Latest Smuggling News
2 migrants found shot to death in car in southern Mexico
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Two migrants were found shot to death in a car in southern Mexico on Friday, authorities said. Officials believe the intended victim was the migrant smuggler who was also riding in the car but escaped. A law enforcement official in the...
Wisconsin woman to use sex trafficking as homicide defense
APPLETON, Wis. (AP) — A woman charged in a Wisconsin murder plans to argue that she is not guilty because she was a coerced victim of human trafficking — after the state Supreme Court ruled in July that such a defense could be used in homicide cases. Tanya Stammer is charged...
Gaetz friend gets 11 years for sex crime, other counts
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida tax collector whose arrest led to a federal probe into U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor and other offenses. Joel Greenberg, former tax collector for Seminole County, was accused of...
US Virgin Islands reach $105M settlement with Epstein estate
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. Virgin Islands announced Wednesday that it reached a settlement of more than $105 million in a sex trafficking case against the estate of financier Jeffrey Epstein. The settlement ends a nearly three-year legal saga for officials in the U.S....
Gaetz friend says lighter sentence deserved for cooperation
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida tax collector whose arrest led to a federal investigation of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz learns this week how much prison time he gets on charges of sex trafficking a minor and identity theft, but not before trying to convince a judge that his cooperation in several...
Spanish government presents bill to fight human trafficking
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s government presented a new bill Tuesday with the goal of providing better protection for economically vulnerable migrants who are in the clutches of international human trafficking rings. The proposed legislation was designed to help victims of...
Police smash European cocaine 'super cartel,' arrest 49
BRUSSELS (AP) — Law enforcement authorities in six different countries have joined forces to take down a “super cartel" of drugs traffickers controlling about one third of the cocaine trade in Europe, the European Union crime agency said on Monday. Europol said 49 suspects have...
Greece: 7 Egyptians held, suspected of crewing migrant boat
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say they have arrested seven Egyptians suspected of having crewed a fishing boat crammed with nearly 500 migrants that lost steering in high winds off Crete and triggered a major rescue effort earlier this week. The seven were arrested on...
Mexican president suffers court reverse, tensions rise
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Supreme Court struck down part of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s ‘jail, no bail’ policy Thursday. The court voted against mandatory pre-trial detention for people accused of fraud, smuggling or tax evasion. Because trials often take...
Renton man gets 10 years in prison in drug trafficking case
SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced a Renton, Washington man to 10 years in prison for his role in a violent drug distribution ring, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle. Benjamin Fuentes was indicted in July 2020 with a dozen co-conspirators after an...
