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Balkan Cartel Busted

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Diaspora Watch by Excel Global Media Group

Balkan Cartel Busted: Eight Tons of Cocaine Seized, Dozens Arrested Across Europe

European police forces have arrested around 40 individuals in a prolonged operation targeting a significant drug smuggling cartel, resulting in the seizure of eight tons of cocaine, Europol announced Thursday.

The cartel, with leaders based in Turkey and Dubai, suffered a major setback following a final series of arrests on Wednesday, according to the Hague-based police coordination agency.

Oscar Esteban Remacha, head of the anti-drug trafficking unit at Spain’s Guardia Civil, stated at a news conference in Madrid that the network had “the capacity to transport tons and tons of cocaine all over the world.”

Europol released images and a nearly 10-minute video on Thursday, showing K-9 dogs and officers uncovering bags of suspected drugs and detaining multiple suspects. The video also captures a boat being intercepted at sea, with officers unloading bags of suspected narcotics.

The final phase of the operation commenced in August 2023, when the Guardia Civil discovered 1,540 pounds of cocaine on a boat off the Canary Islands, crewed by Croatian and Italian citizens. Spain, due to its ties with Latin America and proximity to Morocco, serves as a major entry point for drugs into Europe.

Upon sharing their findings with other police forces, investigators identified connections to previous seizures, leading to the identification of the cartel’s leaders. Europol indicated that many network members were from Balkan countries.

Approximately 40 individuals were arrested across six countries, including two top Croatian members detained in Istanbul late last year. The last four arrests occurred on Wednesday in Spain.

An AFP journalist reported that heavily armed Guardia Civil officers arrested a 40-year-old suspect during a dawn raid at his home in Marbella, a Mediterranean seaside resort.

“This is one of the biggest operations against the Balkan cartels to date,” said Tomislav Stambuk, a Croatian police officer, at the news conference. “Serious assessments are that the Balkan cartel is responsible for the supply of more than half of the cocaine in Europe.”

Europol noted that the network’s assets, valued at several tens of millions of euros, had been seized or frozen. The smugglers transported cocaine from South America to logistical hubs in West Africa and the Canary Islands, before distributing it to centers in Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

The bust occurs amid a surge in cocaine production, according to Robert Fay, head of Europol’s narcotics department. Cocaine seizures at European ports have reached record levels, and Fay expressed concern over the rise in drug-related violence across the continent.

“We see bombings, killings, professional assassinations, shootings happening almost every day in the European Union,” Fay said.

The arrests in Spain follow the country’s “biggest-ever seizure” of crystal meth, 1.8 tons, attempted by Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel last month.

Globally, other major cocaine busts have been reported. Recently, Colombian naval officers seized two semisubmersible vessels carrying nearly five tons of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Coast Guard offloaded $63 million worth of cocaine in Florida after a high-speed shootout in the Caribbean Sea, and the French Navy confiscated 2.4 tons of cocaine from a fishing boat in the Atlantic Ocean.

Colombia remains the world’s largest cocaine producer, responsible for about 60% of global production.

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Two Dead, Nine Injured in Brown University Shooting

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Two Dead, Nine Injured in Brown University Shooting

 

Two students were killed and nine others injured after a gunman opened fire at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday, police said.

 

Authorities have detained a person of interest in his 20s, who is now cooperating with investigators.

 

The attack occurred around 4:00 p.m. local time (21:00 GMT) at the Holley Engineering Building on the eastern end of the university campus.

 

Police said the identities of the victims have not yet been released.

 

Brown University President Christina Paxson confirmed that all those affected, including the deceased, were students.

 

In a statement on Sunday, Paxson said parts of the campus remained restricted as police continued investigations.

 

She added that around 2,000 students were relocated to safe locations overnight and expressed gratitude to local residents who opened their homes to students.

 

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said seven of the injured students were in stable condition, one was critical, and another had been discharged.

 

The mayor, who visited victims and their families in hospital, described their courage as “overwhelming” and confirmed that the shelter-in-place order issued earlier had been lifted.

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the suspect was detained at a hotel in Coventry early Sunday morning based on a lead from Providence Police.

 

Police Chief Oscar Perez confirmed that officers were no longer searching for additional suspects and were working closely with prosecutors to collect evidence.

 

President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House, expressed sympathy for the families of the two deceased students and wished a speedy recovery for the nine injured.

 

The shooting brings the number of mass shootings in the United States in 2025 to 389, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as incidents with four or more victims killed or injured, not including the attacker.

 

Authorities are urging the public to remain vigilant as the investigation continues, while a vigil is scheduled for Sunday evening to support the Brown University community.

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Bondi Beach Attack: 15 Dead, Father-Son Gunmen Behind Shooting

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Bondi Beach Attack: 15 Dead, Father-Son Gunmen Behind Shooting

 

A mass shooting at Bondi Beach on Saturday left 15 people dead, including a child aged 10, during a Hanukkah celebration. Authorities are treating the incident as a terror attack.

 

Police confirmed the shooters were a 50-year-old father and his 24-year-old son.

 

The father died at the scene, while the son remains in critical condition.

 

The 50-year-old was a licensed firearms holder; six guns and two improvised devices were recovered from the site.

 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the attack “an act of pure evil”, saying it deliberately targeted the Jewish community, and promised full resources to support the investigation and combat antisemitism.

 

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said quick response, informed by last year’s Bondi stabbing, helped save lives.

 

328 officers have been deployed to protect Sydney’s Jewish community, while two properties in western Sydney were searched overnight.

 

Among the victims was British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger. Eyewitnesses described the chaos, with some saying the gunfire felt like it lasted “an eternity.”

 

Authorities continue to investigate the attack as Australians reel from the tragedy.

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Trump Reacts as ISIS Kills Three Americans in Syria 

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Trump Congratulates UK’s Farage, Ignores Starmer

Trump Reacts as ISIS Kills Three Americans in Syria 

 

President Donald Trump has pledged a “very serious retaliation” after an ambush in central Syria on Saturday, killing two U.S. service members and one American civilian interpreter, an attack the United States blames on the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

 

In a statement and social‑media post, Trump described the assault near Palmyra—a region still volatile and not fully controlled by the Syrian government—as “an ISIS attack against the U.S. and Syria.”

 

He mourned the three victims as “great American patriots” and confirmed that three other U.S. soldiers wounded in the attack are recovering.

 

Speaking from the White House before departing for a public event, the president said he expected a firm U.S. response, noting that there will be “very serious retaliation” against ISIS and any group that targets American forces.

 

Trump noted that Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa, whose government has been cooperating with U.S. forces in counter‑terrorism operations, was “extremely angry and disturbed” by the incident.

 

The ambush occurred as U.S. troops were engaged in a counter‑terrorism mission alongside Syrian partners; the suspected attacker was killed by coalition forces, U.S. Central Command said.

 

The identities and units of the deceased are being withheld pending family notification.

 

Defense officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, echoed Trump’s stance, issuing stark warnings that the U.S. will pursue individuals or groups that target Americans.

 

The U.S. maintains a force of around 900 troops in Syria as part of ongoing operations against ISIS remnants, despite the group’s loss of territorial control years earlier.

 

The attack is the first fatal incident involving U.S. personnel in Syria since the fall of the Assad regime, highlighting persistent security challenges and raising questions about the future scope of U.S. military engagement in the region.

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