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Keyword: smuggling

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  • Chinese national arrested over attempt to smuggle 2,000 queen ants from Kenya

    03/13/2026 2:39:01 PM PDT · by yesthatjallen · 44 replies
    BBC ^ | 03 11 2026 | Wycliffe Muia
    A Chinese national has been arrested in Kenya's main airport accused of attempting to smuggle more than 2,000 queen garden ants out of the country. Zhang Kequn was intercepted during a security check at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in the capital Nairobi after authorities discovered a large consignment of live ants in his luggage bound for China. He has yet to respond to the accusation but investigators said in court that he was linked to an ant-trafficking network that was broken up in Kenya last year. The ants are protected by international bio-diversity treaties and their trade is highly...
  • Illegal smuggling routes along the Rio Grande historically used by criminal cartel organizations are being destroyed. This is modern border security, and we are just getting started!

    03/09/2026 3:19:10 PM PDT · by ransomnote · 8 replies
    x.com ^ | March 9, 2026 | Chief Michael W. Banks @USBPChief
    https://x.com/USBPChief/status/2031050259032326558 Chief Michael W. Banks @USBPChief Illegal smuggling routes along the Rio Grande historically used by criminal cartel organizations are being destroyed. This is modern border security, and we are just getting started! @USCG@JointTFSBMarch 9, 2026
  • Syrian Smuggler Extradited from Costa Rica to Face U.S. Charges

    03/04/2026 6:12:30 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 4 replies
    Tico Times ^ | March 4, 2026
    Costa Rica authorities handed over a Syrian national to the United States after his arrest last year on charges of running a human smuggling operation. The man, known by the last name Maklad, led a group that moved migrants from Egypt, Venezuela, and Guatemala through New Mexico between 2022 and 2025, according to Osvaldo Ramírez, who heads Interpol operations at the Judicial Investigation Agency. Officers captured the 39-year-old in May 2025 as he crossed into the country from Nicaragua. Ramírez shared details in a video briefing, confirming the transfer went smoothly. Maklad escaped the U.S. after agents there broke up...
  • Suspected Chinese bioterrorists smuggled dangerous agent into US in boots, officials say - June 2025

    02/26/2026 9:13:42 PM PST · by dennisw · 26 replies
    Fox News ^ | June 4, 2025 | Peter D'Abrosca
    Yunqing Jian, 33, first entered the country on a fraudulently obtained F1 student visa, the FBI says Fusarium graminearum creates "head blight," a disease of wheat, barley, maize and rice, and "is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year," according to the Department of Justice. It is also toxic to humans, and can cause vomiting, liver damage and "reproductive defects in humans and livestock." The affidavit, which said Jian has been attempting to smuggle the pathogen into the U.S. since she began post-doctoral studies funded by China in 2022, also accuses Jian of asking a third...
  • From Mexico to the northern border, federal agents nab forced labor, visa fraud

    02/25/2026 9:21:51 AM PST · by Libloather · 3 replies
    The Center Square ^ | 2/25/26 | Bethany Blankley
    (The Center Square) – Federal agents continue to pursue visa fraud and forced labor crimes across the U.S. perpetrated by Americans and noncitizens who exploited a border crisis and loopholes in a weak visa system, prosecutors argue. The prosecutions come as Mexican smuggling operations at the northern border continue to be thwarted, The Center Square reported. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced this week 61 indictments against six people in the Tri-Cities and Yakima areas for extensive visa fraud, victim tampering, aggravated identity theft, mail and wire fraud, visa fraud and other charges. Two people...
  • The black market for Russian and Iranian oil is in trouble

    02/18/2026 4:37:42 PM PST · by Roman_War_Criminal · 5 replies
    Japan Times ^ | 2/17/26 | Javier Blas
    Oil smuggling has been so enormously profitable that no matter how many obstacles Washington and Brussels put up, the barrels kept flowing. With a daily turnover of $1 billion, the black market has been just too attractive. For the first time, however, I see cracks in the illicit business. Millions of barrels of unsold Iranian and Russian crude are accumulating in storage. The reason isn’t just more U.S. and European sanctions and political pressure. Sure, they’ve helped. But the key factor is more mundane: The buyers of sanctioned crude oil have plenty of alternative aboveboard barrels available — at reasonable...
  • Kentucky woman arrested after drugs concealed in Lego pieces at airport

