"smuggling"

#13031735

27 November 2025

Former Nepali House Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara is escorted in a police van from the central jail in Kathmandu, Nepal, to the district court following a court order to release him on bail in a gold smuggling case on November 27, 2025. Former Speaker and CPN (Maoist Centre) Vice-chair Krishna Bahadur Mahara is arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in connection with a gold smuggling case. The Patan High Court orders his release on a bail amount of NRs 2 million. Mahara is arrested on October 12, 2025, following fresh instructions from the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), which conducts an inquiry into his alleged involvement in smuggling gold concealed inside electronic cigarettes (vapes) in collaboration with a Chinese organized group. According to police, the CIAA seeks his detention to move forward with a renewed probe into his role in facilitating the entry of smuggled gold through the vape-import channel. Mahara is questioned by the CIAA only days earlier, on October 9, 2025. Although his name surfaces in the gold smuggling case three years ago, both the District Government Attorney's Office and Nepal Police previously free him during earlier rounds of investigation. Authorities now allege that Mahara uses his political influence to help a smuggling racket bring gold into Nepal in 2022, an operation that also leads to the arrest of his son, Rahul Mahara, on suspicion of involvement. In March 2024, Mahara is arrested from Kapilvastu and brought to Kathmandu for questioning related to the case. The Kathmandu District Court later remands him to custody, but he is allowed to stay at Norvic Hospital citing health complications. A high-level government commission led by former High Court Chief Judge Dilli Raj Acharya earlier criticizes the CIB for ''intentionally avoiding'' a full investigation into Mahara and other senior officials allegedly linked to large-scale gold smuggling.

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#13031738

27 November 2025

Former Nepali House Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara is escorted in a police van from the central jail in Kathmandu, Nepal, to the district court following a court order to release him on bail in a gold smuggling case on November 27, 2025. Former Speaker and CPN (Maoist Centre) Vice-chair Krishna Bahadur Mahara is arrested by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in connection with a gold smuggling case. The Patan High Court orders his release on a bail amount of NRs 2 million. Mahara is arrested on October 12, 2025, following fresh instructions from the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), which conducts an inquiry into his alleged involvement in smuggling gold concealed inside electronic cigarettes (vapes) in collaboration with a Chinese organized group. According to police, the CIAA seeks his detention to move forward with a renewed probe into his role in facilitating the entry of smuggled gold through the vape-import channel. Mahara is questioned by the CIAA only days earlier, on October 9, 2025. Although his name surfaces in the gold smuggling case three years ago, both the District Government Attorney's Office and Nepal Police previously free him during earlier rounds of investigation. Authorities now allege that Mahara uses his political influence to help a smuggling racket bring gold into Nepal in 2022, an operation that also leads to the arrest of his son, Rahul Mahara, on suspicion of involvement. In March 2024, Mahara is arrested from Kapilvastu and brought to Kathmandu for questioning related to the case. The Kathmandu District Court later remands him to custody, but he is allowed to stay at Norvic Hospital citing health complications. A high-level government commission led by former High Court Chief Judge Dilli Raj Acharya earlier criticizes the CIB for ''intentionally avoiding'' a full investigation into Mahara and other senior officials allegedly linked to large-scale gold smuggling.

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#13024523

25 November 2025

A marked Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) vehicle, a black Jeep Renegade with yellow and blue markings, moves along a paved square next to the highly decorative marble facade of a historic building in Florence, Italy, on November 22, 2025.

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#13024524

25 November 2025

A marked Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) vehicle, a black Jeep Renegade with yellow and blue markings, moves along a paved square next to the highly decorative marble facade of a historic building in Florence, Italy, on November 22, 2025. The vehicle is situated near a sign displaying information about the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo and featuring an image of Michelangelo's Pieta. The architectural detail of the Duomo (Florence Cathedral) and nearby scaffolding for maintenance are visible in the background.

