Latest news with #economiccrime
BBC News
08-07-2025
- BBC News
Man charged after £900k went missing at Bolton Council
A former council employee been charged with fraud over claims that £900,000 went missing from the authority's Shaw, 46, is alleged to have committed the offences over an eight year period while working at Bolton Manchester Police's economic fraud unit began an investigation after cash from the council's adult services budget could not be accounted for. The local authority said anyone who lost out financially had been fully refunded. Mr Shaw, of Harrier Close, Bolton, has been charged with fraud by abuse of position. The offences are alleged to have been committed between February 2015 and April 2023. Losses refunded Det Sgt Daniel Sanchez said: "We have worked carefully through all information and evidence, from which we have now secured a charge."Our team have remained in close contact with the local authority, who have assisted us throughout this process."As this case moves to a next level of proceedings, we continue to work with all appropriate partners and the Crown Prosecution Service."Bolton Council said: "The council notes that the former employee has now been charged and will be subject to court proceedings."Any identified financial losses for individuals have been refunded by the council in full."We will always proactively seek to deter, prevent and detect any instances of fraud and corruption, with police referrals made where appropriate in accordance with council policy." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Reuters
24-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Austrian prosecutors say they have wrapped up initial investigation into Signa
VIENNA, June 24 (Reuters) - Austrian anti-corruption and economic crime prosecutors have wrapped up their initial investigation into the collapse of the Signa property empire and filed a report so that a decision on potential prosecutions can be made, they said on Tuesday. In a statement, they said there were four new strands, including an investigation into Signa founder Rene Benko and persons unknown on suspicion of favourable treatment to a creditor over a roughly 15 million euro ($17.4 million) repayment relating to a loan to Signa Prime at a time when that Signa unit was insolvent. Benko has previously denied allegations made against him. ($1 = 0.8621 euros)
South China Morning Post
02-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Philippines slams Malaysia's AirAsia for ‘criminal' ticket prices, shuts down website
The Philippines has ordered AirAsia's digital platform to stop selling airline tickets in the country following complaints it charged illegally high fares. Advertisement The authorities have asked the police to take down AirAsia MOVE's website as part of a cease-and-desist order by the Civil Aeronautics Board, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said at a press conference on Monday. The aviation agency, which sets price ceilings for airfares in the country, says the company raised its prices following transportation troubles in Tacloban City due to the closure of a key bridge to trucks. What AirAsia MOVE is doing is criminal Philippine Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon 'We will really put the full force of the law on these unscrupulous online platforms who are taking advantage of our people,' Dizon said. Authorities will move to immediately file a case for 'criminal economic sabotage' against the digital platform, which is owned by Capital A Berhad, Dizon added. Malaysia -based AirAsia MOVE, which is an affiliate of budget carrier Philippines AirAsia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Philippine Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon speaks to the media last month. Photo: Reuters At the weekend, AirAsia MOVE was charging 77,000 pesos (US$1,380) for a one-way ticket from Manila to Tacloban City via Philippine Airlines, three times the price quoted when directly booking in the flag carrier's website, transportation ministry data showed.
The Sun
26-05-2025
- The Sun
I infiltrate world's deadliest gangs – I was held at gunpoint & forced to take drug but mob boss confession left me cold
MOST professors stick to books rather than hanging out with gun-wielding gangsters - but Bertrand Monnet has got close to the deadly Sinaloa Cartel in a way few ever have. For the past 13 years, his fieldwork has taken him deep into Latin America's criminal underworld - interviewing crime bosses, visiting drug labs and even more chillingly, having guns pointed at him and being held hostage. 13 13 13 Speaking to The Sun, Monnet, who is a professor of economic crime at EDHEC Business School in Lille, says: "I think you are not a trustworthy professor if you don't try and meet these people, before teaching the dangers of this economy to your students." He travels numerous times a year to Culiacán, the capital city of Sinaloa, and Mexico City - a place where the bloodthirsty cartel is well established. 