Fujian snakeheads at the start of the route and a Turkish group at the European end. There will be more on this story tomorrow, I suspect. Classic cross-border networks and people one of several commodities smuggled.

Coverage of the Securitas robbery continues, much of it feverish. Like an innocent, I always thought that this sort of report was against the law, because it prejudices the right of the person named to a fair trial. Somewhere in the last 20 years that appears to have changed. Anyway, for what it is worth, … THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY?

Moscow Times article, carefully worded about the middlemen in the gas dealings between Moscow and Kiev. Watch this story develop. Previous blog entry on arrest of Mogilevich.

The latest issue has arrived in my snailmail box. A couple of pieces catch the eye. Peter Gottschalk “Stages of Financial Crime by Business Organisations”, which includes our old friend Klaus von Lampe in the bibliography [which is itself excellent] and must therefore be extremely kosher! Peter discusses the stages of growth in organised financial … European Review of Organised Crime

Thought-provoking New York Times article. Frank Kitson’s counter-insurgency strategy was always to try to turn captured insurgents to make them work against their old partners. US counter-terrorist strategists have always been into “punishment” as the only acceptable strategy. Describes ” al hiwar al fikri”: an intellectual dialogue to deradicalise jihadists, with religious scholars arguing with … YEMEN AND US DISAGREE ON COUNTER-JIHADIST STRATEGY

Biggest robbery in UK history. BBC page has lots of links to other aspects of the case, including the money trail. Two of the five are Albanians, but there are still individuals who are wanted by the police. Some of the money is alleged to be in Northern Cyprus and Morocco. Big cash robberies much … FIVE FOUND GUILTY OF £53 MILLION ROBBERY

Well, I suppose we’re learning that just because a paper or a politician says it, it isnt necessarily true. Nevertheless this CNN piece summarises all the allegations made against the people arrested in Barcelona last week. Read the piece and draw your own conclusions. Then go back to the post on the Romanian child traffickers … EL PAIS SAYS THAT EXTREMISTS PLOTTED ATTACKS ACROSS EUROPE

Council of Europe attacks the procedures by which individuals and organisations are blacklisted, noting that there is no right to a hearing or an appeal and even if you can find a court that will take your case, you cant get off a blacklist anyway. Principles of natural justice and human rights do not appear … COUNCIL OF EUROPE CRITICISES TERRORIST BLACKLISTING PROCEDURES

Interesting article on the interface between organised crime and paramilitaries, in this case the INLA. There will presumably be more in the Irish Press on Monday. “The Viper” v “the Whacker”. Irish Times photo here: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0127/breaking17.htm

Jason Burke’s investigation into “home grown” terrorism in the UK. On the net in two parts. His title was: “Omar was a normal British teenager who loved his little brother and Man Utd. So why at 24 did he plan to blow up a nightclub in central London?” The article argues many things: the role … THE JIHADIST NEXT DOOR PART 1