The investigators say Georges Lotfi invited them to his storage space because he did not think they would suspect that the antiquities he kept there were stolen, an accusation he denies.
Tag Archives: Smuggling
Smuggling Migrants at the Border Now a Billion-Dollar Business
With demand for smugglers on the rise, organized crime has moved in, with cruel and violent results.
2 Are Indicted in Human Smuggling Case That Left 53 Dead in Texas
Two men from Texas could face the death penalty after a tractor-trailer carrying dead migrants was found on the outskirts of San Antonio last month.
At Least 46 Migrants Found Dead in San Antonio
At least 16 others from the tractor-trailer in San Antonio, including some children, were taken to hospitals. Three people were in custody, officials said.
These Are Some of the Deadliest Instances of Migrant Deaths on the Southern Border
The journey north for migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico is typically dangerous, and sometimes fatal. In recent years, dozens of migrants have died in crashes while traveling north.
‘Ghost Flights’? The Facts Behind Transporting Migrant Children
Government flights carrying undocumented children from the border to federally licensed shelters around the country are being criticized by conservative politicians in an election year.
A New Kind of Drug
How the country’s drug problem is changing, and why it’s growing.
An Indian State Banned Alcohol. The Drinking Moved to Nearby Nepal.
The ban in Bihar State, championed by local women, was aimed at tackling alcoholism and domestic violence. But a drinking scene has sprung up across the border in Nepal.
Singapore Executes Drug Smuggler Despite Concerns Over Mental Disability
Defense lawyers had argued that the Malaysian man should not be executed because he was not fully capable of understanding his actions and had been coerced.
Kangaroos in India? Experts See Evidence of a Smuggling Trade
The animals are the latest exotic fauna to be smuggled into the country, possibly to be used as pets. Draft legislation would close loopholes in the roaring wildlife trade.
Yale Museum Surrenders Items as Part of Art Looting Investigation
The 13 artifacts, valued at more than $1 million and all from South Asia, were given to investigators who say some of them are linked to an accused antiquities smuggler.
An India Family’s Fatal Crossing on the U.S. Border
A family from India froze to death just yards away from crossing into the United States from Canada. Desperate migrants are trying their luck on the northern border.
The Smugglers’ Paradise of Afghanistan
For decades, the smuggling trade — of people, drugs and money — has dominated Nimruz Province. Now, as hundreds of thousands of Afghans try to flee, business has further boomed for those who hold the keys to the gate.
They Came to Help Migrants. Now, Europe Has Turned on Them.
As the legal ordeal of two aid workers shows, anti-migrant attitudes in Greece and across Europe have hardened — to the point that the helpers have become political targets.
A Journalist Went Undercover as a Refugee. It Became an Act of Love
To better understand the plight of Afghan refugees, the reporter Matthieu Aikins undertook a journey with one. “The Naked Don’t Fear the Water” tells the story.
It Helped Catch Serial Killers. Can It Stop Elephant Poachers, Too?
Scientists used a genetic investigation technique with the aim of helping turn the tide against illicit hauls of ivory and other animal parts.
More Than a Million Afghans Flee as Economy Collapses
Thousands of Afghans are trying to sneak into Iran and Pakistan each day, as incomes have dried up and life-threatening hunger has become widespread.
Coast Guard to End Search After Finding Bodies of 5 Migrants From Capsized Boat
More than 30 people remained unaccounted for after the boat that was carrying them overturned off Florida’s Atlantic Coast last weekend, the authorities said.
Jordan’s Army Kills 27 in Drug Bust on Syrian Border
The Jordanian Army said that soldiers fired on suspected smugglers as they tried to cross the border under cover of a snowstorm.
Man Admits He Tried to Smuggle 2 Men Into US Into a Coffin
At a checkpoint in Texas in October, federal prosecutors said, Border Patrol agents found two men from Mexico hidden in a coffin.
A Rise in Deadly Border Patrol Chases Renews Accountability Concerns About
The increasing number of deaths adds urgency to questions about when and how agents should engage in high-speed chases as they pursue smugglers and migrants.
At Least 16 Dead After Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Greece
The wreck late Friday in the Aegean Sea, the third in Greek waters in three days, was another reminder of the risks asylum seekers face.
Second Deadly Migrant Boat Crash Off Greece This Week
Ninety people were left stranded after Thursday’s accident. The crash came in a week that also saw scores of migrants die in wrecks off the coast of Libya.
Three Dead and Many Missing as Migrant Boat Sinks Near Greece
The sinking came just weeks after 27 people drowned trying to cross the English Channel, another stark reminder of the lethal risks facing asylum seekers.
A Trove of Artifacts Officials Call ‘Stolen’ Are Returned to Italy
The Manhattan district attorney’s office is repatriating 200 objects it confiscated from major museums and collections. Many were tied to one dealer.
Why Was Haiti’s President Assassinated?
An investigation into the killing of the Caribbean nation’s leader points to corruption and drug trafficking at the highest levels of government.
