Waste crimes may not be as well-known or widely discussed as other types of crime, but they often lie beneath the surface of major criminal cases. And that’s a pity—because waste today holds significant value, and through smart, organized schemes, it can siphon money from governments, economies, and ultimately, from people. Not only that, but these crimes pose serious risks to human health—as we’re dealing with waste. From toxic materials to illegal landfills or unregulated processing, these activities release harmful chemicals into the environment, and when ignored, long-term exposure can lead to severe health problems. As these crimes remain hidden and rarely talked about, they thrive in the shadows. In this blog, we’ll look at five of the biggest organized waste crimes worldwide – real cases that have unfolded recently.
Why do they happen?
Based on the findings presented by Baird, Curry, and Cruz (2014) in An Overview of Waste Crime, Its Characteristics, and the Vulnerability of the EU Waste Sector, waste crimes occur mainly due to these causes:
Legislation and Weak Enforcement
Weak or poorly enforced laws can encourage evasion. Regulations like the landfill ban on tyres can unintentionally lead to illegal disposal when alternatives are lacking.
Increased Costs of Legal Operations
Higher environmental standards increase costs, making illegal disposal financially attractive. Illegal operators often offer significantly cheaper services.
Price Inelasticity of Waste Services
Waste treatment demand stays constant despite price increases, creating room for price manipulation and potential market abuse.
Waste as a Global Commodity and Regulatory Asymmetry
Global trade and uneven regulations allow waste to be exported illegally, especially to countries with weak enforcement. Hazardous waste is often disguised to bypass restrictions.
Complex Business Structures and Actors
Multiple actors and intermediaries complicate oversight. Waste brokers, in particular, are hard to monitor and rarely prosecuted.
Nature and Appearance of Waste
Waste can be disguised or mislabeled to avoid regulation. Hazardous materials are often exported under false pretenses using forged documents.
1. Operation Finoplast
Spanish authorities launched Operation Finoplast in late 2022 after discovering thousands of tonnes of plastic waste dumped at a former brick factory in Bierzo, León. On May 20, 2025, the Guardia Civil, aided by Europol and environmental teams, dismantled the criminal network responsible for trading over 41,000 tonnes of plastic waste—primarily agricultural film—from Spain, France, and Portugal. Some waste was stored illegally in León and Valencia, while nearly 22,800 tonnes were exported under false documentation to numerous countries, including India, Turkey, Vietnam, and Morocco. Investigators seized toxic samples, corporate documents, and thousands of tonnes of undeclared waste, and have arrested five suspects and identified fifteen more under investigation.
2. Hazardous Waste Disposal Network Dismantled
On 13 February 2025, Croatian law enforcement authorities arrested 13 individuals for their role in illegally disposing of 35,000 tonnes of hazardous waste. The criminal network operated across Croatia, Italy, and Slovenia, handling waste—including medical and hazardous material—without proper treatment. Instead of sending the waste to authorized facilities, the group buried or stored it illegally, profiting an estimated €4 million while putting public health and the environment at serious risk. The case was supported by Europol, which coordinated intelligence and facilitated cross-border cooperation.
3. Bangkok Port Interception
In mid-May 2025, Thai customs officials at Bangkok Port intercepted 238 tons of electronic waste illegally imported from the United States. The shipment, disguised as mixed metal scrap, was found to contain circuit boards destined for local processing—some of which is believed to occur in factories near Samut Sakhon Province. These materials pose serious environmental and health risks due to hazardous substances like lead, cadmium, and mercury. Thai authorities are pursuing charges for false declarations and illegal importation, and plan to return the waste to its country of origin.
4. Operation Cesium
On January 15, 2025, the Environment Agency announced the convictions of three individuals—Marcus Hughes, Richard Hopkinson, and Robert McDonagh—following Operation Cesium, which uncovered the illegal dumping of over 26,000 tonnes of baled household and business waste across 17 sites in England, including farms, industrial premises, and even a former airfield. Pretending to store recyclables like plastic pellets or fuel for export, the gang abandoned waste instead, evading more than £2.7 million in landfill tax and dumping the cleanup burden on unsuspecting landowners—who faced over £3.2 million in removal costs. Sentences include prison time, substantial fines, rehabilitation orders, community service, and 10‑year disqualifications from directorship roles.
5. Improper Handling of Imported Hazardous Steel Dust
An investigative collaboration between The Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab revealed that Monterrey’s Zinc Nacional plant imports hazardous “electric‑arc furnace” steel dust from the U.S.—containing high levels of lead, cadmium, and arsenic—and reprocesses it to extract zinc. Toxicologist Martín Soto Jiménez from UNAM found soil and dust samples near homes and schools containing pollutant concentrations tens to hundreds of times above U.S. health‐risk thresholds—one school’s window sill had lead levels 1,760 times the U.S. action level. Following growing public concern, scientific findings, and media scrutiny, environmental authorities increased inspections and uncovered hazardous practices at Zinc Nacional. While the company claims compliance with regulations, it has agreed to invest nearly $13 million in upgrading emissions equipment and changing processes over the next decade, as part of a broader state-led initiative to reduce industrial pollution in Monterrey.
