Deep Dive: Exploring Organized Crime

Inspired by the ethos of Silk Road and the lifespans of Agora and Dream Market, a new player emerged from the shadows of Tor in 2020: Archetyp. Built on promises of security, usability, and “ethical” standards, the marketplace steadily grew while rivals rose and fell. By 2025 it served ≈ 600 000 users, ≈ 3 000 vendors, and had moved ≈ €250 million in illicit transactions. We trace the founder—known as “Yoshi” (BigBossChefOfArchetyp)—and his obsessive focus on operational security. Archetyp required Monero‑only payments, leveraged PGP encryption, offered auto‑encryption of shipping data, ran an anti‑phishing sandbox (“jail”), and used rotating Tor mirrors to stay online. Beyond the tech, the market stood out for its sleek UI, step‑by‑step guides, powerful search filters, and even built‑in games—making it the “beauty queen” of darknet markets. Relentless DDoS attacks smothered Archetyp’s fifth‑birthday celebration. Shortly afterward, Yoshi vanished from the forums and an ominous “maintenance” screen replaced the home page—blank and static. A few days later a graphic‑novel‑style video surfaced online, announcing that the market had been seized. Operation Deep Sentinel—a coordinated sweep led by Germany’s BKA and backed by Europol, Eurojust, Dutch, Spanish, Romanian, Swedish, and U.S. agencies—hit in June 2025. Within days the Dutch data centre was seized, a 30‑year‑old German administrator was arrested in Barcelona, and €7.8 million in cash, crypto and hardware vanished into police evidence lockers. As the front page flickered to a seizure banner, frantic posts flooded the Dread forum. The darknet community, hardened by previous busts, scattered—but the question remains: Can law enforcement ever stay ahead of the ever‑evolving dark‑web trade? Speakers: Sarah Fares, Analyst at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Louise Ferret, Lead Threat Intelligence Analyst at Searchlight Cyber. Article: An Archetypal drug market: Despite the dismantling of dark web drug market Archetyp, illicit marketplaces reassemble faster than they fall Additional Links: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime Searchlight Cyber Research...

Part 3 - "Wake Up! The Bandits Are Coming!" At the end of March this year, officers from the Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) responded to a request for assistance when an armoured Haitian National Police vehicle became stuck in a ditch near Pont-Sondé in Artibonite. The ditch was believed to have been dug by a local gang. As the MSS officers arrived to help, they were ambushed by armed men, allegedly from the Gran Grif gang. During the firefight, three armoured vehicles were set on fire, and one MSS officer went missing, presumed killed. This incident marked the second casualty for the Kenyans in about a month. The MSS was deployed to Haiti to help stabilize the security situation and combat the growing power of gangs. Unfortunately, since their arrival, the MSS has faced the same challenges as the Haitian National Police: a lack of manpower, inadequate equipment, and insufficient funding. The gangs continue to maintain the upper hand. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate. In the final part of this series on Haiti, we will explore the challenges facing the Haitian National Police, the fall of beleaguered Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the rising confidence of the Viv Ansanm gang, the arrival and difficulties encountered by MSS officers, and the escalating humanitarian disaster in the country. Speakers Jacqueline Charles, Haiti/Caribbean Correspondent, Miami Herald. Widlore Merancourt, Editor-in-chief for Ayibopost & reporter for the Washington Post on its Haiti coverage William (Bill) G. O'Neill, UN Independent Expert on the Human Rights Situation in Haiti Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, Senior Expert, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Sophie Rutenbar, Visiting scholar at the New York University Center on International Cooperation GITOC Links The GI-TOC Observatory of Violence and Resilience in Haiti Haiti, caught between political paralysis and escalating violence - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/haiti-caught-between-political-paralysis-and-escalating-violence/ Kenya’s High Court blocks proposal to send police support to Haiti - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/kenyas-high-court-blocks-proposal-police-support-haiti/ Will the Artibonite massacre be a turning point in Haiti - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/artibonite-massacre-haiti/ Gangs of Haiti: Expansion, power and an escalating crisis - https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GITOC-Gangs-of-Haiti.pdf Violence in Haiti: A continuation of politics by other means? - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/violence-in-haiti-politics-crime-gangs/ Additional...

