International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organized Crime

  The United Nations helps countries share intelligence, strengthen laws and dismantle criminal networks. Fighting organized crime goes beyond law enforcement. It means providing jobs and education for young people, protecting human rights & building economies that leave no one behind.

Transnational organized crime  destroys lives and livelihoods, at an enormous cost to people and planet. To achieve peace, justice and resilience, the world must unite to #StopOrganizedCrime. Transnational organized crime is one of the most complex threats facing countries today. It fuels violence, terrorism and corruption, exploits people and resources, and undermines safety, justice and opportunity everywhere. It destroys lives and livelihoods, at an enormous cost to people and planet. To achieve peace, justice, and resilience, the world must unite to #StopOrganizedCrime. The staggering profits of organized crime come at an immense human cost. Lives lost. Communities broken. Futures stolen. Transnational organized crime fuels violence and exploitation, draining resources, destroying trust and undermining justice everywhere. No one should bear the burden of organized crime. Not in conflict. Not in crisis. Not in poverty. Not ever. It’s time to stop the profit from harm. Together ...

Organized crime thrives worldwide, affecting governance and political processes, and weakening the advancement of the rule of law . It encompasses, inter alia, illicit trafficking of firearms , illicit drugs trafficking , Trade of protected species , cultural property , or falsified medical products and, among its most severe manifestations, human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants . It also includes the laundering of proceeds of crime and obstruction of justice . Moreover, with all forms of organized crime shifting ever more to being dependent on or incorporating online aspects, including the use of virtual assets , its reach and capability of harm is increasing. Organized criminal groups are flexible in changing or expanding their illicit businesses for profit. They misuse vulnerabilities and crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturns, natural disasters, and armed conflicts exploiting them for their own purposes. Traditional, territorial-based ...

  The synthetic opioid crisis has reshaped the landscape of organized crime, public health, and security across North America. Drawing on the expert dialogue held in April 2025, this report explores cross-border dynamics, policy gaps, and recommendations to strengthen regional responses. It presents a timely and evidence-based overview of the evolving fentanyl market in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.  Fentanyl is not just a North American issue – it is part of a global shift in synthetic drug production . The report challenges traditional framing, highlighting how fentanyl is produced and consumed domestically within all three countries, often through integrated and illicitly adapted supply chains. These networks mimic legitimate logistics operations, exploiting regulatory and enforcement blind spots. Key insights reveal that unregulated fentanyl rarely appears in pure form. In Toronto, drug-checking services found high levels of contamination , with over 70% of sam...

  - Summary highlights - Balkan criminals involved in large-scale smuggling through Hamburg. Criminal groups from the Western Balkans have emerged as key players in cocaine trafficking through the Port of Hamburg — Europe’s third-largest container hub. Both Albanian-speaking networks and Slavic-speaking groups now coordinate sophisticated smuggling operations from South America, with well-developed systems for extracting cocaine from containers and distributing it across Europe. Despite record seizures, these criminal networks demonstrate remarkable resilience and adaptability. Although German authorities have made strides in enhancing port security, significant gaps remain in addressing corruption and in developing effective coordination with Balkan law enforcement agencies.  Read more The internationalization of migrant smuggling through the Balkans. The Western Balkan route has become a critical migration corridor into the European Union, with criminal networks developing s...

  Violent activity by criminal groups is not classified as terrorism in the Global Terrorism Index . Yet the massacre of 207 people by criminal gangs in Haiti in December 2024 would rank as the second deadliest terrorist attack in 2024. To put things in perspective, 7 555 people were killed in terrorist attacks worldwide in 2024; in Haiti alone, there were 7 302 homicides last year. The number of homicides in Mexico in 2024 was 25 469, many of them directly attributable to organized crime. In stark terms, organized crime kills far more people than terrorism.

  Analysis on Latinoamerica y el carib from Americas Observatories

  Analysis From Eastern Asian States Observatories and European Observatories.

  Analysis from the Amerian Region Observatories concerning the Catatumbo's cocaine war .

  North America Strategic Platform on organized crime.

 

  How organized crime fuels the M23 Crisis in eastern DRC? SANCTIONS & ORGANIZED CRIME

 

Environmental crime includes a range of illegal acts that harm the environment, human health, or both, such as illegal dumping of hazardous waste, pollution of air and water, wildlife trafficking, and illegal logging. These offenses can be violations of environmental laws, like the Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act, and often have serious consequences, including financial penalties and imprisonment. Types of environmental crimes Illegal waste disposal : Illegally dumping or exporting hazardous waste, which can include electronic waste. Pollution : Discharging pollutants into water sources or the air in violation of laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. Wildlife and plant trafficking : Illegal trade of endangered species, animal parts like ivory, and protected plants.Illegal logging and fishing: Illegally harvesting timber and engaging in unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing). Other offenses: These can also include tampering with drinking water supplies, smugg...