Transnational Organized Crime (TOC)

A Growing Threat . . . Transnational Organized Crime—a Threat to US and International Security—Manifests Itself in Various Regions in Different Ways . . . and a Strategy To Combat It:

Transnational organized crime has Our strategy has five key objectives:
United Kingdom Italy Balkans China
expanded dramatically in size, scope,

TOC in the UK generates
and influence. Transnational organized enormous economic revenue—
between $32 billion and
criminals are threatening US interests by: $64 billion per year—from
large-scale human smuggling,
Co-opting some governments and drug trafficking, financial fraud,
weakening governance in others. and mass marketing scams.
Forging alliances with government
The dumping of hazardous wastes and trash appears
to be one of the most significant sources of illicit income
for Italy’s Camorra criminal organization, topping its
narcotics, prostitution, and embezzlement activities.
‘Ndrangheta, considered to be Italy’s greatest organized
crime threat, is believed responsible for 80 percent of
Colombian cocaine imported into Western Europe.
TOC continues to use the region’s strategic
location to traffic weapons, drugs, people,
and contraband between Asia and Europe.
TOC and corruption of public officials and
institutions are impeding Balkan countries’
progress toward democracy and economic
self-sufficiency.
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Transnational criminal organizations are becoming
common players in all stages of intellectual property Protect Americans and our
rights crime—from manufacturing to distribution.
Other networks are engaged in cybercrime, illicit partners from the harm,
finance, drug trafficking, and the diversion of precursor violence, and exploitation
chemicals, including those from India, that are used to
process heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. of transnational criminal
networks.

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elements including security services Help partner countries
and big business figures. United States Canada Caucasus Russia, Eurasia, and Romania North Korea strengthen governance
Transnational criminal organizations commit numerous crimes Asia-based TOC groups smuggle The black market In some instances, links among organized crime, big North Korean
Undermining competition in in the United States targeting US businesses, consumers, precursor chemicals into Canada for nuclear business, and corrupt officials threaten economic entities maintain and transparency, break
and government programs. Specialized criminal networks to produce illicit synthetic drugs— material is growth and prospects for democratic governance. ties with crime the corruptive power of
strategic markets. feature prominently in the trafficking of drugs, movement of primarily ecstasy. A variety of TOC dominated by TOC-linked businesses have entered sensitive networks to earn
contraband items, counterfeiting of goods, and smuggling networks smuggle ecstasy and multiple networks markets such as energy, telecommunications, and hard currency. transnational criminal
Providing funding and logistical support of transnational
of humans into the United States. The US is a source of high-potency marijuana southbound precious metals. Some of the most sophisticated networks, and sever
for terrorist/insurgent activities. illicit weapons and cash for criminals in Latin America, the and cocaine northbound across the smugglers. transnational criminals conducting cybercrimes are
Caribbean, and, to a lesser degree, Canada. US-Canada border. based in Russia and Romania. state-crime alliances.

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Stealing intellectual property.
Break the economic power
Expanding narcotrafficking and
of transnational criminal
engaging in arms smuggling and
US/Mexican Border networks and protect
human trafficking.
In addition to strategic markets and the
drug trafficking,
Using cyber technologies to transnational
US financial system from
perpetrate sophisticated frauds. organized criminals TOC penetration and abuse.
are involved in

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Using facilitators who operate in the licit human, money, and
weapon smuggling. Defeat transnational criminal
and illicit worlds and provide services to
networks that pose the
criminals and terrorists alike.
greatest threat to national
security by targeting their
Nature of Transnational Organized Crime Mexico infrastructures, depriving
The Government of Mexico is
them of their enabling
1990s and Earlier Current Patterns waging an historic campaign
against transnational criminal means, and preventing
Centralized Loose, amorphous, organizations, which pose a
threat to Mexico’s national the criminal facilitation of
hierarchical structures highly adaptable
networks security. Many of the drug terrorist activities.
organizations are expanding