Part 2 - 'Fighting Back' In 2022, a video emerged of an alleged senior gang member, Zo Pwason, who had been caught by an armed group of Haitian citizens, led by Commissioner Jean-Ernest Muscadin. Zo Pwason was allegedly a senior member of the 5 Segond gang. He was executed by the armed group. Muscadin declared that “As long as I am government commissioner, the city of Miragoâne will remain a cemetery for bandits”. In this episode we look at those citizens that have fought back against the growing power of the gangs, and the emergence of the 'Bwa Kale' movement in 2023. These self-defence or vigilante groups protect their neighbourhoods from the gangs, and target suspected gang members. We'll discuss how the gangs control areas through violence, limiting movement and the frequent targeting women and girls. But we'll also follow on from the last episode and explore the connections to other illicit markets like drugs and people smuggling, as well as the proliferation of firearms flowing into the country, the vast majority of which come from the US. And finally, we'll discuss the previous scandal-ridden UN missions to the country. Speakers Jacqueline Charles, Haiti/Caribbean Correspondent, Miami Herald. Widlore Merancourt, Editor-in-chief for Ayibopost & reporter for the Washington Post on its Haiti coverage William (Bill) G. O'Neill, UN Independent Expert on the Human Rights Situation in Haiti Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, Senior Expert, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Sophie Rutenbar, Visiting scholar at the New York University Center on International Cooperation GITOC Links The GI-TOC Observatory of Violence and Resilience in Haiti Will the Artibonite massacre be a turning point in Haiti - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/artibonite-massacre-haiti/ Gangs of Haiti: Expansion, power and an escalating crisis - https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GITOC-Gangs-of-Haiti.pdf Violence in Haiti: A continuation of politics by other means? - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/violence-in-haiti-politics-crime-gangs/ Additional...

Part 1 - "The Death of a President" In July 2021, the President of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated as he slept at home by a band of mercenaries. His murder sparked a wave of violent protests and a period of unprecedented crisis in the small Caribbean nation that the country has still yet to address nearly four years later. For a long time, violent gangs were used by politicians to win elections, harass political opponents and stamp out opposition. But the political vacuum and ensuing chaos after the death of the President has seen their power grow immensely. They have committed horrendous atrocities against the population that control and each other. Massacres, extortion, mass rape, looting, and blockades have brought about a situation where gangs control an estimated 90% of the capital Port-au-Prince. It has created a humanitarian situation of catastrophic proportions, as over one-million Haitians have been internally displaced as a result of the violence. In Part 1 of Living Together: The Gangs of Haiti, we chart the fallout from the President's murder, the brutal expansion of the gangs power and influence, as well as the relationship between political and economic actors with those same gangs. Speakers Jacqueline Charles, Haiti/Caribbean Correspondent, Miami Herald. Widlore Merancourt, Editor-in-chief for Ayibopost & reporter for the Washington Post on its Haiti coverage William (Bill) G. O'Neill, UN Independent Expert on the Human Rights Situation in Haiti Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, Senior Expert, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime GITOC Links The GI-TOC Observatory of Violence and Resilience in Haiti Will the Artibonite massacre be a turning point in Haiti - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/artibonite-massacre-haiti/ Gangs of Haiti: Expansion, power and an escalating crisis - https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GITOC-Gangs-of-Haiti.pdf Violence in Haiti: A continuation of politics by other means? - https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/violence-in-haiti-politics-crime-gangs/ Additional...

