All news on the topic: Europol

London — Criminal networks are "weaponizing children" to commit torture and murder by recruiting them through multiplayer video games and smartphones — and parents often have no idea what’s happening, the boss of Europe’s law enforcement agency warns.

Europol said Wednesday that a November 10–14 cyber-patrol in Alicante uncovered 69 piracy and illegal streaming sites, leading to 25 IPTV platforms being flagged to crypto providers for disruption and investigations launched into 44 others.

Europol announced on Thursday that it carried out a new phase of Operation Endgame, which dismantled three major cybercrime networks: the infostealer Rhadamanthys, the remote-access trojan VenomRAT, and the botnet Elysium.

On 4 November 2025, an international coordinated action day targeted three major fraud and money laundering networks as part of Operation “Chargeback.”

Thousands of people across Europe are being lured into investment scams promoted on social media. Investigate Europe reports that tech companies and public authorities are failing to protect citizens despite the Digital Services Act.

Five suspects were arrested and assets frozen during coordinated searches in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Europol announced Monday that a two-week operation at its headquarters helped identify 51 children who had been sexually abused.

Europol-supported operations in Spain and Portugal have seized more than 4 tonnes of cocaine and led to over 60 arrests between November 2024 and September 2025.

A Ukrainian man accused of leading a global ransomware network has been placed on the European Union’s Most Wanted list.

Law enforcement authorities from 18 countries, supported by Europol, seized nearly one million counterfeit items worth more than €66 million ($76.9 million) in a crackdown on counterfeit currency, according to Europol.

Albanian police arrested 10 suspected members of an organized crime network involved in multi-ton cocaine trafficking and money laundering, Europol said Tuesday.

Authorities in Italy, Spain, and Albania have arrested 28 suspected members of a drug trafficking network linked to the ’Ndrangheta, Europol announced on Tuesday.

European authorities dismantle a meth network linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel and gangs in Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Operation RapTor successfully takes down drug, weapons, and counterfeit networks across 10 countries, seizing millions in cash and cryptocurrencies and tons of illicit goods

Fake art, ancient loot, and digital smugglers: Europol-led operation reveals global trade in stolen cultural treasures.

Coordinated raids in Cyprus, Albania, and Israel target a group accused of scamming over 100 victims using a fake trading platform. The network employed fraudulent charts and pressure tactics to steal millions from investors across Europe.

One of the largest child exploitation networks in the world has been dismantled in an international operation coordinated by Europol.

Trump’s federal cost-cutting - led by Elon Musk’s Doge – has now hit the unit helping rescue Ukrainian children taken by Russia

Massive drug bust uncovers Ecuador-Europe drug trafficking network, leading to seizure of 73 tonnes of drugs and 36 arrests.

Spanish and Portuguese police dismantle a multimillion-euro money laundering network connected to organized crime throughout Europe.

Spanish and Portuguese police dismantle a multimillion-euro money laundering ring connected to organized crime throughout Europe.

Marco Ebben was one of Europe’s ‘most wanted’ men for smuggling drugs from Brazil to the Netherlands.

One of Europe’s most wanted drug kingpins has been gunned down in Mexico after years of evading arrest.

Russian cybercrime kingpin Alexander Vinnik returns to Moscow after a prisoner swap with the U.S., while Europol targets a major ransomware network, arresting four Russians and seizing key servers.

Record-breaking cocaine seizures in Portugal in 2024 have cemented the country’s status as a crucial axis in drug trafficking routes into Europe.