    02/15/2026 10:20:43 AM PST · by simpson96 · 18 replies
    WKRC ^ | 2/14/2026 | Staff
    LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WKRC) - A Kentucky woman was arrested after federal agents intercepted a package from Poland containing what investigators said were OxyContin pills hidden inside Lego pieces. Agents with the Department of Homeland Security contacted local police Feb. 5 after seizing a package at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, per WLKY. Court records state the package, addressed to Amber Back, 41, contained 100 OxyContin pills concealed inside Lego pieces, reports WAVE. That package was destined for her home in Mount Sterling. Police said an officer delivered the package to Back’s address Feb. 6 before detaining her and taking...
  • Border Czar Homan: 145,000 Unaccompanied Alien Children Rescued From Biden Era Neglect

    01/30/2026 7:34:07 PM PST · by SeekAndFind · 5 replies
    Red State ^ | 01/30/2026 | Ward Clark
    One of the more horrible aspects of the mass illegal immigration that was allowed to fester under the presidency of Joe Biden and whoever was running the autopen was the number of unaccompanied illegal alien children that went missing. Most estimates place the number at 300,000. Until recently, we didn't know what had become of those children. Now, we have nearly half of them back. On Friday, Border Czar Tom "The Hammer" Homan took a few moments off from staring down ICE protestors in Minneapolis to take note of this on his official X account.The dedicated, talented, and compassionate men...
  • Protesters march in Miami to show support for immigrants [Miami Media Hates Citizens Who Obey the Law]

    01/29/2026 2:48:52 AM PST · by Recovering_Democrat · 22 replies
    NBC MIAMI ^ | 01/28/2026
    Catholic organizations marched in downtown Miami against immigration enforcement operations. NBC6’s Valerie Ryan
  • Governor Newscum May Be Involved in Dirty Money Laundering Scheme From Mexican Cartels

    Governor Newscum May Be Involved in Dirty Money Laundering Scheme From Mexican Cartels
  • Alarming Trend: Foreign Espionage Arrests Up 50 Percent: FBI

    10/16/2025 8:24:54 AM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 15 replies
    Epoch Times ^ | 10/16/2025 | Catherine Yang
    FBI Director Kash Patel said on Oct. 15 that the agency is cracking down on espionage by foreign adversaries, with an increase in arrests as high as 50 percent. “We have gone after espionage activities against our main counterparts in China, Russia, and Iran,” he said at a press conference. “In China alone, we’ve had over a 50 percent increase in espionage arrests alone, and prosecutions,” Patel said. “In Iran, we have had a 50 percent increase, again, in espionage cases. And in Russia, we had a 33 percent increase in espionage cases alone.” State Department employee Ashley Tellis, arrested...
  • Marco Rubio, Rand Paul Joust Over Trump’s Maduro Operation

    01/28/2026 10:55:30 AM PST · by backpacker_c · 45 replies
    dailycaller ^ | Jan 28, 2026 | Nicole Silverio
    Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued with Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul Wednesday over whether the U.S.’ capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro was an “act of war.” Paul expressed disagreement with Rubio by stating that if any country captured the U.S. president in the same kind of operation carried out in Venezuela, he would declare war. President Donald Trump’s administration, including Rubio, have repeatedly stated that Maduro’s arrest was simply a “law enforcement action” and not an act of war against Venezuela. Trump said that the move brought Maduro to “justice” and that the U.S. acted within its constitutional...
  • Interpol arrests more than 3,700 suspects in global trafficking crackdown

    01/26/2026 8:12:29 AM PST · by yesthatjallen · 13 replies
    AP ABC ^ | 01 26 2026 | Staff
    LAGOS, Nigeria -- A global crackdown on human traffickers and migrant smugglers coordinated by Interpol led to the arrest of more than 3,700 suspects and aided over 4,400 potential trafficking victims around the world, the law enforcement organization said Monday. Interpol said 14,000 officers carried out Operation Liberterra III between Nov. 10 and Nov. 21. The operation across 119 countries resulted in 3,744 arrests, the protection of 4,414 potential victims and the detection of 12,992 people caught in illegal migration schemes. Authorities opened at least 720 new investigations, according to the agency headquartered in France that helps police in 196...
  • [Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland confronts US bishops on their silence over trafficked children

    01/25/2026 3:35:17 PM PST · by ebb tide · 8 replies
    LifeSite News ^ | January 23, 2026 | Emily Mangiaracina
    [Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland confronts US bishops on their silence over trafficked childrenBishop Joseph Strickland exhorted not only the bishops but lay Catholics to confront their own complacency over the children being trafficked in the U.S.Bishop Joseph Strickland confronted U.S. bishops about their silence over children trafficked upon crossing the border illegally.During a Catholics for Catholics award ceremony for U.S. border czar Tom Homan in honor of his work saving over 62,000 children from human trafficking, Strickland highlighted the approximately 250,000 children still lost from border crossings under Joe Biden’s administration. The bishop stressed that if the unborn are not...
  • The Dangers of Undermining U.S. Civil–Military Relations