If you were to walk around a Russian city, you might not realise it but hundreds of small packages of drugs, could be just below the surface, buried in the ground, or maybe attached to the back of a nearby drainpipe with magnets, or hidden inside a hole in a wall. These little "treasures" have been ordered online from a vendor operating on a darknet platform and then hidden by couriers known as 'Kladmen' all over the place waiting to be collected - this is the "dead drop" method. The darknet markets servicing Russia have revolutionized the illicit drug markets in the country, which has seen an explosion in the consumption of synthetic drugs like methadone, mephedrone or Alpha-PVP. The vendors run a network of chemists, wholesalers, and Kladmen. Sportsman, hired thugs, roam around looking for Seagulls (people who steal dead drops) and punishing Kladmen on behalf of vendors, before uploading the punishments to social media as a warning to others. For many years, Hydra, the largest DNM the world has ever known, defeated all competition and reigned supreme, handling over $5 billion dollars of cryptocurrency during its lifespan. But in 2022, it was taken down and like the mythical beast it was named after, new heads sprouted in its place - OMG!OMG!, Mega, Kraken, Blacksprut - all vying for position, competing for market share and creating the most audacious public marketing stunts and highly produced online videos. The DNMs, with connections to the precursor markets of China and India, operate on TOR, have pushed synthetic drugs into all corners of Russia, democratizing the production process, with how-to guides and readily available lab equipment, and even created an apprenticeship scheme for prospective Kladmen, with a guaranteed job at the end. The whole process is highly anonymised from production to transportation, and from purchase to delivery through the dead drop method. We have seen darknet markets affecting the drug appetites of an entire nation and beyond. Speaker(s): Max Daly, Journalist who specialises in drugs and organized crime. He is an Orwell Prize winner, co-authored of the book Narcomania and the co-author of the GITOC paper 'Breaking Klad: Russia’s Dead Drop Drug Revolution'. Patrick Shortis, Senior Blockchain Intelligence Analyst working on the illicit drugs program at TRM Labs and co-author of the GI’s paper ‘Breaking Klad: Russia’s Dead Drop Drug Revolution’. Links: Breaking Klad: Russia’s Dead Drop Drug Revolution Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (Podcast) “Death Can Wait”: Drugs on the Frontline in Ukraine Additional...

Buenaventura – “The Pact for Life” Buenaventura has long been an important node in international illicit markets, particularly cocaine trafficking due to its port. Gangs, paramilitaries and organized criminal networks have all looked to gain a foothold here. The resulting violence has meant the city has seen many murders, and even more disappearances, with terrifying tales emanating from the so-called 'Casa de pique’ (Chop Shops). In September 2022, two gangs in Buenaventura, on the Pacific coast of Colombia, signed a truce to end the bloodshed that had gripped the city for two years - called 'The Pact for Life', which was mediated by the Bishop of Buenaventura. Los Shottas and Los Espartanos (the Spartans) had been locked in a vicious battle ever since they had both broken away from the La Local gang, carving up the city between them. The administration of President Gustavo Petro, saw the truce as an opportunity to negotiate with these two gangs under the Total Peace policy, which looks to reduce violence in communities across Colombia. There has been a reduction in homicides, but this stat hides the fact that other crimes have increased - extortion, disappearances, control of movement, and the "justice" (fines, beatings or murder) meted out on the population by the gangs. Speaker(s): Mariana Botero Restrepo, former GITOC Analyst and Researcher in the Observatory of the Andean Region. Felipe Botero Escobar, Head of Andean Regional Office, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Juanita Durán-Vélez, Lawyer, Crime and Justice Lab, Colombia. Links: Andean Regional Office, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Podcast & Article - Clan del Golfo: The fall of 'Otoniel': How Colombia's biggest drug lord was taken down. The base research (Negotiating with Criminal Groups: Colombia´s Total Peace Policy) for this episode was initially developed and supported by Serious Organized Crime and Anticorruption Evidence research program. Additional...

