The Europol Podcast

This bonus episode of The Europol Podcast marks the Agency’s 25th anniversary and was recorded during a panel discussion held at Europol HQ.

What has changed in the law enforcement landscape since Europol started out as the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation?

In this episode, we take you on a journey through Europol’s history, from 1999 – today, as told by those at the helm of the organisation.

You will hear from Jürgen Storbeck, Max-Peter Ratzel, Sir Rob Wainwright and our Executive Director Catherine De Bolle, on the biggest cases of their time, and how Europol became the nerve centre of criminal intelligence that it is today.

Most episodes of this podcast talk about cases. We’ve spoken about taking down terrorist propaganda, thwarting cybercrime operations, intercepting ton after ton of drug shipments, and all kinds of other high-stakes, global, police operations.

But behind all these cases is weeks and months of analysis, research, and innovation. At Europol HQ, there are entire departments dedicated solely to finding trends and innovations that will make investigations more effective. This is one of Europol’s core services to police in the EU Member States – providing a platform for innovation, technological research, and the sharing of methods and data.

In this episode, we will look at some of the innovations that have been happening at Europol in recent years, and how these have translated into real, operational results.

Speakers:

• Julia, Head of the Operational Analysis Centre, Europol
• Danny, Investigator at Europol
• Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol

Links:

• EU Most Wanted: https://eumostwanted.eu/
• Trace an Object: https://www.europol.europa.eu/stopchildabuse
• Trace an Object Australia: https://www.accce.gov.au/what-we-do/trace-an-object
• FBI Endangered Child Alert Programme: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/ecap

Technology is changing the way terrorists think and how they plan their attacks. One emerging threat is the world of 3D-printed weapons. 3D-printed weapons are fully-functioning firearms, made using 3D-printing technology that is available to civilians and can be used at home.

In this episode of The Europol Podcast, we shed light on how terrorists are exploiting this technology, and what Europol and our partners are doing to keep Europe safe. 

High-risk individual criminals pose some of the biggest threats to Europe’s security. Three leaders of the Kinahan Cartel, a dangerous transnational criminal organisation, were designated as High Value Targets by Europol, with the United States Department of State putting out a reward for their arrest.

In this episode of The Europol Podcast, Europol and the An Garda Síochána will give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we take action against international fugitives, in this case the Kinahan Cartel.

Economic and financial crime is becoming more complex. Law enforcement are responding in kind by investing in asset recovery; the practice of finding and seizing cash and assets gained through criminal activities.

In this instalment of The Europol Podcast, we go behind a case that saw the French Gendarmerie team up with Europol in a massive international fraud case.

Organised crime networks are always adapting their methods, trying to stay one step ahead of law enforcement. This is especially true for their illegal shipments; drugs, counterfeits and other illicit goods are constantly being uncovered and intercepted by law enforcement in unexpected places. One of the key avenues criminals exploit in their logistics is maritime ports.

Join law enforcement, academics and Europol analysts for this episode of The Europol Podcast, where we look at Europe’s ports and how they are fighting organised crime. 

In 2016, at the height of the European Migrant Crisis, a terrible tragedy struck when reckless criminal actions cost 71 innocent lives. When authorities found the victims, police sprang into action to find those responsible and bring them to justice.

In this episode of The Europol Podcast, Europol and authorities from Hungary and Austria tell the story of the Burgenland Corpses Discovery, one of Europe’s most tragic migrant smuggling cases.

In the late 2010s, Europol collaborated with police in Europe, Asia, South America and the United States as part of Operation Familia. The operation targeted a Balkan cartel who were shipping vast amounts of cocaine to the European Union, using new methods that marked them out as a sophisticated criminal network. By the end of the operation, over a tonne of cocaine and millions of euros would be seized by law enforcement.

In this episode of The Europol Podcast, Europol and the DEA will give you a behind-the-scenes look at Operation Familia, one of Europol’s biggest cocaine trafficking investigations. 

