Issue Expansion of transnational crime

Summary

Transnational crime covers offences that cross borders or affect several countries, and its expansion means crime becoming more sophisticated, embedded in daily life and combined with other domains. Typical forms include international drug and arms trafficking, human trafficking and migrant exploitation, financial crime and money laundering, cybercrime and data theft, and environmental crime. Diverging legal, ethical and institutional standards across countries make cooperation difficult, while AI, blockchain, the dark web and cryptocurrencies give offenders anonymity and reach. Some groups have grown into corporate-style cartels that effectively control territory, so domestic prosecution and conventional mutual legal assistance are no longer sufficient. The survey points to sanctions on states and firms that shelter cartels, joint action against underground finance and cutting criminals off from power, networks and data centres, while US-China tension weakens cooperation.