'I meet about ten people regularly - these people are, let's say, top managers of major clans of the cartel," he says. But he is careful to be on guard at all times, as he says: 'They are business extremists. They are ready to kill anybody for one dollar. "If there are innocent victims, this is not an issue at all for them. "You know, five days ago, I was in Mexico interviewing one of the middle managers of a cartel clan. "I asked him the question, 'How many people did you kill?' And he told me, 'Oh, I don't really remember, but I think about 20, something like that'." World's deadliest gangs Known for its brutal tactics and corruption of government officials, the Sinaloa Cartel is considered the largest and most powerful gang for drug trafficking, money laundering and organised crime across Latin America. And if a rival should cross them, its fighters are ready to carry out brutal revenge attacks like shootings, kidnappings and dismemberments. Inside Mexico's 'Schools of Terror' where Cartel recruits eat human flesh The gang, headed up by caged kingpin El Chapo and his sons, has grown so strong that last year they took on the country's army after a series of arrests, setting fire to buses to ambush soldiers and start deadly firefights with patrols. Its leader El Chapo, who is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison in the US, is said to be so sadistic that he once ordered a man to be killed for "not shaking his hand". He has also ordered hits on his own family and uses gold AK47s to terrify his rivals. With such a bloody reputation, many would steer clear of areas where the Sinaloa Cartel operates. But not Bertrand. He likes to take a more practical approach to learning. To gain access to cartel members and film the balaclava-clad men, along with their criminal activities, Monnet says it took him years to "build trust", stressing that he's "very cautious". He explains: 'When you have contacts inside one cartel, you have to stay with them and try not to diversify your contacts because they are enemies. 'So they would consider you a betrayer or an informer.' It may seem hard to grasp how he manages to film drug cartels without crossing the line into complicity, morally or legally. But the Frenchman insists that he is not friends with these members, claiming: "It's impossible to be friends with these people, because we don't have the same mindset." Legally, he says he's neither involved in any criminal activity nor finding out information that would be useful to authorities, explaining: "I'm not discovering anything the police or intelligence do not already know." While his fieldwork has led to the production of numerous investigative documentaries ranging from Mexico to Nigeria, he sees himself first and foremost as an academic - or in his own words, a 'prof'. 13 13 13 13 Despite desperately trying to stay out of trouble, he says one visit to the depths of the cartel's dark underworld almost turned deadly. Bertrand and his driver once had a gun pointed at them in Sinaloa, after having been threatened by a rival clan within the cartel. They had taken a wrong turn after cartel instructions forced them to disable their phones and GPS to avoid government tracking. Unknowingly, they had entered another clan's village. He says: "There are several clans inside the cartel. You have to stay on the territory of a clan of the cartel. "And maybe just two kilometres away, you could end up on the territory of another clan." In another harrowing experience, Monnet was kidnapped in Sao Paulo, Brazil, by the PCC, the Primeiro Comando da Capital, back in 2016. The PCC is Brazil's biggest and largest criminal network, carrying out bank heists, brutal killings and prison riots. His fixer had entered their territory without proper clearance, raising suspicion that he might be an undercover cop. He was kept in jail for 12 hours, where he was beaten up, had a gun held to his head and even forced to snort cocaine. The nightmare came to an end when a more senior member, who held the position of judge, checked him out with corrupt officials and police, and realised he was not a cop. He then received a WhatsApp message from the "judge" two weeks later when he was back in France and on his way to a class. He booked a flight back to interview that man and now regularly sees him on trips in Brazil. When asked if he feels afraid, the Frenchman replies with a shrug: 'Not really.' If one has time and complies with their agenda, he says, there is little risk involved. But he acknowledges the uncertainty of gaining access to high-level cartel members and drug labs, describing it as a process of constant "failure". "Some of the people I met years ago have been killed - some of them can be arrested or they can change their mind, or disappear." Monnet's fieldwork extends further than Latin America, as he has also spent many months with pirates in Somalia and Nigeria. Caught in the crossfire It comes as violent drug gangs move into tourist resorts to capitalise on "drug tourism" - particularly in places now popular with Brits such as Mexico. The Sun recently revealed how murderous gangsters have been creeping out of the Mexican barrios, or neighbourhoods, and closer to the tourist enclaves. Tourists have borne witness to assassins executing their rivals and even gunning down holidaymakers. The state where many popular holiday destinations are located, Quintana Roo, has seen an unbelievable 633 murders last year. Bretrand points to two key regions where the Sinaloa Cartel has expanded its presence for logistical reasons. The first is along the US border, in cities like Ciudad Juárez and Mexicali - key hubs for moving drugs into the US. The second is tourist destinations like Cancún, where cartels launder drug money, masking the illicit cash from sales with profits from businesses in the tourism sector. What is the Sinaloa Cartel? Image credit: Reuters The Sinaloa Cartel is named after the Mexican state in the northwest of the country where it was formed in the late 1980s That state is home to marijuana and poppy crops The cartel is known for trafficking fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana, according to the DEA The cartel was formerly led by El Chapo Guzman, who famously escaped from Mexican prisons twice - first in 2001, by reportedly hiding in a laundry basket, and second, in 2015 through a tunnel He was detained again in 2016 and extradited to the US the following year, where he