Elche hosts the Second Conference on Intelligence, Terrorism, and Organised Crime at CEU Cardenal Herrera University

El Aula Magna of the Carmelitas Campus at CEU Cardenal Herrera University in Elche was the venue for the Second Conference on Intelligence, Terrorism, and Organised Crime on November 3rd. This academic event brought together professionals from the legal, police, and academic fields to address the main challenges of global security and international cooperation against new forms of crime.

The inaugural session, held at 12:30 p.m., featured speeches by Cristina Orts Ruiz, Deputy to the Vice-Rectorate of the Elche Campus; Ana Isabel Mateos Ansótegui, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law, Business, and Political Science; and Antonio López Álvarez, Coordinator of the Law Degree. Alongside them, the conference coordinators, José Luis Gil Valero and María Dolores Cano Hurtado, highlighted the importance of creating spaces for reflection where the university directly engages with the professional world of security and intelligence.

The first lecture, delivered by Professor Carlos Pérez del Valle, focused on 'The Law and Paradigm Shifts in Terrorism'. The professor analysed how social and technological transformations have altered the nature of contemporary terrorism and the legal challenges posed by its prevention and prosecution.

Next, retired Inspector Aurelio Delgado Vílchez presented a lecture titled 'Intelligence and Counterintelligence Actions and Their Consequences', focusing on the importance of fieldwork, professional ethics, and inter-institutional cooperation in combating criminal networks.

After the midday break, José Luis Gil Valero, Co-Delegate in Spain of the European Association of Crime Analysts (EACA), delivered a conference on 'European Trends in Transnational Organised Crime (2022-2024): Balkan Groups'. He analysed the structure and expansion of Eastern European criminal networks and their connection to drug trafficking and money laundering circuits.

Subsequently, Alberto Velasco Polo, Deputy Director of the GEES-Spain Group, addressed 'The Use of Drones by Organised Crime', a growing phenomenon that combines technological innovation and crime, posing new challenges for security forces.

Remotely, Laura Cristina Morell Aldana, Magistrate of the Criminal Court No. 2 of Castellón de la Plana, participated with the lecture 'Criminal Procedural Approach to Organised Crime'. She explained the obstacles faced by justice in dismantling transnational criminal organisations and the need to strengthen judicial cooperation.

Throughout the day, the various interventions provided insight into the complexity of organised crime today and the importance of intelligence as a preventive tool. With a large attendance of students and professionals from the fields of Law and Criminology, the event reaffirmed CEU's commitment to practical training and direct connection with professional reality.