Reports (en)

£1m fraudsters who funded notorious Nigerian organised crime gang convicted

Three siblings who were working directly for the leader of a notorious Nigerian crime gang have been convicted of laundering nearly £1m for the Black Axe organised crime syndicate through UK bank accounts. Okemiorukaye Nakpodia, 56, was found guilty of conspiracy to money launder at Woolwich Crown Court today (8 May 2019). Esther Nakpodia, 35, Unuakpotovo Nakpodia, 46, both pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

---

DEEPDOTWEB SHUT DOWN: ADMINISTRATORS SUSPECTED OF RECEIVING MILLIONS OF KICKBACKS FROM ILLEGAL DARK WEB PROCEEDS

The two suspected administrators of a website known as DeepDotWeb have been arrested on 6 May 2019 in Paris, France and Israel. Authorities in the US have charged the two individuals after an internationally coordinated operation today, supported by Europol. At the same time, the DeepDotWeb website was seized by law enforcement and judicial authorities.

---

FAKE CARRIER SCAM: 6 ARRESTED IN ROMANIA AND THE NETHERLANDS

On 17 April 2019, some 400 police officers from the Romanian Directorate for Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) and the Dutch National Police, with the support of Europol and Eurojust, swooped on suspects in both these countries believed to be part of an organised crime group involved in fake carrier fraud.

---

Main suspect of spectacular Brussels Airport diamond heist extradited to Belgium

The main suspect of the spectacular diamond heist at Brussels Airport, 6 years ago, has been extradited by France. This has been confirmed by the Halle-Vilvoorde judicial authorities.

---

Toronto News Video: Oakville jewellery store robbery

Store employee recounts brazen armed robbery

---

Break In At Tiffany’s! Luxury Jeweller in London Victim of Smash and Grab Raid

Officers were seen swarming over the scene this morning, the pavement still strewn with shards of shattered glass. A gang of smash-and-grab raiders struck high-end jewellers Tiffany & Co in Knightsbridge, one of London’s most exclusive areas.

---

Moment ruthless sledgehammer-wielding gang smashed up jewellery shop in £300,000 heist as they are jailed for total of 49 years

Robbers who travelled 150 miles to carry out a ‘ruthless’ £300,000 jewellery heist have been jailed for a total of 49 years. The gang of five drove several hours from Greater Manchester to target a family-run shop in Newcastle upon Tyne before subjecting the owner to a terrifying raid.Video

---

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Alleged Robbery Crew in Well-Planned Jewelry Heists that Netted $1 Million in Stolen Goods

LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury today indicted five members of a robbery crew who allegedly committed sophisticated heists by following wholesale jewelers and bank customers – sometimes for days – and then robbing them, netting the thieves more than $1 million worth of jewelry and tens of thousands of dollars in cash over the past 18 months….
…. The various heists described in court documents followed a similar pattern: a member of the crew known as a “scout” identified a victim who was likely to be carrying jewelry or cash. The victims typically were jewelers conducting business at jewelry stores or malls in Orange County, the Jewelry District in downtown Los Angeles, or at various trade shows, the affidavit states. The “scout” followed the victim, who often was carrying large amounts of jewelry or cash, and would wait for an opportunity when the scout and co-conspirators could rob the jeweler…..
….If convicted in this case, defendants Lucca and Nuñez would face a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison, and the other defendants would face statutory maximum sentences of 20 years in prison….

---

Dozens of Chilean ‘tourists’ tied to burglaries in Southern California, police say

The crime patterns began emerging in the last year: crews of thieves employing inventive techniques to gain entry and ransack scores of cars, homes and businesses in Southern California and across the nation.As investigations and arrests ramped up, detectives noticed another key commonality: The suspects were Chilean and had gained entry into the U.S. with easily obtained visa waivers.“It is a growing problem,” said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. “They’re very sophisticated. It’s a hot zone in Southern California.”Law enforcement has dubbed it “burglary tourism,” and it is thriving locally and around the world…..

---

Family-Owned Jewelry Store Suffers Million-Dollar Loss In Brazen Burglary

MIT VIDEO!
LAGUNA NIGUEL (CBSLA) – An Orange County jewelry store was hit by daring burglars in a heist with a million-dollar price tag.“I’m hoping that the goodwill that we gave for 32 years is going to come back our way and I can already feel that already happening,” said Nuggets and Carats Jewelry Store owner Brian Hassine, fighting back tears.The family business, a shop that has been around for more than three decades, was wiped clean over the weekend. Every diamond, watch and precious piece owned by beloved customers was stolen in the brazen heist…..

---