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#13024557

25 November 2025

Two officers of the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) walk away from the camera through a narrow, wet, paved alleyway toward the entrance of a building in the historic city, in Venice, Italy, on November 16, 2025. The officers wear their dark gray and yellow-trimmed official uniforms. They walk against a backdrop of classic, aged Venetian buildings with peeling plaster, exposed brickwork, and closed wooden shutters.

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#12831879

5 October 2025

A road sign points toward Pilsen, Czech Republic, and the German-Czech border in Furth im Wald, Cham district, Bavaria, Upper Palatinate, Germany, on October 4, 2025. Furth im Wald is a border town connecting Germany and Czechia through regional roads and trade routes.

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#12810830

29 September 2025

In Aleppo, Syria, on September 29, 2025, members of the Syrian security forces carry out raids targeting hideouts of Assad regime remnants and drug traffickers in one of the city's neighborhoods as part of a broader campaign to enhance stability and combat organized crime.

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#12810831

29 September 2025

In Aleppo, Syria, on September 29, 2025, members of the Syrian security forces carry out raids targeting hideouts of Assad regime remnants and drug traffickers in one of the city's neighborhoods as part of a broader campaign to enhance stability and combat organized crime.

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#12810832

29 September 2025

In Aleppo, Syria, on September 29, 2025, members of the Syrian security forces carry out raids targeting hideouts of Assad regime remnants and drug traffickers in one of the city's neighborhoods as part of a broader campaign to enhance stability and combat organized crime.

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#12810833

29 September 2025

In Aleppo, Syria, on September 29, 2025, members of the Syrian security forces carry out raids targeting hideouts of Assad regime remnants and drug traffickers in one of the city's neighborhoods as part of a broader campaign to enhance stability and combat organized crime.

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#12810834

29 September 2025

In Aleppo, Syria, on September 29, 2025, members of the Syrian security forces carry out raids targeting hideouts of Assad regime remnants and drug traffickers in one of the city's neighborhoods as part of a broader campaign to enhance stability and combat organized crime.

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#12810835

29 September 2025

In Aleppo, Syria, on September 29, 2025, members of the Syrian security forces carry out raids targeting hideouts of Assad regime remnants and drug traffickers in one of the city's neighborhoods as part of a broader campaign to enhance stability and combat organized crime.

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#12487474

19 June 2025

A sniffer dog of the Douane (directorate general of customs and excise) is present during the press conference of Amelie de Montchalin, French Minister attached to the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, responsible for public accounts, on the results of Operation Colbert III as part of the national action plan to combat illicit tobacco trafficking, at the Ministry of Finance, in Paris, France, on June 19, 2025.

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#12487491

19 June 2025

A sniffer dog of the Douane (directorate general of customs and excise) is present during the press conference of Amelie de Montchalin, French Minister attached to the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, responsible for public accounts, on the results of Operation Colbert III as part of the national action plan to combat illicit tobacco trafficking, at the Ministry of Finance, in Paris, France, on June 19, 2025.

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#12466151

12 June 2025

Baek Hae-ryong, former chief superintendent of the Criminal Division at Yeongdeungpo Police Station, delivers a statement outside the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho District, Seoul, South Korea, on June 12, 2025, regarding the formation of a joint investigation team linked to alleged drug smuggling by Incheon Customs. In 2023, Baek, while investigating drug smugglers in Malaysia, reportedly uncovers evidence implicating an official at Incheon Customs in drug trafficking. He later alleges that senior officials from the Presidential Office under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, along with high-ranking police and customs authorities, attempt to cover up the case.

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#12466152

12 June 2025

Baek Hae-ryong, former chief superintendent of the Criminal Division at Yeongdeungpo Police Station, delivers a statement outside the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho District, Seoul, South Korea, on June 12, 2025, regarding the formation of a joint investigation team linked to alleged drug smuggling by Incheon Customs. In 2023, Baek, while investigating drug smugglers in Malaysia, reportedly uncovers evidence implicating an official at Incheon Customs in drug trafficking. He later alleges that senior officials from the Presidential Office under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, along with high-ranking police and customs authorities, attempt to cover up the case.

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