Colombia is a country that has been racked by conflict for around 60 years - multiple armed groups and organized crime have waged war against each other and the state. In 2016, after nearly seven years of negotiations, the FARC demobilized, creating a power vacuum that other groups, such as the National Liberation Army (ELN), Clan del Golfo, and FARC dissidents, quickly filled. Despite the FARC's exit, violence persisted, with cocaine production and illegal mining continuing unabated, leaving many communities under the control of criminal organizations. In 2022, the President of Colombia Gustavo Petro brought forward new legislation, known as 'Total Peace'. This ambitious and wide ranging policy looks to negotiate with all criminal groups, whether they are politically minded, like the FARC were or organized crime. Why? To help reduce violence, in particularly homicides, but also to try a new approach to end these long-running conflicts. One of the key players in these negotiations was the ELN, the oldest guerrilla group in the world. The Petro administration expressed optimism, claiming a peace agreement could be reached within three months of taking office. However, over two years later, those talks have stalled and ultimately collapsed, raising questions about the future of peace efforts in Colombia. Speaker(s): Juanita Durán-Vélez, Lawyer, Crime and Justice Lab, Colombia. Kyle Johnson, Researcher & Academic Director of the Conflict Responses Foundation, Bogotá, Colombia Felipe Botero Escobar, Head of Andean Regional Office, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Links: Andean Regional Office, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Podcast & Article - Clan del Golfo: The fall of 'Otoniel': How Colombia's biggest drug lord was taken down. The base research (Negotiating with Criminal Groups: Colombia´s Total Peace Policy) for this episode was initially developed and supported by Serious Organized Crime and Anticorruption Evidence research program. Additional...

The History of the American Mafia: How the Mob Built Its Empire in the US, with Former Gambino Crime Family Associate, Louis Ferrante. In this episode, Mark sits down with former Mob associate Louis Ferrante to discuss his book, Borgata: The Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia. The history of the American Mafia, known as La Cosa Nostra or simply "The Mob," is well known. Prohibition in the United States during the Roaring Twenties saw the rise of characters who have since been mythologized in Hollywood: Charles "Lucky" Luciano and his close confidant Meyer Lansky, Al "Scarface" Capone, Arnold "The Brain" Rothstein, Dutch Schultz, Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria, and Salvatore Maranzano. What makes Borgata different is that it was written by someone who lived "The Life," providing a unique perspective. Lou discusses the formation of The Commission, an underworld ruling council that controlled the Five Families of New York (now known as the Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Bonanno, and Colombo), The Outfit in Chicago, and the Philadelphia Mafia. Lou talks about the rules, the use of violence, and how the US government looked to tackle the growing power of organized crime, spearheaded by the likes of prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey. We also hear about Lou's own life in La Cosa Nostra and how he and his crew committed some of the most successful heists in US history, which ultimately landed him in prison. In prison, he began to read everything he could get his hands on, including history, philosophy, and the great classics of literature. He never turned on his former associates, but when he left prison, he also left "The Life." Now he speaks about his experiences with the Mob and has become a successful author (Unlocked: A Journey from Prison to Proust), including his new a huge three-part history of the American Mafia. In this episode, Mark and Lou discuss the first book, Borgata: The Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia. ==================================================== Louis Ferrante's book 'Borgata: The Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia' is available here: https://a.co/d/cDcxOQ2 Audible version: https://a.co/d/2VHu3Ht ==================================================== 📱 Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@UCP-lqJdhM-9iDKkswuVcXZA 🌎 VISIT US! Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime - https://globalinitiative.net/ 🎧Audio version: https://link.chtbl.com/7c27X1CM 🎧WHY NOT TRY OUR OTHER PODCASTS: 🎧Deep Dive: Exploring Organized Crime - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSX1Xu1kM0spSX0QUq7j0NmIZOqyDTZQ 🎧The Index - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSX1Xu1kM0uc_4CftGl8PrwHA3IK5WeI =================================================== FOLLOW US X - @gitoc LinkedIn - @Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime IG - @gi_toc ===================================================