Limited use of
information technology
Illicit activities dominant
Clear separation of
drug trafficking and
other organized
criminal activities
Cash-based
local enterprises
National Security Implications
1990s and Earlier
Increasing role of
cyber capabilities in
illicit activities
Legitimate business
mixed with illicit activity
Non-drug-producing
groups now trafficking
Global investments
and use of financial
infrastructures
Current Patterns
into human trafficking and
smuggling, extortion, and
kidnapping for ransom.
Central America
Central America is a key
area of converging threats,
where criminal organizations
exploit the region as a haven
for illicit finance and engage
in drug, weapon, and human
trafficking. The spiraling wave
of transnational crime and
violence is threatening the
region’s prosperity and can
cost up to 8 percent of its GDP,
according to the World Bank.
Caribbean
Trafficking and smuggling
routes in the region have led
to increased levels of crime,
violence, and corruption. As
the Merida Initiative and the
Central America Regional
Security Initiative make
progress in Mexico and
Central America, traffickers
may increase their use of
smuggling routes in the
Caribbean.
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Build international
consensus, multilateral
cooperation, and public-
private partnerships
to defeat transnational
organized crime.
Boundary representation is
not necessarily authoritative.
Priority Actions
Gulf Region
A variety of TOC figures—including gray arms dealers,
narcotics traffickers, and terrorist financiers—work in or Start at Home: Taking Shared
through the region, including the United Arab Emirates,
Responsibility for Transnational
taking advantage of the strategic location as regional
trading, financial, and transportation hubs. Weak or
Organized Crime.
inadequate terrorist financing legislation is another
vulnerability in the region, particularly in Kuwait.  nhance Intelligence and
E
Information Sharing.

Domestic and Transnational and Protect the Financial System

regional scope global scope Bolivia Triborder Area: Brazil/ Venezuela Afghanistan and Colombia Sahel, West Africa, and East Africa Somalia and Strategic Markets Against
Bolivia’s cocaine trade is Argentina/Paraguay This country is a permissive The proceeds from poppy/coca farming Sahel-based smugglers purchase or steal needed Piracy attacks off Transnational Organized Crime.
Influenced some Co-opting, undermining expanding. Increasing numbers Numerous organized criminal environment for terrorist and and heroin/cocaine production continue weapons from black markets and sell them to al-Qa’ida Somalia/Gulf of
states’ behavior some states or of Colombian, Mexican, networks and terrorist drug organizations and a major to provide insurgent and extremist in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). AQIM also Aden skyrocketed
instruments of and Eastern European drug groups use the region for departure point for cocaine bound groups with stable sources of financing conducts kidnapping for ransom to generate funding in from 22 in 2006
 trengthen Interdiction,
S
state power traffickers have relocated to illicit activities, such as from South America for the United beyond the reach of governments. West and North Africa. Drug traffickers increasingly are to 217 in 2009, Investigations, and Prosecutions.
Bolivia and have established arms and drug trafficking, States, Europe, and western Afghanistan’s democratic future is exploiting West and East African countries as transit according to the
Isolated links Offering services relationships with Bolivian money laundering, product Africa. Corruption and a lack of threatened by terrorist groups that points because they can bribe inspectors, judges, and International  isrupt Drug Trafficking and Its
D
to terrorists to foreign terrorist drug organizations. Bolivia is piracy, and other criminal judicial independence hinder derive funding from the drug trade ministers. In many of these states, bribery has eroded Chamber of Facilitation of Other Transnational
organizations a source of cocaine that fuels activities, capitalizing on its effective prosecution. It is unclear and kidnapping. Ninety percent of even basic law enforcement capacity. Nascent or Commerce. Threats.
South America’s transatlantic strategic location, history of to what extent the Venezuelan the world’s heroin comes from opium undeveloped controls and insufficient legal frameworks
Targeting and Adaptability outpacing cocaine trade to West Africa contraband smuggling, and Government provides support to poppy cultivated in Afghanistan. contribute to the regions’ exploitation by terrorist
enforcement easier targeting and and Europe. corrupt officials. foreign terrorist organizations. financiers and money launderers.  uild International Capacity,
B
than today enforcement Cooperation, and Partnerships.
Estimated Annual Costs and Revenues Generated by TOC

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Globally Asia/Pacific
TOCs are eroding market The economic importance
This strategy is organized

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integrity, disrupting competition, Crimes Estimated Annual Dollar Value of the region heightens the
and putting the public health at threat that TOC poses to
Criminal networks are risk with fake pharmaceuticals, intellectual property rights.
around a single, unifying
Money Laundering $1.3 to $3.3 trillion
not only expanding their which account for 10 percent of (between 2 and 5 percent of world GDP) Human smuggling and money principle: to build, balance,
all pharmaceuticals. laundering are also rampant in
operations, but they are also Bribery Significant portion of $1 trillion parts of Asia. and integrate the tools of
diversifying their activities. Narcotics Trafficking $750 billion to $1 trillion American power to combat
The result is a convergence Counterfeited and Pirated Products $500 billion transnational organized crime
of threats that have evolved Environmental Crime $20 to $40 billion and related threats to our
(illegal wildlife trade, logging, trade in
to become more complex, CFCs, and toxic waste dumping) national security—and to urge

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volatile, and destabilizing. Human Trafficking (2.4 million victims) $21 billion our partners to do the same.
Credit Card Fraud $10 to 12 billion

Fire Arms $170 to $320 million