Law enforcement agents across the European continent have arrested 75 people in what is being called the largest raid against a human smuggling ring. From the AFP: Hundreds of police arrested 75 people across Europe Monday in a massive crackdown on a racket that brought illegal immigrants from Asia to Britain and Scandinavia, policing agency Europol said. About [...]

Truckers who smuggle people, illegal drugs, or other contraband products will lose their commercial trucking license in the state of Texas. From the Houston Chronicle: Truckers who smuggle drugs or people into the U.S. are now risking not only prison time but also the loss of their commercial driver’s licenses as Texas uses a longstanding law in [...]

New Era, makers of the Official Major League Baseball caps, are fighting an endless battle against counterfeit baseball caps. From Buffalo Business First: “At one point in time we were shutting down 6,000 individual eBay auctions a week featuring counterfeit caps, imitation caps or auctions using our trademarks, even though they were not New Era caps,” said [...]

The BBC has a report on the Mexican Drug Cartels. From the BBC: Estimates by the US Drug Enforcement Agency suggest the drugs trade is worth $20bn (£10.3bn) a year. US law enforcement agencies are now heavily involved in trying to help the Mexicans control the violence. But Americans are playing another role in the conflict. More than 90% of [...]

From Businessweek: Corporate America wants to bring in bigger guns in its battle against counterfeit drugs and pirated songs and DVDs. So a coalition of legislators and companies is pushing for the appointment of a White House-based copyright czar

The United Nations is urging the international community to assist children living in unstable countries.  From CNN: In countries torn by war, like the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq, food shortages and poverty have added to the already hellish conditions children live in. The youngest in unstable countries have become primary targets [...]

The Associated Press is reporting that more and more weapons are being found in Iraq. Via Yahoo News: Weapons caches are turning up with increasing frequency in public places in Iraq — from a bakery to a fish farm — as recent security gains embolden more civilians to come forward with tips, U.S. and Iraqi military officials [...]

Vancouver is taking steps to prevent the counterfeiting of Olympic merchandise for the 2010 Winter Olympics. From the Vancouver Sun: 2010 Olympic Winter Games organizers are preparing themselves for an expected post-Beijing wave of counterfeit goods. With barely two months until the completion of the Summer Games in Beijing, the attention of the world — and counterfeiters — [...]

In a case that critics are calling racial profiling, an Arizona Sheriff is arreting people after stoping them and checking their immigration status. From Reuters: Frustrated by a steady flow of illegal Mexican immigrants into Arizona, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has decided to take matters into his own hands. Arpaio dispatches teams of sheriff’s deputies into Hispanic [...]

The United Nations reported on Wednesday that Coca cultivation in Colombia has risen in the past year despite intensive efforts by the Colombian Government and the United States. From BBC News: The UN’s office on drugs and crime (UNODC) says the increase is “a surprise and a shock” given Colombia’s efforts to destroy coca crops. The US has [...]