Day: May 20, 2018

20^th May 2018

SPAIN SEIZES BOAT SMUGGLING 15 TONNES OF HASHISH

Focus FEN and others on 2oth May reported that the Spanish National Police and Civil Guards have intercepted and seized a fishing boat carrying an estimated 15 tonnes of hashish, the Spanish Interior Ministry said.  The fishing boat, which was illegally sailing under a Maltese flag, when it was spotted by a Spanish patrol boat 110 nautical miles off the eastern Spanish coast in a joint operation with Portuguese, Italian and Dutch authorities.

http://www.focus-fen.net/news/2018/05/20/430616/xinhua-spain-seizes-boat-smuggling-15-tonnes-of-hashish.html

LIBYA AUDIT BUREAU WANTS TO FREEZE BANK ACCOUNTS OF FIRMS ACCUSED OF MONEY SMUGGLING

The Libya Observer on 19^th May reported that the Libya Audit Bureau announced the names of figures and local and international firms involved in smuggling foreign currency, accusing them of greatly damaging Libya’s economy.  It sent a letter to the Central Bank of Libya (CBL), the Head of the Commission of Imports Budget, and the banks’ managers urging them to stop dealing with the bank accounts of the involved figures ad firms.  44 local companies and 24 foreign companies were included.  It also revealed money smuggling using letters of credit, thus damaging Libya’s economy, saying it is a form of organised crime, and said that there should be no letters of credit until the money smuggled is counted and then the file is sent to the concerned authorities.

https://www.libyaobserver.ly/economy/libya-audit-bureau-wants-freeze-bank-accounts-firms-accused-money-smuggling

 

CANADIAN JAILED IN US FOR EXCHANGING BITCOINS

Crypto Insider reported that in December 2016, Canadian citizen, Louis Ong, was targeted by the US federal authorities for posting an advertisement online to anonymously exchange bitcoin for US dollars.  Ong has now been sentenced to 20 days in US prison, 3 years of supervised release, and will likely be unable to return to the US after serving his sentence there.  He also forfeited $1.1 million in cash and bitcoin.

https://cryptoinsider.21mil.com/canadian-citizen-louis-ong-jailed-us-trading-bitcoin/

BRITISH GOVERNMENT LISTS PAKISTAN AMONG TOP 3 MONEY LAUNDERING SOURCES

The Daily Times in Pakistan on 20^th May reported that the NCA has identified Pakistan, Nigeria and Russia as the top source countries for money laundering in the UK in its annual assessment of serious and organised crime.  The assessment also mentions that one of the key mechanisms used in money laundering is trade-based money laundering (TBML), described as a complex global issue and a key method of money laundering impacting on the UK.

https://dailytimes.com.pk/242321/british-government-lists-pakistan-among-top-3-money-laundering-sources/

CHINA’S CNPC READY TO TAKE OVER IRAN PROJECT IF TOTAL LEAVES

Customs Today on 19^th May reported that China’s state-owned energy major CNPC is ready to take over Total’s stake in the giant Iranian South Pars gas project if the French company leaves amid newly announced US sanctions, industry sources said, according to Reuters.

http://www.customstoday.com.pk/chinas-cnpc-ready-to-take-over-iran-project-if-total-leaves/

NCA MOST WANTED LIST

http://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/most-wanted-hub/most-wanted-listings

ISLAMIC STATE CHEMICAL WEAPONS

The START website on 28^th March republished an article originally in the CTC Sentinel arguing that the Islamic State’s experiments with chemical weapons (CW) cannot predict future threats.  The article states that IS has used weaponised toxic industrial chemicals, or TIC, which shows how eager IS was to get access to these chemicals.  Some of the chemicals used for weaponized TIC are chlorine, which is most predominantly used; phosphine, a compound used in agriculture; and sulphur mustard.  These 3 chemicals were all used in between 2014 and 2016 in various attacks.  The analysis questions why IS decided to leave out their CW attacks that they deemed successful.

http://www.start.umd.edu/news/islamic-state-chemical-weapons-case-contained-its-context

SPOT THE SIGNS OF TRAFFICKING AND FORCED LABOUR

The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority in the UK has published a number of indicators of trafficking and forced labour.  Not all of the indicators will apply in every case, and some may not be immediately apparent.  The indicators are grouped under several headings – restricted freedom; behaviour; working conditions; accommodation; finances; appearance.

http://www.gla.gov.uk/who-we-are/modern-slavery/who-we-are-modern-slavery-spot-the-signs/

On 18^th May the OECD Insight website published an article by the head of the OECD Public Governance Directorate arguing that the small package trade is facilitating the global trade in counterfeits, and it is also one of the reasons why the current opioid epidemic in the US has reached the proportions it has.  It says that governments now realise the serious effects the small package trade can have.  In a 2018 OECD on illicit trade, customs agencies reported that small, low-value shipments are a very real threat to national health, safety and security – small parcels do not just contain illicit narcotics, but weapons, illegal wildlife products, or indeed nearly anything that will fit in a box.  A small-package delivery system which escapes controls has combined with the democratisation of trade through e-commerce to ignite a boom in illicit trade.  The trouble is that customs agencies are geared to monitor large commercial shipments rather than a continuous flow of small parcels.  Though the institutional capacities of individual law enforcements agencies are weak, governments can co-operate with each other, and with courier services, postal administrations, e-commerce vendors and intermediaries.

http://oecdinsights.org/2018/05/18/the-dark-side-of-the-digital-economy-bad-things-come-in-small-packages/

The Cyprus Mail on 20^th May published an opinion piece saying that Cyprus was paid a visit by the US Treasury Department’s Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing, who met the Finance Minister, Foreign Minister and Governor of the Central Bank and discussed “the positive improvements and reforms that Cyprus has made in its anti-money laundering regulations and regulatory oversights,” with the officials and “explored areas where the US and Cyprus can continue to partner to fight threats to the international financial sector”.  A statement claimed that the US was encouraged by the commitments made by Cypriot officials today and will continue to work together to combat and corruption, money laundering and other financial threats.  The article suggested that problem was the Russian businessmen that make up the main clientele of auditing firms and law firms and are granted citizenship when they buy an expensive property.  At the same time, the Cyprus Bar Association and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) issued circulars to their members advising them to be more diligent in scrutinising the activities of their clients, applying AML regulations properly and avoiding doing any business with individuals or businesses on the US sanctions lists.  The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission also issued a similar statement warning the entities it supervises to have cognisance of the US sanctions list.  The article says that it is very clear the US turned the screw on the Cyprus authorities, which are now desperate to show that they are following the US ‘advice’.  The article also comments that the citizenship by investment scheme, although a big boost to the economy, has only made matters worse as it has attracted wealthy Russians of interest to the US authorities.

https://cyprus-mail.com/2018/05/20/our-view-government-needs-to-take-us-sanctions-warning-seriously/