Transnational organized crime is today a global phenomenon that threatens the security and prosperity of nations, operating through a complex web of visible and invisible structures, in illegal and legal environments. Transnational organized crime encompasses all serious profit-motivated criminal actions committed by a group to obtain a direct or indirect financial or other material benefit, conducted across national borders. Transnational organized crime has emerged as one of the most complex and rapidly evolving threats facing Member States today, and its evolution reflects broader developments, with globalization, digital transformation and rising geopolitical volatility contributing to the spread and growing sophistication of criminal networks.

Transnational organized crime weakens the rule of law and the capacity of the State, and is a driver and sustainer of conflict, exacerbating harms in conflict situations and undermining international peace and security as well as development. It also seriously harms the environment and the economy, with people as the ultimate victims. The global manifestations of organized crime have diversified significantly and are today characterized by a wide range of actors that operate with different aims, means and labels, that include mafia, gangs, militias, cults, vigilante groups, “cartels”, syndicates, and drug trafficking organizations. In some cases, rebels, insurgents, terrorist organizations and armed groups in conflict settings have adopted organized criminal practices, further blurring the boundaries between criminal enterprise and geopolitical agendas...