Migrant Truck Crash in Mexico Kills More Than 50
The migrants, mostly from Guatemala and apparently U.S.-bound, had been crammed into a tractor-trailer that flipped and slammed into a bridge in southern Mexico.
Michael Steinhardt, Billionaire, Surrenders $70 Million in Stolen Relics
The hedge fund pioneer is barred for life from buying more antiquities. He turned over 180 stolen objects that had decorated his homes and office.
On Syria’s Ruins, a Drug Empire Flourishes
Powerful associates of Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, are making and selling captagon, an illegal amphetamine, creating a new narcostate on the Mediterranean.
Belgian Port City Grapples With a Flood of Cocaine
Antwerp has become the main port of entry into Europe for the drug, which is being blamed for a surge of violence that has prompted some Belgian officials to call for a war on drugs.
Undeterred by Channel’s Perils, Desperate Migrants Still Plan to Cross
The number of migrants setting off into the English Channel by boat has soared in recent months. The deaths Wednesday of at least 27 people trying to make the crossing illustrate how dangerous it is.
Greece to Put Aid Workers Who Helped Migrants on Trial on Espionage Charges
The country’s conservative government is toughening its stance on migration and on groups working with migrants, aligning itself with a hardening climate across Europe.
Looking for a Stolen Idol? Visit the Museum of the Manhattan D.A.
Investigators have seized so many looted artifacts — more than 3,000 — that storing and caring for them until they can be returned is now a full-time job.
It’s Time to End the Pandemic Emergency at the Border
Title 42 was supposed to be an emergency measure. It’s time to end its use.
Migrants Say Belarusians Took Them to E.U. Border and Supplied Wire Cutters
Iraqi Kurds and other migrants said they were fleeing despair at home, but Belarus encouraged them, offering visas and helping them get to the border.
2 Ivory Smugglers Captured in International Operation, U.S. Says
The undercover joint operation by the U.S. and Congolese governments also resulted in the seizure of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal wildlife plunder.
Why the Taliban Desperately Need Cash to Run Afghanistan
The group has long tapped underground banks and opium to fund Afghanistan’s insurgency. Fixing the nation’s problems will require a lot more than that.
Fossils Seized in Police Raid Demystify a Prehistoric Flying Reptile
Among the 3,000 fossils seized at a Brazilian port in 2013 was an almost complete skeleton from the pterosaur species Tupandactylus navigans, preserved in six limestone slabs.
Montenegro Pledges to Stamp Out a Deadly Trade: Cigarette Smuggling
Investigators and journalists were killed while trying to expose smugglers. Now the country is cracking down on a trade it once protected.
A Texas Sheriff’s Grim Task: Finding Bodies as Migrant Deaths Surge
After working in oil fields, Oscar Carrillo eyed the stability of law enforcement or funeral work. As a border sheriff, he is doing both.
He Guarded Haiti’s Slain President. And He’s the Target of a Drug Inquiry.
Officials are examining whether President Jovenel Moïse’s killing was tied to the drug trade. The man in charge of his safety was a suspect in a major trafficking case, they say.
He Saved 31 People at Sea. Then Got a 142-Year Prison Sentence in Greece.
Greece is prosecuting migrants on charges of people smuggling, and imposing heavy jail terms. Rights groups say many migrants are being unfairly accused and sentenced.
Kim Jong-un Calls K-Pop a ‘Vicious Cancer’
South Korean music, movies and dramas are winning the hearts of young North Koreans. Their influence is seen as a threat to Mr. Kim’s grip on society.
George Jung, Who Made Millions Smuggling Cocaine, Dies at 78
Part of the Medellín drug cartel, he was imprisoned multiple times and was later played by Johnny Depp in the 2001 movie “Blow.”
‘Will I Recognize You?’ She Traveled 2,500 Miles to Reach Her Mother.
Migrant children are crossing the southwestern border by the thousands each week. They are often rejoining parents who immigrated to the United States years ago.
Five in Houston Face Charges in Suspected Case of Human Smuggling
Police officers in Houston responded to a kidnapping tip on Friday and found nearly 100 undocumented people crammed into a house, according to the authorities.
Police Find More Than 90 People Crammed Into a Houston Home
Houston police officers found more than 90 people — some showing symptoms of Covid-19 — “all huddled together” on Friday in what they believe may be a case of human smuggling.
Man Caught Smuggling 35 Songbirds Into J.F.K. Airport, Authorities Say
Kevin Andre McKenzie of Guyana concealed finches inside hair curlers in his clothing, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
Armed Groups Step Into Venezuela as Lawlessness Grows
With Venezuela in shambles, criminals and insurgents run large stretches of the nation’s territory. We traveled through one of the regions under their control.
A Man Who Shipped Himself in a Crate Wants to Find the Men Who Helped
Over 50 years after Brian Robson mailed himself out of Australia, emerging almost 8,000 miles away, he is looking for two friends who assisted.