is serving a life sentence Two leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel were arrested by US authorities in July 2024: Joaquin Guzman Lopez, El Chapo's son, and Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada, the cartel's co-founder along with El Chapo Guzman Lopez organised their arrest, by tricking El Mayo into taking a flight with him Los Chapitos' alleged treason has led to an open conflict with the El Mayo faction He explains: "What they do is they mix the criminal cash into the cash flow of these legitimate companies. "Touristic complexes are typically the vehicle they need. "Because hotels, private beaches, clubs and other businesses are legitimate to have a massive use of cash, and especially in big 'washing machines' like the ones in Cancun." With a serious expression, he adds: 'And where do they invest this money? In so many companies across the world." This fuels fierce competition in Mexico, as cartels battle for control of tourist hotspots - not only to launder money, but also to sell to tourists their drugs and sex through criminal prostitution. Cartels, he says, are 'criminal multinational companies with huge revenues". Given their control, he's "not surprised" that tourists have been caught in the crossfire in shootings between rival cartels over the years. He says: "When they use violence, it's always very intense. "They have to first kill their enemies and then they have to terrify others.' While tourists are not typically targeted by cartels, in a country with a homicide rate of around 25,000 per year - the majority of which are linked to organised crime - it's not unheard of for holidaymakers to witness or even fall victim to cartel-related violence. The UK government currently advises tourists to "be very cautious after dark in downtown areas of Cancún, Tulum and Playa del Carmen". He says: "Tourists have to understand the reality of the country." He urges Brits to check trusted sources like the British consulate or Foreign Office before and during their trip. He also advises asking hotel staff about which spots are safe to visit. While kidnappings mostly target locals, "cartels are very opportunistic' and on the lookout to "diversify their businesses", so tourists should stay alert. He warns against using private, unregistered taxis or 'fake Ubers'. He also stresses: 'Don't consume drugs," both for the health risk and because "it's important not to fuel this economy as a consumer". 13 13 Drug wars US government figures claim Mexico's big cartels are raking in an estimated $20-30billion (£16-24billion) a year in profits. The main drug trafficked into the US from Mexico is fentanyl, a synthetic opioid drug, which scientists say is 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. And trafficked fentanyl is also mixed in with other drugs like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine to increase its potency. Dubbed "the silent killer drug", fentanyl kills around 100,000 people in the US each year. Trump 's return to the US presidency in January ramped up the pressure on cartels. He even threatened a 25 per cent tariff on Mexican goods unless drugs - especially fentanyl - and migrants stopped entering. Monnet produced three documentaries last year with the French newspaper Le Monde, which analysed the economy of fentanyl. He says it took him two and a half years to gain access to drug labs in Mexico to film the full chain - from the production of the blue M30 pills in Culiacán and their transport to the US to their retail in New York. He always asks for permission before filming and has a good track record of not causing problems. "No identity has been shared in my documentaries and nobody has been arrested after the broadcast - so I'm trustworthy, they know that," he says. In the documentary, a cartel member reveals the pills cost 70 cents each to produce but are sold for $5-$10 (£4-8) in New York. There is also mention of the cartel expanding into Europe, where the pills can reportedly snag up to $15 (£11) each. Speaking to The Sun about these backstreet labs, Monnet says: "The reality is not sexy. These laboratories are not big manufacturers. "There are small places hidden somewhere in the mountains, in the jungle or downtown." In response to Trump's tariff threats, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum launched a crackdown on cartels, sending 10,000 National Guard troops to the border and hundreds more soldiers to Sinaloa state. 13 13 By February 27, nearly 30 suspected cartel figures were handed over to the US. In early May, Sheinbaum said that Trump had proposed sending US troops to Mexico to combat drug trafficking - but she rejected the offer, as "sovereignty is not for sale". Monnet says: "I think President Sheinbaum is absolutely legitimate to refuse an external intervention by the US on Mexican territory." He also argues such military strategies are ineffective. "The only way to challenge these criminal organisations is by economic strategies," he says, "because they have to understand that they are, unfortunately, not criminal armies, but criminal companies. "If they understand the nature of their enemy, maybe it will be easier for them to try and tackle it." He acknowledges the Mexican president's efforts, saying: "The government of Mrs Sheinbaum has adopted a very good strategy: they have upgraded the resources of the state's forces, the police, the intelligence and so on, to try and fight against the cartels. "But it's not sufficient, of course, because they [cartels] have billions of dollars." Monnet explains that cartels invest in anything under the sun, from businesses across the US (with authorities in the know) to cryptocurrency. The Sinaloa Cartel has been found to