796 people were arrested, 316 investigations were initiated and 442 weapons were seized in a mass operation in the area of Southeastern Europe in which 31.109 police officers participated, Europol announced.
"Law enforcement agencies from across the continent gathered at the EMPACT Day of Joint Action South East Europe (JAD SEE) 2024. From the coordination center established in Sarajevo, colleagues from 26 countries took decisive action against key criminal threats in the region. As part of JAD SEE In 2024, the joint capacities and resources of the European Union and its international partners are focused on multiple criminal threats, including human trafficking, migrant smuggling, drugs and illegal trade with firearms, and the fight against high-risk criminal networks. 796 people were arrested, 316 investigations were initiated and 442 weapons were seized as a result of a mass operation in which 31 police officers participated," said Europol.
They point out that the operation was designed with the widest possible scope of action:
"Checks and searches spanned both the physical and online worlds, including the clean web, dark web and social media platforms. Namely, these 'cyber patrols' involved not only law enforcement but also prosecutors from various jurisdictions, adding significant value to their operational In total, the results of JAD SEE 2024, which was realized under the motto 'Unifying forces against organized crime, include - the arrest of 796 persons, the initiation of 316 new investigations, the seizure of 442 items of weapons, and 31.109 officers performed 655.914 checks of subjects, which includes 516.153 persons, 152.284 vehicles, 4.985 postal packages and 1.181 premises".
The European Union Law Enforcement Agency explains that the key to the success of that operation is cross-border cooperation.
"From the proactive participation of partners in the Western Balkans region and countries that are part of the Eastern Partnership, such as Moldova and Ukraine, to the support of Turkey, the key to the success of this operation was cross-border cooperation. Working side by side, EU and non-EU agencies and projects provided are their expertise, which enabled JAD SEE 2024 to present a truly united front against organized crime. Europol supported this joint venture by deploying experts with mobile offices, who could cross-check new information with partner countries and agencies have similarly deployed specific expertise, with special detection dogs, cover-up detection experts and document fraud experts supporting the massive physical and virtual operation the EU4FAST project has supported coordination center and the participation of the countries of the Western Balkans, Moldova, Ukraine, Turkey and selected EU member states, as well as INTERPOL, during the operational phase.
JAD SEE 2024 is informed and guided by the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), the EU's security initiative to fight serious and organized crime globally. The success of this operation is rooted in intelligence-led actions and a unique, collaborative approach, which demonstrates the added value of collective efforts in solving complex and serious international crimes," said Europol.
They pointed out that Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro took part in the action. Gora, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine.
It was carried out under the supervision of the EU Commission, CEPOL, Europol, Eurojust, Frontex, EU Strategy for the Danube Region, EU4FAST, INTERPOL, SELEC, UNDP SEESAC, UNODC.
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