Dear reader,

With the second quarter of 2021 in the rearview mirror, I invite you to look back at some of the main developments at Eurojust. In this newsletter, you will find more information about key events, operational results and recently published reports.

A new chapter is opened in the protection of the European Union’s budget and the strengthening of its anti-fraud architecture with the operational start of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). Based in Luxembourg, the EPPO will be responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgement criminal offences affecting the European Union’s financial interests. Building on its expertise in criminal justice cooperation in the EU and beyond, Eurojust will serve as a close partner of the EPPO in the efforts to protect the integrity of expenditures from the EU budget.

The European Judicial Cybercrime Network (EJCN) has published its first newsletter. The April-June issue features an overview of important cybercrime cases at Eurojust, such as EMOTET and SkyECC, relevant developments from the European Commission, and news on data retention, e-evidence and relevant trainings.

To further step up the fight against serious organised cross-border crime, Eurojust is announcing the launch of a new scheme for the urgent funding of the cross-border operational activities of joint investigation teams (JITs). This offers targeted, short-term grants for JITs’ urgent and/or unforeseen activities.

This week, law enforcement and judicial authorities in Europe, the US and Canada have seized the web domains and server infrastructure of DoubleVPN. This is a virtual private network (VPN) service which provided a safe haven for cybercriminals to attack their victims.

As a result of a joint cybercrime investigation supported by Eurojust, Romanian and Dutch authorities have arrested two suspects in Romania who were allegedly involved in large-scale online fraud in the housing market in the Netherlands since 2015. The suspects posted fake advertisements for apartments for rent on online platforms and convinced hundreds of victims to pay one or two months’ rent without first visiting the property.

An ancient and rare collection of almost 800 Apulian archaeological artefacts and pieces of pottery has been returned to Italy from Belgium, with crucial support from Eurojust. The archaeological goods illegally obtained by a Belgian art collector had been excavated without authorisation in Puglia, Italy. The collection, which dates as far back as 600 B.C., includes a rare Daunian stele, or funerary artefact, that had been shown at expositions in Paris and Geneva. Eurojust ensured the judicial cooperation between the two countries for the collection to return to the Puglia region. The collection has a preliminary estimated value of EUR 11 million.

Authorities in Romania and the United Kingdom have taken decisive action against a criminal network, which exploited female victims for sexual purposes in Northern Ireland, using the so-called ‘lover-boy method’. During a joint action day, nine suspects were arrested in Romania and two in Northern Ireland. Female victims who were sexually exploited have also been identified and their rights and safety will be ensured. Eurojust provided the financial support to set up a joint investigation team (JIT) into the case and organised judicial cross-border cooperation.

The Belgian court of Antwerp has sentenced three suspects in the so-called fipronil egg contamination case to prison sentences ranging from one year effective to 18 months suspended for endangering public health. The court awarded millions of EUR in of damages to the civil parties as well. In April this year, two Dutch suspects were sentenced to one year in prison for the illegal sale of the potentially harmful insecticide fipronil to poultry farms. Eurojust assisted with investigations into the case in 2017 and provided assistance in setting up and operating a joint investigation team (JIT) between Belgium and the Netherlands, to support judicial action against the suspects.

Following a controlled delivery of drugs across Europe led by Romanian judicial and law enforcement authorities, coordinated arrests of ten suspected members of an organised crime group trafficking large quantities of heroin to Europe took place in Belgium, the Netherlands and Romania.

Eurojust has supported an operation against large-scale VAT fraud, money laundering and forgery of documents, which have cost the Spanish tax authorities EUR 26 million in missed revenues. In record time, the Agency coordinated the judicial cooperation with Slovakia, Belgium and the Netherlands to halt the fraud scheme. The scammers had set up a series of fake companies to avoid paying VAT within the internal market. During an action day, 22 suspects were arrested and 24 places were searched. A total of 13 properties and 16 vehicles were seized, and tens of bank accounts were frozen.

At the request of the German authorities, Eurojust and Europol have assisted in bringing four different online investment scams to a halt, which defrauded thousands of victims for an estimated amount of approximately EUR 30 million. During a joint action day, six suspects have been arrested for organising a fake trading scheme in high-risk options and cryptocurrencies, using manipulated software to project victims’ alleged capital gains. The operation was rolled out on the ground in Bulgaria, Poland, Sweden, Latvia, Spain, North Macedonia and Israel.

In a new major operation against international drug trafficking and money laundering, Eurojust and Europol have supported the competent Italian and German authorities with the arrest of 31 suspects in both countries, alleged to be part of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia, operating in different regions of Italy and abroad. Further to this, in the context of a joint investigation team (JIT) between Italy and Germany, 65 other suspects have been identified and their places were searched during a large-scale action, for which around 800 police officers and tax officials were deployed today in both countries.

With judicial support from Eurojust, authorities in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania have taken action against an organised crime group (OCG) which was involved in the production, distribution and sale of steroids and other illegal hormonal substances. During an action day coordinated by Eurojust, a production facility in Romania was seized and dismantled, and more than 20 suspects were arrested. The estimated profits of the OCG amounted to several million EUR.

On 29 June 2021, the 56th Plenary meeting of the EJN took place under the Portuguese Presidency in the online environment. Almost 100 participants - EJN Contact Points from the EU Member States, EU candidate, potential candidate and EJN associated countries, as well as representatives from Eurojust, EJCN, Genocide network, the European Commission and the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU – gathered to discuss actual topics on judicial cooperation in criminal matters: EAW, e-evidence and freezing and confiscation.