Europol: Foreign Groups Dominate Organized Crime in Europe
There are more than 700 organized crime networks operating in Europe, and their structures are more complex, more international, and far more resilient than ever before.
In June, Europol published a new report on the most threatening criminal networks in the European Union. There are currently 731 such networks operating in the EU that resemble corporations, being highly structured and well-managed. Gangs of Albanian, Ukrainian, Balkan, and Latin American origin dominate the scene.
According to Europol, 76% of the 821 threatening gangs identified last year are no longer on the list of active gangs, and many have been dismantled. Nevertheless, 198 of the major gangs from the remain active, demonstrating the networks’ ability to adapt, recover, and find new opportunities. Europol assesses these “persistent” networks as more structured than others and describes them as mafia-like. These networks are larger, geographically more widespread, and have been operating for decades. As examples of such “persistent networks,” Europol cites motorcycle gangs and Latin American cartels. “Criminal markets persist. New actors emerge. Criminal profits continue to fuel activities that undermine our security, prosperity and trust in institutions,” stated Jürgen Ebner, Acting Executive Director of Europol.
However, in addition to these “persistent networks,” Europol has identified 533 entirely new networks that have sprung up to replace those that were rapidly dismantled. In total, there are 731 networks active now in the EU, with more than 400,000 members combined between them. Moreover, the number of members has increased many times over compared to the year before last, which is primarily due to a few extremely large networks, with more than 100,000 members each, that are most active in cyberattacks and online fraud.
Among the hundreds of thousands of members, 118 nationalities are represented – 6 more than last year – accounting for 60% of the world’s nationalities. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the groups have members of mixed nationality, highlighting the cross-border character of these networks. About one third (37%) of the networks consist of members of the same nationality, whether these be citizens of an EU country or from outside the EU.
Most networks focus on a single “area,” but 23% operate on multiple “fronts”
According to Europol, the current most threatening criminal networks engage in a wide range of criminal activities: 36.3% are involved in drug trafficking, 23.3% in poly-criminality, 16.4% focus on (online) fraud, 7.9% on organized property crime, 3.7% on migrant smuggling, 2.6% on money laundering, 2.6% on human trafficking, 1.9% on cyberattacks, 1% on firearms, 0.8% on extortion, 0.5% on environmental crime, 0.5% on counterfeiting, 0.3% on child sexual exploitation, and 2.2% on other activities. Most networks (77%) specialize in a single area, with drug trafficking remaining the most “popular.” The latter market is dominated by cocaine and synthetic drugs, and one in five of the most threatening criminal networks in this field is linked to Latin America. For example, the Colombia Cartel, which had ties to the Colombian drug cartel Clan del Golfo, coordinated the cocaine trade from South America to Europe. To do so, the drugs were transported by speedboats from Colombia to neighboring countries and from there onward to Europe. The Colombia Cartel collaborated with several groups in South America and Europe, controlling the entire production and supply chain.
The second most common area of activity is fraud – both online and offline – which accounts for 16% of all the networks. The third most common set of felonies, according to Europol, are property crimes, migrant smuggling, and human trafficking. For example, Europol mentions a Chinese human trafficking network that primarily “exploited” Chinese women around certain hubs in China, Spain, and France. While some of the recruited women were aware of the sexual nature of the work, they were not informed of the working conditions beforehand. Many, however, were also deceived or forced to provide such services. The network also recruited Chinese women living in Europe and it had been active for several years.
Europol is aware of 51 groups engaged in online fraud. These groups generate substantial profits, having recruited the largest number of members while targeting private individuals, companies, and government agencies. These networks are capable of operating from anywhere in the world, but the regions of origin at the forefront of it include Eastern Europe, West Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Beyond these areas of crime, the networks are constantly searching for vulnerabilities in societies, economies, and technologies. At the same time, digitalization, technological innovations, international trade, geopolitical unrest, and the increasing overlap between the legal and illegal economies offer these networks incredible opportunities. Criminals are eagerly exploiting digitalization and technology – such as online platforms, encrypted messaging, and artificial intelligence – to expand their operations and minimize risks. Crimes are fuelled by the opportunities of the internet and accelerated by AI and technology. They are also supported by substantial funding, sophisticated new methods, and high-level corruption.