The European Police Office reported the arrest of 330 people in 70 countries as part of the fight against organized crime groups involved in the illegal transportation of waste in Europe and their export to Africa, Asia and Latin America. This is stated in the statement of Europol.
Law enforcement officers seized 127,149 tons of waste, 602 tons of pollutants, 75 tons of plant protection chemicals, 2.3 tons of mercury and almost 10 million euros in cash and bank accounts. It is estimated that these operations could have generated at least 31 million euros in illegal profits.
“These criminal networks not only illegally dispose of municipal and industrial waste, but also systematically resort to document forgery and fraud to move hazardous materials, causing negative environmental impacts and risks to public health,” Europol stressed.
In October 2025, the Polish national tax administration seized 23 tons of illegal waste from Germany, and in November the Berlin Senate adopted a new, stricter catalogue of fines for illegal dumping garbage.
