Vietnam files charges in 39 U.K. deaths
HANOI, Vietnam -- Police in Vietnam have charged seven people in the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants whose bodies were found in a refrigerated trailer near London in October, state media outlets said.
The official Vietnam News Agency said the suspects were charged with organizing and brokering illegal immigration.
It said an investigation showed they had helped 67 people travel illegally to European countries to work.
Vietnamese police also asked the government to seek Interpol's help in issuing a "red notice" for the arrest of one of the suspects who is living in China, the news agency reported Thursday.
It said the investigation of the case was continuing.
The bodies of 39 people were found Oct. 23 in the English town of Grays, east of London. Police say the victims were all from Vietnam and were between the ages of 15 and 44. The 31 men and eight women are believed to have paid people traffickers for their transit to England. Police say they died of oxygen deprivation and overheating.
Several people, including the driver of the truck, have been charged in England with manslaughter or assisting in illegal immigration.
Greeks conduct passport-fraud sweep
ATHENS, Greece -- Six police officers and 27 other people are under investigation in a major passport-fraud case involving the issuance of Greek state identity documents to criminal fugitives from abroad, Greek authorities said Friday.
The police's internal affairs division said 38 state identity cards and 31 passports issued between 2016 and 2018 had been canceled as a result of the investigation.
Payments of between $5,400 and $43,200 were made for each illegal identity document, most issued using the names of Greek citizens living abroad who had not renewed their passports, authorities said.
Passport-fraud checks have been stepped up in recent years because of the growing number of migrants living in Greece who are prevented from traveling on to other European Union countries under EU-backed restrictions that went into effect in 2016. Greece remains the busiest illegal-entry point for migrants and refugees trying to reach the EU.
Police did not say whether any of the 33 suspects have been formally arrested.
Cartel chief's son held in U.S. drug case
MEXICO CITY -- Mexico extradited the son of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel to face drug charges in the United States.
Ruben Oseguera was handed over to U.S. authorities Thursday after he lost a legal fight against extradition, Mexico's top security official, Alfonso Durazo, said Friday.
Oseguera pleaded innocent Friday to federal drug charges during an appearance in U.S. District Court after his overnight extradition from Mexico. He was charged with conspiracy to distribute large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine and use of a firearm in commission of a drug trafficking offense
Oseguera is known as "El Menchito," after his father, Nemesio Oseguera, alias "El Mencho." The younger Oseguera was born in California and holds dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship. He was arrested in 2015 on weapons-possession and organized-crime charges, and had been fighting extradition.
The Jalisco cartel is currently Mexico's most violent and fastest-growing gang.
The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert saying "following previous high-profile security operations, criminal groups operating in Jalisco have responded by taking retaliatory actions including an increase in anti-government rhetoric [banners and internet threats] and blockades inside the city and on interstate highways."
"On some occasions, these criminals have seized private vehicles and set them on fire," according to the alert.
The elder Oseguera remains a fugitive, despite the 2018 arrest of his wife. The U.S. has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
French jets remain on ISIS duty in Iraq
LIMASSOL, Cyprus -- The Islamic State group remains active in Syria and Iraq despite major territorial losses, necessitating French air support for troops mainly in Iraq, the commander of a French aircraft carrier strike group said Friday.
Rear Adm. Marc Aussedat said Rafale warplanes from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier have been mainly used to gather information on the whereabouts of Islamic State fighters as well as on the group's patterns of activity.
That intelligence is conveyed to commanders of a U.S.-led coalition who coordinate on-the-ground operations against Islamic State targets.
"The area of operations is mainly Iraq and it's where the coalition needs us to be," Aussedat said aboard the Charles de Gaulle, which is currently docked at Cyprus' main port of Limassol.
The Rafales carry 500-pound bombs to strike Islamic State positions, but haven't dropped any in the month since the Charles de Gaulle has been deployed in the eastern Mediterranean as part of the coalition.
Islamic State remnants have been gradually building up a guerrilla campaign over the past year as tensions between the U.S. and Iran provide a comeback opportunity for the extremist group, experts say.
A Section on 02/22/2020