Radio România Internațional

Tag: ORGANIZED CRIME

  • Organized Crime Report

    Organized Crime Report

    In 2024, Romania was targeted, along with other European states, by ‘sabotage’ actions and hybrid attacks specific to Russia, with the aim of testing the defense preparation of the NATO countries and finding weaknesses in the infrastructure, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) claims in its activity report for 2024. According to the document, ‘starting with the year 2022, at least 50 incidents took place in 13 countries in Europe, which could be Russian hybrid operations. These include cases of espionage, diversion, vandalism, cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and three attacks on the underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea’. The report also shows that last year Romania did not face a concrete terrorist threat and there were no terrorist attacks, the risk still remaining low. Furthermore, the Romanian supporters of some terrorist organizations, DIICOT claims, continued to carry out only support activities, but they lacked consistency and scope.

     

    On the other hand, the Directorate’s data show that drug consumption has constantly increased, the most wanted being cannabis, which, actually, is also the most seized by the authorities. As far as high-risk drugs are concerned, Romania is mainly a transit country, and the Black Sea ports can be an alternative for the introduction of these substances into the European Union space. Thus, last year, DIICOT prosecutors had to deal with 33,000 cases regarding drug trafficking, almost a quarter more than the previous year. In 2024, investigators seized over a ton of risk and high-risk drugs, over 7 tons of prohibited doping substances and approximately 16 tons of fruit pulp containing cocaine. More than 12,000 cannabis crops or plants were also seized, four times more than the previous year. The report also shows that parcel post systems were among the methods mainly used to introduce small and medium quantities of drugs into the country.

     

    Another aspect mentioned in the DIICOT report is that the number of minors involved in drug trafficking has increased considerably recently, and traffickers are using new methods to bring and sell prohibited substances in Romania, such as specialized online platforms with payment in cryptocurrencies, among other things. Data from the National Antidrug Agency show constant increases in drug consumption in Romania. The domestic market is dominated by consumers from Bucharest whose number is relatively stable and is fueled by criminal groups in the area linked to the Turkish community on the import segment and to the ethnic Roma clans on the street distribution segment, the Agency also shows. (LS)

  • March 14, 2024 UPDATE

    March 14, 2024 UPDATE

    Treasure – The European Parliament adopted, on Thursday, a resolution by which it asks Russia to fully return Romania’s national treasure, which it illegally appropriated. This is an unprecedented international case of illegal appropriation of gold reserves and heritage objects and represents a permanent concern for the Romanian society, the MEPs emphasize. According to the resolution, the Parliament welcomes the substantial efforts of the European Union to protect the national, cultural and historical heritage, through the implementation of the legislation and of the cooperation mechanisms that regulate the restitution of cultural and heritage assets illegally appropriated from the territories of the Union countries, as well as its efforts to fight the trafficking in cultural assets. The MEPs request the European Commission and the European External Action Service to include the restitution of the Romanian national heritage on the bilateral diplomatic agenda that regulates EU-Russia relations, as soon as the regional context allows the resumption of political dialogue between the parties. During the First World War, between 1916 and 1917, Romania sent the national treasure (which included significant amounts of gold, heritage items, art collections, jewels, archives) to allied tsarist Russia, to be protected in case of occupation of the national territory by German, Austro-Hungarian, Bulgarian and Turkish enemy troops. After the Bolshevik regime founded by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin came to power, Russia seized the treasure and refused to return it, most of the values ​​remaining unreturned to this day. The issue of returning the Treasure has been discussed, unsuccessfully, for decades by a joint Romanian-Russian commission.

     

    Inflation – The annual inflation rate in Romania fell to 7.2% in February, from 7.4% in the previous month – according to the data of the National Institute of Statistics. The prices of non-food stuffs increased the most, on average, followed by service and food prices. In the top of price hikes in the last 12 months, postal services and detergents are on the first places, followed by water, sewage, and sanitation services and the hygiene, cosmetic and medical services and articles.

     

    Searches – The Romanian prosecutors and police officers found pyrotechnic materials, lethal firearms and white weapons at the residences of supporters of the football team Rapid Bucharest, one of the most popular in the country, following searches carried out on Thursday in Bucharest and the counties of Ilfov, Prahova (south) and Iasi (northeast). According to judicial sources, the president of the Rapid club, former international footballer Daniel Niculae, is a suspect in the case. According to a press release from the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Bucharest Court, 17 people were charged with the crimes of forming an organized crime group, operations with pyrotechnic articles carried out without having the right, non-compliance with the weapons and ammunition regime and destruction. The Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Bucharest Court notes that in the course of 2023, an organized crime group was established in the city of Bucharest, which was joined by several people and whose purpose was to introduce and use pyrotechnic materials in the football stadiums, during the matches, disturbing public order through violence against property and destruction of the grass court through the use of pyrotechnic materials, causing degradation of the grass through the explosion of pyrotechnic materials, endangering the physical integrity of other people (ball girls, stewards, football players, firefighters, reporters). On the occasion of the home searches, several pyrotechnic materials, lethal firearms, white weapons and sums of money were discovered and seized.