When the world was confronted with the rise of so-called Islamic State, a core component of the terrorists’ strategy relied on propaganda. Their aim was to spread their violent ideology and radicalise people around the world. Brutal imagery went from the battlefield to the news feed, glorifying the terroristic acts of IS; law enforcement had to take action to counter the spread of jihadist terrorist content online.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Europol’s investigation into the propaganda network of the so-called Islamic State. From the first day of the investigation until final action days, let Europol agents, EU police and global crime experts take you inside this major counter terrorism operation.

We are back for a second season. Tune in to find out how we continue to fight crime, as told by law enforcement experts that take decisive action against criminal networks worldwide. Available in January 2024.

In 2017, an organised crime group from Eastern Europe pulled off a string of robberies in warehouses up and down the UK. The spree ended with their biggest heist, as they stole a stash of rare antiquarian books worth over EUR 2 million. The goods were valuable in more than just monetary terms; they held immense cultural value as well. And when cultural goods are stolen, the best hopes at getting them back come through international police cooperation.

In this episode, find out how Europol worked with British, Italian and Romanian authorities to track down the large and sophisticated gang behind this robbery. From the night of the heist to the years-long manhunt for the kingpin, you’ll hear from the officers who worked this immense case, and how they worked to recover stolen heritage.

Have you ever received an anonymous call from someone offering to invest your money and make you a fortune? If it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably investment fraud. Cybercrime experts from Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria explain the call centre phenomenon that is taking hold of the EU. An expert from Europol offers insights on this emerging crime area and explains why it is so lucrative for criminals.

In 2021, Europol’s experts worked with international law enforcement and a cybersecurity company to target one of the most notorious cybercrime groups, REvil. REvil used a ransomware-as-a-service business model to generate profits. We hear from one of Europol’s cybercrime specialists, a member of the Romanian Police and a cybersecurity engineer from Bitdefender on how law enforcement dealt with this cybercriminal network.

Delve into the fascinating story of the international hit against narcos shipping cocaine to the EU, and discover how exactly law enforcement tackles these international drug gangs. Supported by Europol, Brazilian, Spanish and US authorities shut down a criminal organisation which was coordinating its operations via encrypted communications. The operation is recounted by specialists from Europol and Brazilian law enforcement.

EMOTET first emerged in 2014 and quickly became one of the most dangerous botnets of the last decade. The so-called King of Malware, it rampaged across the world infecting computers through emails, incurring significant damage. It seemed to be unstoppable until law enforcement, assisted by Europol, came up with an ingenious way of outsmarting the hackers.

As law enforcement intercepts messages sent by criminals on ANOM, this episode explores what they did next with the evidence they gathered. We hear from a Superintendent in the Swedish Police who used intelligence from Operation Greenlight to target criminals who were importing and selling drugs in Sweden. We also hear from Europol’s Georgios Raskos, who worked closely with the FBI on Operation Greenlight as they prepared to take action against the criminals.

Criminal networks are dependent on covert communication. This episode is the first of two looking at Operation Greenlight, one of the largest and most sophisticated international law enforcement operations to date dealing with encrypted networks. Two special agents from the FBI speak about creating the ANOM service and how criminals, in the wake of the EncroChat and SKY ECC takedowns, started making use of the smartphone-based messaging app for offences such as drug trafficking and money laundering.

Find out about how Europol worked with police forces around the world to take down the Boystown forum, a notorious online platform sharing images of child abuse, and discover how Europol brings international specialists together as part of the Victim Identification Task Force to safeguard children. Members of the public can help save victims too, and we speak with the online researchers who are checking Europol’s Trace an Object website and identifying images to help solve cold cases.

The official podcast of the EU’s law enforcement agency. In this series, we will shine a light on some of the biggest operations Europol has supported, and how we continue to fight crime together with our partners in the EU, and beyond. Coming soon to wherever you get your podcasts.