GRADIUNTUR

ended

Struggling against organized crime networks operating in Europe The objective of the project is to identify, disrupt and dismantle active and experienced criminal networks which focus their activities towards fraud and the smuggling of cigarettes through ports and by establishing illegal factories of cigarettes in Spain. Latest investigations carry out in Spain are revealing an increase of criminal organisations composed by Spanish nationals and citizens from different nationalities, mainly from European East countries which are operating from Spain. The main goal of these organisations is to obtain huge benefits by producing cigarettes in illegal factories and by introducing containers via the main ports in Spain. The destination of these cigarettes is the local market as well as other countries within the EU. The machinery is coming from the European East countries. This machinery ins transported into Spain by road and subsequent installed in illegal factories very well protected by the criminal organisations. Indeed, the latest dismantled factories were even protected by sophisticated electronic measures. These investigations have also revealed that all the members of these organisations use secured communications systems which have a very negative impact on the investigative process. The responsible of this organisations change permanently mobile numbers, use OTT,s or encrypted applications and more and more establish their contact persons by person in public spaces where the law enforcement agencies find more difficulties. GRADIUNTUR is an innovative project which provides to specialized surveillance units (SPLET units) the capacity to obtain critical information for the investigations by using very specialized, miniature and technical advance equipment. Since all this actions are under the control of the judicial authorities, the electronic evidence has also to contain all the safeguards and legal guaranties about the integrity of the obtained evidence.