In the fight against organized crime, European investigators have confiscated billions of euros – but that is only a tiny part of the criminal profits. According to a report by the European police agency Europol, an estimated average of 4.1 billion euros in assets were confiscated in the EU in 2020 and 2021. However, the amount of confiscated proceeds is still too low: less than two percent of the annual estimated proceeds from organized crime are confiscated, the authority in Brussels said. “Organized crime has a parallel global criminal economy around money laundering, illegal ones financial transfers and corruption,” said Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle. One challenge is that many criminal actors are outside the EU and they are quickly developing the techniques they use.
4.1 billion euros collected – economy