Welcome to Underworlds with Mark Shaw. Organized Crime is everywhere, hidden in plain sight. The stories from this world have been mythologised by Hollywood. But the reality can be even stranger and more exciting than fiction. From the golden age of the American mafia (La Cosa Nostra), to the modern-day cocaine empires, and from the shadowy links between organized crime and terrorism, to the twilight of the Yakuza. In this series Mark Shaw, the Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime delves into non-fiction books about organized crime and the illicit economy with the authors themselves. He asks questions about their background and investigations, but also the challenges associated in writing about this murky world.

In May 2024, a prison van was attacked at a highway toll in Normandy, France. In dramatic footage shared on social media, a black SUV, driving the wrong direction, rammed into the prison van just as it went through the barriers. Then gunmen, dressed head-to-toe in black and armed with Kalashnikov rifles got out and started shooting at the van, killing two prison officers. They opened the van and freed the prisoner, a man named Mohamed Amra, aka "The Fly", who escaped with the gunmen. There is now an Interpol Red Notice out for Amra. The attack took place in broad daylight and sheds light on the dramatic increase in gang violence over the last few years in France. Mohamed Amra had connections to the city that has been at the forefront of this violence, Marseille, on the Mediterranean coast. Speaker(s): Iris Oustinoff Leroux, YPN Coordinator and Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Links: (GI article) France in the crossfire: Prisoner escapes in Normandy amid rise in organized crime (GI Paper) Smoke on the horizon: Trends in arms trafficking from the conflict in Ukraine (GI Article) The Western Balkans is still the criminals’ choice for weapons. Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime Global Organized Crime Index Senate Report FAIT au nom de la commission d’enquête (1) sur l’impact du narcotrafic en France et les mesures à prendre pour y remédier, Additional...

On the 1st May 2024, 711 migrants successfully crossed the Channel between France and the UK in small boats. This year is so far on track to see the highest number of crossings on record. This highly industrialised illicit industry estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of Euros, has seen the coast of northern France demarcated between competing gangs from a specific region of the Middle East, and who have a long history of smuggling. They control the entire length of the route, from beginning to end - targeting prospective migrants through social media, offering package deals, and advice on how to speak to authorities on arrival. Some migrants even use their own knowledge of the trip to become smugglers themselves. In this episode we take a look at the criminal groups behind the small boat crossings; how organised the logistics are; how much money they make and where it goes; and finally what this could mean for the future of other illicit economies in Western Europe. Speaker(s): Tuesday Reitano, Deputy Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, author of the book Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Saviour. Author of the report Small Boats, Big Business: The Industrialization of Cross-Channel Migrant Smuggling. Julien Goudichaud, documentary filmmaker who has been reporting on people smugglers who operate in Calais. Afshin Ismaeli, a journalist and war photographer from Norway. Links: (GI Paper) Small Boats, Big Business: The Industrialization of Cross-Channel Migrant Smuggling - available in English & French (Book) Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Saviour (GI Paper) The Human Conveyor Belt: Trends in human trafficking and smuggling in post-revolution Libya (GI Analysis) An increasing number of Albanians are crossing the English Channel from France using small boats (GI Analysis) Western Balkan criminal groups are important players in the Netherlands Additional...

LockBit, the world's largest ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) provider suffered a very public takedown by an international law enforcement task force, Operation Cronos. The ransomware behemoth quickly relaunched just days later. But in a world where trust is key, might the reputational damage be too great? This is the story of the rise of LockBit, its relationship with other infamous cybercriminal groups, its uneasy relationship with some affiliates, its curious leader LockBitsupp, the public takedown and the relaunch, and what this means for the future of ransomware-as-a-service. Speaker(s): Koryak Uzan, Co-founder & Managing Director of PRODAFT Links: GITOC - The Rise and Fall of the Conti ransomware group PRODAFT - LockBit: Behind the Lines of the Notorious RaaS PRODAFT - The Demise of LOCKBIT: Disrupting the Most Prominent Ransomware Gang by Utilizing Upstream Threat...

