On April 10, 2024, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed a superseding indictment charging David Campbell, also known as Viejo Dan and Don David, 57, of Honduras, one of the main narcotics and weapons suppliers to MS-13 in Honduras, with racketeering, narcotics, and firearms. Campbell’s initial hearing occurred before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, the day after his extradition.

        On April 11, 2024 Mexico filed an Application instituting proceedings against Ecuador before the International Court of Justice (ICJ or Court) with regard to a dispute relating to “legal questions concerning the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means and diplomatic relations, and the inviolability of a diplomatic mission." In its Application, Mexico states that, on  April 5, 2024, “[a]round 15 special operations agents” from Ecuador entered the Mexican Embassy in Quito “by forcible means and without authorization.”

        On April 10, 2024, German police arrested two Iraqis suspected of serving as “Islamic State” members for allegedly enslaving two Yazidi girls between 2015 and 2017.  German police arrested both individuals in Bavaria.

        On March 22, 2024, law enforcement officials from Mozambique’s Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) and the Tax Authority seized a container at Maputo port that was going to Dubai and contained 651 pieces of elephant ivory hidden in a shipment of bags of corn. Officials at a leading environmental non-governmental organization are trying to motivate Mozambique and Angola to take stronger steps to prosecute ivory trafficking.

        On April 8 and 9, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) held public hearings on the Request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Nicaragua in the case concerning Alleged Breaches of Certain International Obligations in respect of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Nicaragua v. Germany).

        On April 5, 2024, Europol released its new report, entitled “Decoding the EU’s most threatening criminal networks.” It presents the characteristics of the criminal networks that pose the highest threat.

        On April 4, 2024, the Brazilian Federal Police uncovered, under “Operation Fiction or Reality,” a sophisticated international arms trafficking network between the United States and Brazil. The traffickers used a company that purportedly imported cinematographic paraphernalia to conceal their activities, which included supplying firearms and accessories to criminal factions and militias in Rio de Janeiro. 

        On March 25, 2024, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment in the Eastern District of New York dated January 30, 2024, in which seven nationals of the People’s Republic of China were charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.[1]  The alleged activities took place over at least 14 years, with the known date range identified in the indictment as 2010 through January 2024.[2]  In the past few years, the seven defendants and their conspirators have been given names such as “Advanced Persistent Threat 31” (“APT31”) and “Violet Typhoon” by cybersecurity researchers.

        On April 2, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the sentencing of two persons for gun trafficking charges.  In February 2024, the U.S. prosecuted and sentenced four persons for firearms trafficking involving Haiti and the Dominican Republic. On March 25, two members of the U.S. House of Representatives and two members of the U.S. Senate introduced a bill to provide for an annual report on prosecution activities of the Coordinator for Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions of the U.S. Department of Justice.

       On April 1, 2024, the United States Department of Justice announced the detention of 23 persons after the return of a 50-count indictment alleging the trafficking of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and meth and related crimes in the Houston and Galveston areas.  According to the indictment, the defendants operated under the control of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).