gunfire and arson. Top officials described the attacks as a response to renewed government efforts to Read More …

Haiti: Armed gangs seized control of local prison in the city of Mirebalais

Heavily armed gangs struck the city of Mirebalais in central Haiti on Monday, seizing control of a local prison as hundreds of people fled the area under gunfire. Local media reported that gang members released dozens of inmates in the Read More …

Texas: Concerns over cartel drone threats expanding

The war in Ukraine opened Pandora’s box when it comes to using drones in combat. The low-cost, remotely guided flying contraptions can drop explosives from the sky or come down and literally blow up in an enemy combatant’s lap. Now Read More …

Cameroon: Islamic militants kill 12 soldiers in an attack near Lake Chad

At least 12 Cameroonian soldiers were killed Monday night in an attack by Islamic militants on the border with Nigeria, according to a statement from the Cameroonian Ministry of Defense. The attack also left over a dozen soldiers wounded and Read More …

New Frontlines and an Uncertain Future for Mine Clearance in Colombia

Nearly a decade after the landmark 2016 Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and a communist guerilla group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the prevalence of landmines remains a critical issue in the country. As mine Read More …

Ecuador: Vehicle explosion outside Guayaquil Littoral Penitentiary leaves a prison guard dead

An explosion in the early hours of Thursday outside the Guayaquil Littoral Penitentiary, the most dangerous in Ecuador, left one guard dead and two injured and once again alarmed the inhabitants of the area, who have seen their routine altered Read More …

Colombia: Violent turf war in Bogotá’s San Bernardo leaves three dead, nine injured

An explosion rocked Bogotá’s San Bernardo neighborhood on the night of Wednesday, March 12, leaving three dead and nine injured. Authorities confirmed the incident was caused by a grenade, which detonated near the Bicentenario station of TransMilenio, at the intersection Read More …

Florida: Thefts at athletes’ homes underscore weakness in post-9/11 anti-terrorist program

Some of the people suspected of being members of a theft ring charged with slipping into the homes of famous athletes to rob them entered the United States legally. But their arrests have underscored problems with a post-9/11 program that Read More …

New South Wales: Police say Sydney’s Dural caravan incident was ‘fabricated terrorist plot’

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has announced that a caravan found in Dural filled with explosives was not a genuine antisemitic terrorist plot. In January, a tip-off was received by authorities over the caravan, raising concerns over a potential planned Read More …

Victoria: Police offer $1m reward to help solve fatal 1998 Melbourne car bombing

Police have announced a $1 million reward to try to solve a fatal car bombing that kicked off a gangland war almost 30 years ago. Businessman Gianni “John” Furlan, 48, died instantly when his sedan exploded on a Coburg street Read More …

Texas official issues warning after rancher killed by cartel IED in Mexico

Texas ranchers working near the southern border have been urged to exercise extreme caution when traveling through Mexico after one of their own was killed earlier this month by an improvised explosive device (IED). Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, 74, a Texas Read More …

Mexico: Jalisco Cartel using fake bodyguard job ads to recruit ex Colombian soldiers to produce landmines

The Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) is actively recruiting Colombian soldiers in order to handle the installation and production of explosives, more concretely landmines, according to testimony from a former Colombian soldier. The former member of Colombia’s armed forces was Read More …