The Brief is structured around four chapters. The first chapter maps out the different manifestations of organized crime today and highlights its negative impacts on individuals and societies. The second chapter explores how organized criminal groups1 (OCGs) establish and maintain criminal governance, enforcing alternative rules to those of the State in the territories under their control. The third chapter analyses how organized crime leverages modern technology to expand its criminal activities, while chapter four explores the different illicit markets in which OCGs are active, from drug trafficking to trafficking in persons and from crimes that affect the environment to firearms trafficking. To conclude, the Brief presents key policy considerations for Member States, which emerge from 25 years of UNTOC implementation worldwide.