Rocket launchers and the Black Banker hit job… astonishing downfall of London mob boss behind Scarface gang ‘The Patron’
6 February 2026
Featured in The Sun
ORGANISED CRIME
Expert Cathy Haenlein, director of organised crime and policing studies at Royal United Services, said Moldova has long been a hub for illegal markets. She said: “It plays a critical and fluid role in a range of cross-border illicit flows – linked to its strategic position at the edge of the EU and its borders with Ukraine. Moldova acts as a source and transit hub for a range of illicit markets, including human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and flows of contraband and counterfeit goods – many moving onward into the EU."

