These so-called ‘tracking tags’ are most frequently found in shipments of cocaine despatched from South America for delivery to European ports and markets, according to the agency based in The Hague. — Europol
BERLIN: Criminal gangs are now using Bluetooth trackers to locate their drug consignments, the European Union’s police agency, Europol, reported on Dec 11.
These so-called “tracking tags” are most frequently found in shipments of cocaine despatched from South America for delivery to European ports and markets, according to the agency based in The Hague.
In a few isolated cases, the trackers have been used in human trafficking, and they have also been found in cases involving property. But their most common use is to track illegal consignments following arrival at a European port along the route to depots for further distribution.
The devices were originally conceived to help owners locate items such as keys or luggage by communicating with phone apps. Their range is usually less than 120m, but they are smaller and cheaper than a GPS tracker, and have long battery life and are waterproof, Europol noted.
“This means that Bluetooth trackers offer an attractive solution for criminals wishing to track and locate illicit commodities,” it concluded. – dpa
