19 minutes agoEuropol alerts: 731 organized crime networks operate in Europe
Periskopi(an hour ago)
(an hour ago)A new Europol investigation has identified 731 organised crime networks operating in Europe, with over 400,000 members from 118 different nationalities testifying to the extent and complexity of criminal groups on the continent.
According to the report published today, most of these organisations operate beyond state limits and very professionally.
About 85% of the networks use legitimate businesses as a cover for their criminal activities, hiding operations behind regular economic structures.
EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs Magnus Brunner said during the presentation of the report to Brussels that these organisations are no longer common street gangs, but function as “crime corporations”, with considerable organisation and resources.
The report shows that criminal networks are involved in a wide range of activities, including drug trafficking, cybercrime, smuggling of migrants, trafficking in human beings, financial fraud and money laundering.
They also benefit from technological developments, global trade and geopolitical instability to expand their activity.
Compared to the first study published two years ago, 76% of the identified networks are new.
However, Europol has recorded a core of 198 criminal organisations that continue to remain active.
A total of 821 networks were identified in the 2024 report.
Experts stress that lowering the overall number of networks should not be interpreted as the authorities' full success.
Instead, criminal groups show a great ability to reorganize quickly and replace arrested leaders, maintaining the functioning of their structures.
