The number of South Koreans receiving consular support for drug smuggling overseas tripled in two years, reaching 47 cases last year. Most were caught transporting drugs from Southeast Asia to Europe, with individuals in their 30s most affected, prompting a lawmaker to urge vigilance.
Kenyan courts are increasingly seeing cases of illegal ant smuggling, particularly the Giant African Harvester Ant, with thousands of specimens seized. Driven by a growing pet hobby in Europe, this trade, where a queen can fetch over €200, poses significant ecological risks to Kenya's savannah ecosystems and highlights a legal gray area in international wildlife trade.
Eleven individuals were indicted for the smuggling deaths of seven migrants found dead in a sealed rail cargo container in Laredo, Texas, with temperatures reaching 92°F (33°C), causing hyperthermia.
A federal indictment charges 11 individuals with smuggling-related deaths of 7 migrants, including a 14-year-old, who died from heat stroke in a sealed rail container in Texas in May.
A US judge in New York has set June 1, 2027, as the trial date for former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on drug trafficking charges. The couple was detained in early January by US forces in Caracas and faces potential life sentences if found guilty.
Staff at Penal Colony No. 17 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, intercepted a cat attempting to smuggle banned substances in two fabric collars for inmates. The Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) confirmed the cat was caught, its collars removed, and the narcotics verified by a sniffer dog before the animal was released unharmed.
South Korea's customs agency detected a record 767 drug smuggling cases, totaling 1,007 kg (33.58 million doses), in the first half of the year, marking the highest volume for domestic distribution amid tightened inspections. Smugglers aged 39 and younger accounted for 59.3% of the 717 offenders caught.
En kvinna i Umeå åtalas för grov narkotikasmuggling efter att ha kvitterat ut paket från England innehållande 30 000 kapslar pregabalin (Lyrica). Tullen fann även ett extra paket vid husrannsakan. Kvinnan förnekar brott men misstänks ha samarbetat med andra.
Lebanese food influencer Georges Hanna Dib, known as Dr Food, has been sentenced to life in prison with hard labour for smuggling hashish hidden in cake packaging to Turkiye and internationally. Dib, with over five million TikTok followers, is believed to be outside Lebanon and was stripped of his civil rights.
Three alleged liquor smugglers have been killed in suspected gang violence in Bihar's Samastipur district over four days. Incidents include a double murder on July 7 and another murder on July 8, with police investigating financial disputes and falling out between associates as motives.
Hong Kong customs officers arrested two women at Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau checkpoints for smuggling a dog valued at HK$3,000 and two endangered birds worth HK$5,000. The birds are protected under international and local laws.
Two Guatemalan men, Jorge Agapito Ventura and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, pleaded guilty in a Texas federal court to charges related to a human smuggling operation. The operation led to a 2021 truck crash in Mexico that killed 55 migrants. Both face up to life in prison.
British nationals caught smuggling cannabis from Thailand face severe penalties, including fines per kilogram and potential jail time, as authorities crack down on a surge in drug trafficking. New measures impose a 30,000 Baht (£68) per kilo fine in Thailand, with failure to pay leading to prosecution.
British nationals caught smuggling cannabis from Thailand face severe penalties, including hefty fines per kilogram and potential jail time, under new measures to combat a surge in drug trafficking. The National Crime Agency (NCA) is collaborating with Thai authorities to address the rising number of couriers arrested.
A study by the British analytical center Obsidian Research Bureau (ORB) suggests the end of the Ukraine conflict could lead to a surge in military-grade weapons smuggling into Europe via established routes like the Balkan corridor and Black Sea ports. The report highlights over 2,000 weapons seized at EU borders between January and April 2025.
Singapore police seized a S$55 million luxury home allegedly bought with proceeds from smuggling Nvidia AI chips. CEO Wei Zhaolun faces money laundering charges for using S$38 million in illicit earnings. Four individuals and two companies are charged in connection with the illegal trade.
The U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions on two individuals and nine companies linked to Mexico's CJNG cartel for their involvement in fuel smuggling and tax evasion schemes generating millions for the organization. A financial alert was also issued to banks.
The US has sanctioned Rwanda's Gasabo Gold Refinery and two executives, accusing them of smuggling minerals from rebel-controlled areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and collaborating with the M23 rebel group. The sanctions aim to curb illicit mineral trade and destabilize the region.
The U.S. military conducted a strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific, killing two and leaving six survivors. This is part of an ongoing campaign against alleged traffickers, with over 60 strikes and 210 deaths since September. Critics question the legality and effectiveness, especially as fentanyl is often trafficked over land.
En svensk man, känd som "El Sueco", har gripits i Cali, Colombia, efter att ha efterlysts av Sverige för synnerligen grov narkotikasmuggling. Gripandet var en samordnad insats mellan colombiansk polis, Europol och svensk polis.
En svensk man, känd som "El Sueco", har gripits i Cali, Colombia. Han efterlystes av Sverige för grov narkotikasmuggling och kopplas till kriminella nätverk som smugglat kokain internationellt.
Chandan Tayal, an Indian national, was arrested at Port Huron, Michigan, with 60.5 kilograms of cocaine hidden in two boxes disguised as wood pallets and cheese powder. He was attempting to cross the Blue Water Bridge into Canada when CBP officials discovered the drugs. Tayal claims ignorance of the cocaine's presence.
Jaskirat Singh, 25, from Wolverhampton, has been sentenced to over five years in prison for his role in a migrant smuggling network. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration, coordinating cross-Channel journeys for migrants hidden in lorries. Evidence linked him to the operation, which prosecutors estimate earned him over £185,000.
British actress Emaa Hussen, 34, has been charged in Australia for allegedly attempting to smuggle 320kg of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of A$296 million, into the country hidden in charcoal shipments from Ghana. She appeared in a Sydney court and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