Russian organized crime has a mythology attached to it - the brutal tattooed men of the Vory v Zakone. But those days are long in the past, rapid globalisation saw a new type of organized criminal take the reins in the Russian underworld, spreading their influence as criminal facilitators across the world. But the war in Ukraine has changed that. It's changed the relationship between organized crime and the Russian state, the status quo within the established criminal order, the potential vacuum left by those criminals who fight and die in the conflict, the establishment of Russian criminal groups outside of the country, the flows of illicit goods themselves have evolved, and then Ukraine, once so critical to those illicit flows, is currently lost. Such is the uncertainty surrounding organized crime that there have been rumblings about a possible return to a dark period in Russian history, known as the 'Wild 90s' - a period of anarchy that is etched into the Russian psyche. Speaker(s): Mark Galeotti, the Executive Director of Mayak Intelligence, honorary professor at University College London, member of the GI Network. Author of ‘The Vory: Russia’s Super Mafia' and the GI-TOC paper: Time of Troubles: The Russian underworld since the Ukraine invasion Links: (GI Paper) Rebellion as racket: Crime and the Donbas conflict 2014-2022 (GI Paper) Evolving drug trends in wartime Ukraine (GI Analysis) The devil’s not-so-new psychoactive substance: Alpha-PVP, a highly addictive synthetic drug, is experiencing growing demand in Ukraine. (GI Paper) Crossroads: Kazakhstan's changing illicit drug economy (GI Paper) Port in a storm: Organized crime in Odesa since the Russian invasion (Podcast) “Death Can Wait”: Drugs on the Frontline in Ukraine Research Links: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/10/23/russian-artist-fined-for-extremist-toy-doll-with-prison-tattoos-a82852 https://tass.ru/obschestvo/9218777 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/08/17/russia-outlaws-childrens-criminal-underground-movement-a71178

At the start of the year masked gunman burst into a television studio in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The cameras were live and the entire event was broadcast. The video shows gang members shouting at staff, pushing them to the ground, threatening them with guns and explosives. These pictures subsequently travelled around the world. But this event was just one in a series to hit Ecuador in a short space of time. Car bombs, kidnappings, murder, prison riots, prominent prisoner escapes, and another national state of emergency. Criminal violence has washed over the country as competing gangs like Los Choneros and Los Lobos battle in prisons and on the streets over control of the lucrative cocaine trafficking business. Foreign organized criminal actors like the Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels, the Albanian Mafia, FARC dissident groups from Colombia, and others, are all active in Ecuador, a country described as a "cocaine superhighway". In the space of just five or so years, Ecuador has gone from one of the safest countries in Latin America to a country with one of the highest murder rates. In this episode we are going to talk about how this happened. Speaker(s): Felipe Botero Escobar, the Head of Andean Programmes at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime GI-TOC: (Paper) Organized crime declares war: The road to chaos in Ecuador (Blog) Fernando Villavicencio - Assassination Witness Project The Global Organized Crime Index - Ecuador Country Profile (Paper) Transnational Tentacles: Global Hotspots of Balkan Organized Crime (Podcast episode) The Index - Ecuador (Paper) The cocaine pipeline to Europe Additional...