     

    Hungary – The circulation of all vehicles heavier than 7.5 tons will be restricted on Friday in Hungary. The measure will apply to Romania’s borders with the neighboring state starting Thursday evening, from 11:00 p.m. The restrictions will not apply to means of transport that carry dangerous goods, live animals or perishable food products or that have a special temperature regime. The border authorities of the two states will keep in constant contact with a view to establishing common measures, so that when the traffic restrictions for motor vehicles on the territory of Hungary are lifted, the border control should be carried out efficiently. March 15 is the Day of Hungarians Everywhere. (LS)

  • 10 August, 2016

    10 August, 2016

    CONDOLENCES — Romanian and foreign officials offered condolences at Peles Castle in Sinaia for the demise of Queen Anne of Romania, consort to the last king of Romania, Michael I. She is laying in state in the grand hall of the royal mansion, attended by members of the Royal House. In the evening the coffin will be taken to the throne room of the Royal Palace in Bucharest, where a prayer ceremony will be held. Queen Annes funeral is scheduled for Saturday. It will be held in Curtea de Arges, place of rest for Romanian royalty. King Michael is unable to attend the funerals due to failing health. Queen Anne passed away on August 1 in Switzerland.



    BUDGET — The government in Bucharest are discussing the draft executive order to adjust the current budget, in addition to the one on adjusting the social insurance budget for 2016. The project aims at increasing revenue and spending by 2.92 billion lei, about 655 million Euro. The highest amounts go to the ministries of labor, interior, health, and education, while the highest budget slashes are aimed at transportaion. This adjustment, the highest this year, was initiated by the Ministry of Public Finance, which justified it by the fact that the GDP for 2016 is growing, from 746.6 billion lei, around 167 billion Euro, to 757 billion lei, about 170 billion Euro.



    OLYMPICS — Today is yet another competition day for Romanian athletes at the Summer Olympics, underway in Rio de Janeiro. Romania’s women’s national handball team takes on Montenegro, and is in dire need of a win if they want to retain their place in the tournament, having sustained defeats in the two previous fixtures against Angola and Brazil, respectively. In rowing, the women’s coxed eight crew competes in the second qualifying round. Also in the women’s competitions, Romania’s double scull and light double oars crews are still in contention for a medal. In women’s fencing, competing for Romania are athletes in the individual foil event, while in the men’s version of the same competition trying to prove their mettle are fencers in the individual epee event. In swimming, competing for Romania are athletes in women’s 100m freestyle event, while in men’s weightlifting Romanian athletes will make an attempt to lift 69 and 77 kilograms, respectively. In the mixed doubles event in tennis, Florin Mergea and Monica Niculescu face the all-Spanish pair made up of David Ferrer and Carla Suarez Navarro. In the men’s doubles, Flori Mergea and Horia Tecau, as an absolute first, got through to the semifinals, where they take on the all-American pair made of Jack Sock and Steve Johnson. Mergea and Tecau rank as favorites and are highly likely to win the first medal for the Romanian delegation in Rio.



    ORGANIZED CRIME — Organized crime prosecutors went on a raid today in northern Romania as a result of a report broadcast by Sky News, in a weapon smuggling case. British journalists alleged that, after two months of negotiations, they were pointed to an isolated area of Romania where they met weapon smugglers. The weapons were brought in from Ukraine, going to Western Europe and the Middle East. The prosecutors found that some of the weapons were legally held with hunting permits. The go-between in the journalistic investigation is said to be a Romanian freelancer who has been living in Britain for the last seven years, and is currently being investigated. Judicial sources indicate that the investigators believe that the report was staged by Sky News, whose reporters wrote lines for the Romanians that were interviewed, asking them to wear military style clothes. Previously, the Romanian Embassy in London pointed to flaws in the report, which projects a negative image of Romania.



    INVESTITURE — The new Romanian minister for communications, Delia Popescu, who is 38 years old, will be sworn in today by President Klaus Iohannis. PM Dacian Ciolos made the appointment, which was endorsed by the head of state. Delia Popescu has been working since 2003 in development and IT systems for public services and businesses. Since 2014, she has been heading the Romanian Agency for the Digital Agenda, coordinated by the Prime Ministers office. The former Minister of Communications was removed in early July.



    INAUGURATION — US Ambassador Hans Klemm inaugurated today the seventh American Shelf at Panait Istrati County Library Braila. The Ambassador presented the gift to Library Director Dragos Neagu. The book collection includes 136 titles offering access to reference books, classic and contemporary US literature, English language teaching methodology and English language learning, as well as childrens books. This gift continues the initiative that resulted in similar shelves in Botosani, Galati, Brasov, Sibiu, Drobeta Turnu-Severin and Arad, strengthening the strategic partnership betwee the United States and Romania.