Decoding the EU's Most Threatening Criminal Networks

Description

I am pleased to present Europol’s fi rst report on the most threatening criminal networks active in the EU. This report distils a wealth of information on 821 criminal networks active in the EU, gathered by Europol in the context of our regular support to criminal investigations. It is also based on a targeted data collection effort, which has granted us an unprecedented intelligence picture. Its fi ndings represent the most detailed contemporary study on the most threatening criminal networks ever undertaken by the European law enforcement community. All EU Member States and several Europol partner countries provided intelligence on what they consider to be the most threatening criminal networks active in the EU. The data they provided followed a dedicated methodology and a common set of indicators agreed with Europol. This enabled Europol to single out the 821 most threatening criminal networks operating in the EU. Their 25 000 members commit crimes for prof i t and are capable of operating in multiple countries simultaneously, impacting the lives of millions of EU citizens. Each of the 821 identif i ed criminal networks is unique. They vary in composition, structure, criminal activity, territorial control, longevity, types of cooperation and a range of other dimensions. This report decodes the ABCD of the most threatening criminal networks and assesses what makes these networks most threatening – they are Agile, Borderless, Controlling and Destructive. This analysis of over 800 criminal networks lays the foundations for tackling and disrupting their operations. Investigating and bringing them to justice is a goal that can only be achieved through a culture of police cooperation across Europe and beyond. With this fi rst analysis, Europol and our partners make the invisible visible and decode the inner workings of criminal networks.