have laundered more than $869,000 using cryptocurrency in just over six months between 2022 and 2023, according to a US indictment unsealed last year. The professor says: "One guy told me, 'If there was a profitable business on the moon, I would invest in the moon'." He adds: "They are opportunistic, dynamic and unfortunately intelligent." This broad economic footprint, he says, complicates efforts to dismantle their networks. Monnet says: "The only way [to combat them] is to maximise the presence of the state, and somehow try and replace these criminal investments by legal investments - not done by the state, but by legal companies. "But of course, these companies, most of the time, are reluctant to invest in territories controlled by the cartels, so they have to be supported by the state." What is the Mexican Drug War? Mexico is grappling with an ongoing conflict between drug cartels, the Mexican and US governments, along with their law enforcement agencies The drug war began in the 1980s, when Mexico became a key transit point for cocaine and other drugs being smuggled to the US In the 1980s, drug cartels like the Gulf Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel started gaining power In the 1990s, competition grew between cartels, leading to greater violence In the early 2000s, powerful criminal organisations, like the Sinaloa, Gulf and Zetas cartels, fought for control of drug trafficking routes and markets In 2006, President Felipe Calderón launched an all-out war on drug cartels, deploying the military to fight them - this is seen as a major turning point, sparking a surge in cartel violence In 2010, the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas Cartel became the dominant forces, leading to brutal turf wars By the 2010s, the murder rate in Mexico soared, with tens of thousands of deaths related to the drug war In 2014, 43 college students were kidnapped and likely killed in Guerrero, reportedly due to collusion between police and drug gangs In 2016, El Chapo Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, was captured after escaping prison twice In 2024, top leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, including the son of El Chapo, were arrested by US authorities Today, Mexico's drug war continues with reported violence, more cartels and civilian casualties
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Think tank calls for redesign of fraud policing amid 'stark lack of resources' to tackle scammers
There is a 'fundamental mismatch' between the extent of fraud taking place and the effectiveness of the police response, the boss of the UK's policing think tank has said. Some 43 per cent of crime committed is fraud, costing England and Wales £6.8billion per year, with one in ten adults being a victim of fraud last year. With the rise of AI, fraud is increasing in scale and scams are becoming more difficult for those targeted to detect. Speaking at the launch of the think tank's new report in conjunction with Virgin Media O2, Andy Higgins, interim director of the Police Foundation, said: 'Fraud has become part of the background noise of modern life. 'There are few people who do not receive emails, messages and calls attempting to defraud them of their money. 'There is a stark lack of resources allocated to fraud within policing.' In fact, there were just 866 economic crime officers, some 0.064 per cent of the police force, dedicated to tackling fraud as of 2021. Higgins said around 300 officers have been recruited since then, but the same pattern is expected to continue. The lack of police resources, as well as a low rate of reporting, the Police Foundation's figures show that despite some 4.1million fraud offences taking place in 2021, just 1.3million were reported to the police. Of these only 3.5 per cent were deemed suitable for any form of police investigation. As a result, just 4,400 offenders were sentenced for fraud-related crimes in 2021, and just over 1,000 received prison sentences. And yet fraud offences are having an untold effect on victims, often in ways that are less visible on the surface. Higgins said: 'Action Fraud takes calls from 300 people each year who they deem at risk of suicide.' More than 90 per cent of fraud victims said they had experienced some form of mental health problems as a result. In an effort to address the shortfall in the police response to fraud, the Police Foundation said it wants the police and wider response to fraud to be 'fundamentally redesigned'. Under the Police Foundation's recommendations, the Government would establish a national crime prevention agency, with local authorities also developing localised fraud prevention strategies to build up collective defences against fraud. Higgins said: 'We have a criminal justice system, we don't have a prevention system.' The Foundation is also calling for the City of London Police to be given tasking powers to direct local teams, which themselves would be focused on tackling localised fraud. Funding for fraud policing should be distributed by a national body, it said, adding that spending on fraud investigation should be increased over the next two spending reviews. It also argues that private companies should be legally required to share data for fraud investigation. Murray Mackenzie, director of fraud prevention at Virgin Media O2, said: 'With overall fraud prosecutions falling despite a 33 per cent jump in cases last year, the UK is failing to effectively tackle fraud, and criminals are stealing with no real prospect of ever facing justice. 'The police recognise the deeply-rooted systemic barriers to tackling fraud - nine in 10 agree that despite their best efforts, officers lack the tools and resources needed to fight back.'