'The King is dead, long live the King!' In September 2023, Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán, stood in a courtroom as a series of charges were laid out, including his alleged role as a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. There is a long list of cartel and organized crime leaders over the past few decades who have been targeted through what become known as the 'Kingpin Strategy'. The strategy aims to weaken, destabilise, and destroy criminal groups through a variety of methods, but is not without critics. In this episode of Deep Dive: Monitoring, we look at the arrest of Ovidio, the history and impact of the Kingpin Strategy, how organized crime responds to a prominent criminal leader being removed, the so-called "Narco-Culture" that surrounds criminal actors, and the impact it has on the communities bearing the greatest impact of these criminal groups. Speaker: Siria Gastelum Felix, the Director of Resilience, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime - Link GITOC: OC Index - Mexico OC Index - Colombia Clan del Golfo: The fall of 'Otoniel' - How Colombia's biggest drug lord was taken down. Mexico’s war with itself? ¿La guerra de México consigo mismo? Additional Reading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmlj7cFHlsA https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/criminal-prosecution-drug-traffickers-under-continuing-criminal https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66853111 https://insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/oficina-de-envigado-profile/ https://insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/auc-profile/ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-66784678 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/20/colombias-coca-crops-grew-to-historic-levels-last-year-un https://museum.dea.gov/video-archive/kingpin-strategy-did-it-work https://justiceinmexico.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/OCVM-21.pdf https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5?locations=CO&most_recent_value_desc=true

“If you can do it without consequences, then you should do it”. What are illicit Financial Flows, or IFFs? And why do they matter? Every illicit market, from drug trafficking, people smuggling, the illegal wildlife trade, arms trafficking etc. all are connected to IFFs. IFFs are about the movement of money across borders that is illegal in some way. The money could be from a criminal act, like corruption or its money associated with the illicit markets above. Perhaps, it could be legitimately earned money that is transferred in a way that evades taxation, like being paid in cash and not declaring it or money is funnelled into complex corporate schemes and secrecy jurisdictions. Or perhaps its ultimate use is something like terrorist financing or funding organised criminal activity. Dirty money is a global problem, according to the IMF, it makes up between 2-5% (up to $5.25 trillion dollars) of global GDP. Given the scale of the problem, in this episode we will focus in on the Western Balkans in South-Eastern Europe through three IFFs - money laundering investigations in Kosovo, corruption and the role of the private sector in Albania, and tax evasion in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Speaker(s): Dardan Kocani, Field Coordinator for Kosovo for the South Eastern Europe Observatory at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Sokol Toska, Legal Auditor in Albania and expert in money laundering and illicit financial flows. Anesa Agovich, Field Coordinator for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime Links: Illicit financial flows in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia: Key drivers and current trends Illicit Financial Flows in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia: Key drivers and current trends Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime Global Organized Crime Index Research Links: https://www.europol.europa.eu/cms/sites/default/files/documents/europol-review-2016.pdf https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-105-trillion-world-economy-in-one-chart/ https://www.ibe.org.uk/resource/tax-avoidance-as-an-ethical-issue-for-business.html https://www.transparency.org/en/corruptionary/tax-evasion https://albaniandailynews.com/news/wanted-for-incinerators-affair-stela-gugallja-detained-in-austria...

In September 2023, there were four large cocaine seizures in and around the Atlantic Ocean - off the coast of Ireland, West Africa, Brazil, and Cape Verde. The flows of cocaine that traverse the Atlantic travel mainly by sea, from the huge bulk carriers to small fishing vessels or sailing boats. Much of this illicit drug ends in the cocaine markets of Europe. In this episode of Deep Dive: Monitoring, we briefly take a look at the seizures, what they mean for cocaine markets and the organized criminal networks involved. And do drug seizures make a dent in this multi-billion dollar industry? Speaker: Jason Eligh, Senior Expert, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and Thematic Lead of the GI-TOC's Global Drug Program - Link Papers: The cocaine pipeline to Europe Atlantic connections: The PCC and the Brazil-West Africa cocaine trade West Africa's Cocaine Corridor: Building a subregional response Cocaine politics in West Africa: Guinea-Bissau's protection networks A powder storm: The cocaine markets of East and southern Africa Additional Reading: https://www.donegaldaily.com/2023/10/03/gardai-believe-e157m-drugs-gang-tried-to-buy-boat-in-killybegs/ https://www.sundayworld.com/crime/cocaine-bust-trawler-remains-wedged-on-sandbank-off-wexford-coast/a295844397.html https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41235682.html https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:5058595/mmsi:250004351/imo:0/vessel:CASTLEMORE https://afloat.ie/safety/marine-warning/item/26428-marine-notice-aim-requirements-for-seagoing-passenger-ships https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2023/09/28/us-sanctions-colombian-cartel-leader-linked-to-157m-irish-cocaine-haul/ https://www.policia.es/_es/comunicacion_prensa_detalle.php?ID=15905

