Weekly Update (Jan 12th – Jan 18th, 2026)

Europe: Giant cocaine seizures expose industrial-scale trafficking routes

Law enforcement logged two extraordinary interceptions: Swedish police seized three tonnes of cocaine at the Port of Helsingborg, while Spanish police — working with UK and US agencies — seized 10 tonnes hidden among salt cargo off the Canary Islands, arresting 13 people on board. The scale points to trafficking networks operating with the logistics sophistication of legitimate trade — and to ports as strategic choke points for organised crime.

Cambodia: Scam-centre arrests tied to 165 victims and ₩26.7bn losses

Cambodian and South Korean police arrested 26 suspects accused of impersonation scams and sexual exploitation linked to 165 South Korean victims and losses of about ₩26.7bn (US$18.25mn). The figures underline how cyber-enabled crime has become cross-border by default, forcing policing to follow the money and the data across jurisdictions.

Georgia: Ex-PM sentenced, fined ₾1m after $6.5m cash seizure

Former Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili pled guilty to large-scale money-laundering charges, receiving a five-year sentence and a ₾1m fine after investigators seized about US$6.5m in cash during raids. The case landed as a blunt political shock: prosecutions of senior figures rarely stay confined to the courtroom, particularly in polarised systems where legitimacy is contested.

Also worth watching: Sweden’s record port seizure becomes a security signal

Beyond the headline tonnage, the Helsingborg interception sharpened debate over port security, scanning capacity and the manpower needed to police trade flows without paralysing commerce — a policy trade-off European governments increasingly confront.