    01/25/2026 11:02:40 AM PST · by Retain Mike · 6 replies
    Imprimis ^ | December 2025 | Mackubin Thomas Owens
    Trump’s critics charge him with violating both domestic and international law by using the U.S. military to target drug cartels and drug runners, claiming that his actions are unprecedented. But as far back as the Reagan administration in 1986, U.S. Army infantry and aviation assets operated with Bolivian forces against drug producers in that country. And in 1993, President Bill Clinton issued a Presidential Decision Directive on Counternarcotics in the Western Hemisphere, assigning a substantial role in drug interdiction to the military.The National Defense Authorization Act of 1995 authorized use of military assets in drug interdiction: 14 USC Section 526...
  • Trump administration weighs naval blockade to halt Cuban oil imports

    01/23/2026 2:45:08 PM PST · by E. Pluribus Unum · 35 replies
    Politico.com ^ | 01/23/2026 02:12 PM EST Updated: 01/23/2026 02:31 PM EST | Ben Lefebvre and Eric Bazail-Eimil
    “Energy is the chokehold to kill” the Cuban regime, said a person familiar with the discussions. The Trump administration is weighing new tactics to drive regime change in Cuba, including imposing a total blockade on oil imports to the Caribbean country, three people familiar with the plan said Thursday. That escalation has been sought by some critics of the Cuban government in the administration and backed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to two of the three people, who were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive discussions. No decision has been made on whether to approve that move, but...
  • Ryan Wedding, a former Olympic snowboarder on the FBI's 'Most Wanted' list, has been arrested

    01/23/2026 9:50:18 AM PST · by Mr. Mojo · 24 replies
    AP via News4Jax ^ | 1-23-26 | Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer And Mike Balsamo
    WASHINGTON – Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who was among the FBI’s top fugitives and faces charges related to multinational drug trafficking and the killing of a federal witness, has been arrested in Mexico, top Justice Department officials said Friday. Wedding, 44, is accused of running a drug trafficking operation, and officials say he orchestrated several killings to further the drug crimes. He was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, and authorities had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel...
  • France’s navy intercepts an oil tanker in the Mediterranean sailing from Russia

    01/22/2026 9:02:53 PM PST · by an amused spectator · 19 replies
    Associated Pravda ^ | January 22, 2026 | JOHN LEICESTER
    PARIS (AP) — France’s navy, working with intelligence provided by the United Kingdom, on Thursday intercepted an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea that traveled from Russia, in a mission targeting the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet, officials said. French maritime authorities for the Mediterranean said the ship, the Grinch, is suspected of operating with a false flag. The French navy is escorting the ship to anchorage for more checks, the statement said. The tanker departed from the city of Murmansk in northwestern Russia, it said.
  • AMERICAN FENTANYL DEATHS COLLAPSE AFTER YEARS OF EXPLOSION

    01/17/2026 6:05:46 PM PST · by SmokingJoe · 30 replies
    X ^ | 01/17/2026 | MarioNawfal
    🚨🇺🇸 AMERICAN FENTANYL DEATHS COLLAPSE AFTER YEARS OF EXPLOSION After more than a decade of nonstop increases, monthly fentanyl deaths are now plunging. At the peak, over 6,000 Americans were dying every month. Now the number has dropped to around 2,700. That didn’t happen by accident. Border enforcement tightened. Drug seizures surged. Pressure on cartels increased. Trump warned this would happen years ago. The data is clear. Source: @endwokeness
  • Seized tanker moored in Scottish waters will be taken to the US

    01/17/2026 3:03:40 AM PST · by piasa · 4 replies
    Yahoo ^ | Fri, January 16, 2026 at 5:21 PM EST | Ken Banks - North east Scotland reporter, Ben Philip
    …The US has accused the Marinera of breaking its sanctions by carrying oil for Venezuela, Russia and Iran. The ship, previously known as Bella 1, was boarded while south of Iceland last week and is now in the Moray Firth while a US Coast Guard ship involved in the operation is berthed in Aberdeen. US administration sources said the tanker would be subject to a judicial forfeiture process when it arrives in the US and any individuals involved in its attempts to flee face federal prosecution.… …But Moscow denounced the seizure, demanding that the US treat Russians aboard properly and...