Europol analysis
More than 800 serious criminal gangs threaten security in the EU – that’s how unscrupulous their actions are
Europol warns about organized crime in Europe. A trial against 17 gang members recently took place in Amsterdam amid high security precautions.
© Robin Utrecht / ANP / DPA
Out of the shadows: A Europol report shows for the first time how organized crime is spreading in Europe. The criminal gangs operate in a highly professional manner – and sometimes extremely brutally.
Drug deals, weapons smuggling, fraud and human trafficking: The European police authority Europol sees internal security in the EU threatened by more than 800 serious criminal networks. In their analysis “Decoding the EU’s most threatening criminal networks” the investigators provide for the first time detailed insights into the structures and procedures of the gangs – and draw a disturbing conclusion: “This is serious and organized crime omnipresent and continues to pose a major threat to the internal security of the country European Union.”
Europol warns of organized crime in the EU
Around 25,000 members belong to the 821 networks analyzed – these gangs are just the tip of the iceberg. According to the authors, only the most threatening of their kind were examined. They are said to be flexible, controlling and destructive. “They do not operate in an isolated criminal underworld, but have a direct impact on the lives of EU citizens.”
Organized serious crime invests the profits from the banned businesses in real estate, shops or restaurants, among other things. According to Europol, the greatest threat lies in this infiltration of the legal business world. The money comes primarily from the illegal drug trade, the gangs’ most lucrative business area.
With the analysis, Europol wants to better combat organized crime. “Criminals thrive on secrecy, but we’re changing that,” said agency chief Catherine De Bolle. Despite all the secrecy, the police in the EU always manage to uncover criminal networks. Using several case studies, Europol shows how professionally the gangs work, but also how unscrupulous and sometimes violent the criminals are:
- According to Europol’s findings, the ‘Ndrangheta mafia group is one of the most powerful criminal networks in the EU. She makes her money primarily through drug and arms trafficking as well as fraud. The group works, among other things, with the Colombian “Golf Clan” to smuggle drugs from Latin America to Europe and Australia. Cocaine is also “paid for” with weapons.
- According to Europol, an Italian-Ecuadorian cooperation also specializes in drug trafficking – and in laundering the proceeds from illegal transactions. For this purpose, the gang runs, among other things, sports and shopping centers in Spain, as well as several bars and restaurants. Fruit companies in Central America, among others, served as a legal backdrop for the cocaine trade.
- Money laundering is the “specialty” of an international network of companies that offer this type of illegal service – an extremely complex undertaking, as the investigators write: “In order to launder the drug profits, the network offers trade-related money laundering. The drug producers provide the Italian buyers Drugs are available as loans. The profits made from selling the drugs in Europe are then picked up by brokers, brought into companies and used to order goods such as cell phones from China. These goods are then shipped to the United States and on to Colombia transported where they are offered on the market. When sold, the cartels receive the cash and thus their disguised payment for the drugs made available to the European sellers.”
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- According to Europol, several criminal networks from the Western Balkans region, which are also involved on a large scale in the import and trafficking of cocaine, are considered particularly brutal. “Some of these groups are also specialized in and/or heavily involved in excessive violence, professional kidnappings and executions, corruption, money laundering, arms and explosives trafficking and document forgery,” the European police agency’s analysis said.
- A gang of smugglers uses advertising videos on social media platforms to reach their “customers”. For 15,000 to 20,000 euros, it offers migrants illegal entry into the EU, mainly via the Balkans.
- Criminal networks are also active in virtual space, reports Europol. The “Lockbit ransomware group” has recently been targeted and weakened by law enforcement. The group is a “Ransomware-as-a-Service” network. A core team creates malware and sells licenses to criminal partners, who in turn carry out cyber attacks to extort money.
- According to Europol, a criminal Belgian-Albanian family clan is active in Antwerp, Belgium. It focuses on importing hashish from Spain and fetching cocaine shipments from the city’s port. Corrupt dock workers supported them.
Sources: Europolnews agencies DPA and AFP