Polish and Belarusian authorities detained over a dozen suspects believed to be part of a large-scale tobacco smuggling network operating between the two countries and potentially throughout the European continent.

A criminal network smuggling migrants into the European Union (EU) through the Belarusian border was targeted by Polish, Estonian, German, Lithuanian and Latvian police, coordinated by Europol, last week.

Polish authorities carried out a nationwide operation against perpetrators of child sexual exploitation and child pornography, culminating in over 40 arrests made and the seizure of over 15,000 files of photographic material depicting the sexual abuse of children, some as young as toddlers and even infants.

For the first time ever, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will join a Eurojust joint investigation team, JIT, which was formed to probe whether genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes have been commited in Ukraine.

Polish authorities arrested 34 suspected members of an organized crime group that was smuggling and distributing fake medical products, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) reported on Wednesday.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday urged Polish authorities to “swiftly and thoroughly” investigate death threats received by children of two journalists, and ensure that they and their families are safe.

The U.S. Treasury Department tightened the screws on Belarussian strongman Alexander Lukashenko and his allies, according to a statement released Thursday.

Polish lawmakers voted to pass a contentious bill last week, which has been seen by many to be a step toward suppressing press freedom. Now, it awaits the approval of the Senate and President Andrzej Duda.

Polish authorities arrested 16 people suspected of being members of an organized crime group that produced illicit tobacco, intended to be sold in the United Kingdom and Germany, Europol said on Monday.

While some EU countries continue to pursue their reform processes, the EU noted democratic backslides in Poland and Hungary and some concerning trends in other countries, according to a new Rule of Law Report that monitored the state of media freedom, corruption, and judicial systems in the Union’s 27 member states over the past six months.

Police in the Netherlands and in Poland arrested 30 people and seized 94 tons of tobacco and 5.4 million counterfeit cigarettes during an operation coordinated by Europol, the European police agency said on Wednesday.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) urged the public not to buy vaccines on the Internet after it received reports that counterfeit COVID-19 jabs are being sold via social media in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.

Cybercriminals behind the hack on CD Projekt Red, a Polish video-game designer responsible for hit titles such as The Witcher series and the recently-released CyberPunk 2077, have held a multi-million dollar auction for the data they stole. 

Polish police announced Wednesday the arrest of 13 people and seizure of hundreds of thousands of counterfeit and stolen pharmaceuticals it says were the product of an international organized crime ring of Polish and French nationals, according to a statement by the Central Police Investigation Bureau (CBŚP).

Spanish and Polish authorities seized four cannabis plantations with more than 3,000 plants and arrested 13 alleged members of a large-scale drug trafficking network that operated across the continent, Europol said in a statement released Wednesday.

The European Commission on Wednesday warned of growing corruption and attacks against the media and the judiciary in areport that assessed the rule of law situation ineach member state.

The Danish government announced on Saturday that none of its US$58 billion in coronavirus aid would be issued to companies that register in tax havens, pay out dividends, or buy back their own shares. 

Poland's anti-graft agency dismantled an organized crime group suspected of money laundering, tax evasion and tax fraud, the country’sCentral Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) said on Wednesday.

Thousands of Ukrainians are entering Estonia on Polish work visas that leave them open to exploitation.

Polish police have dismantled an organized crime group that helped smuggle more than 13,000 migrants into Poland en route to Western Europe over the past seven years, earning millions in the process.