Scam call centres are a blight on the lives of anyone unfortunate enough to have any dealings with them. They come to you with promises of a short cut to wealth, to fix a non-existent issue with your computer, claiming to be from a charity, threatening you with arrest for unpaid taxes. There are 70 million of these phone calls worldwide every day and they generate billions of dollars each year. Organized crime is very much a part of this industry from Mexico to India and from the Philippines to Ukraine. In this episode we delve into the hundreds, possibly thousands of scam call centres based in Ukraine, where investment scams are mainly targeting Russians. Links: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime PORT IN A STORM: Organized crime in Odesa since the Russian invasion New front lines: Organized criminal economies in Ukraine in 2022 Global Organized Crime Index Additional Reading:...

For over half a century armed groups in Colombia have battled one another and the state across the country. The FARC, ELN, AUC, AGC, and the infamous drug cartels, have committed untold atrocities on everyday Colombians. These groups use violence to control the local population and to assert territorial control over illicit drug production and trafficking routes. This episode is about the people who live in those areas, those that have suffered at the hands of armed groups and organized crime, and those who put themselves at risk to fight for a better future for their communities. Speaker(s): Felipe Botero Escobar, Head of Colombia Programmes, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Joshua Mitrotti - Director of Somos Comunidad (Resilience Community). Somos Comunidad is backed by USAID, and implemented by FUPAD Colombia and the PADF, who work alongside GI-TOC. Through a series initiatives in rural communities affected by violence, Somos Comunidad is trying to enhance community resilience and contribute to human security. Community Leaders – Yolima, Yenis, Nancy, Luz, Luis Initiative Beneficiaries – Jamileth, Dana, Dayanis, Nicole, Sofia Links: Somos Comunidad Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime PADF Research Links: https://www.eluniversal.com.co/sucesos/masacre-en-el-carmen-de-bolivar-mi-hijo-era-un-nino-venia-de-la-tienda-NF3447834 https://aldianews.com/en/culture/destinations/worlds-first-soda-pop https://www.semana.com/nacion/cartagena/articulo/golpe-a-la-delincuencia-caen-13-presuntos-integrantes-de-la-subestructura-heroes-del-caribe/202204/ https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/former-leader-violent-clan-del-golfo-drug-trafficking-organization-pleads-guilty https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5?locations=CO https://colombiareports.com/assassinations-driving-increase-in-colombias-homicides-report/

For around two years the Conti ransomware group rampaged across the internet. They attacked hospitals, educational institutions, businesses, governments, and many more, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransomware payments. Business was booming for the cybercriminals. At least it was until the Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Conti leadership quickly pledged their loyalty to Russia and then everything began to fall apart. This is the story of one of the most professional, prolific, and devastating organized cybercriminal groups in history. Speaker(s): Selena Larson – Senior Threat Intelligence Analyst and DISCARDED Podcast Co-host at Proofpoint - Twitter Berk Albayrak, Threat Intelligence Analyst within the PRODAFT Threat Intelligence team and expert on Wizard Spider - Twitter Conor Gallagher – Crime and Security Correspondent of the Irish Times - Twitter Allan Liska, Threat Intelligence Analyst at Recorded Future and author of Ransomware: Understand. Precent. Recover. - Twitter Juan Ignacio Nicolossi, the team leader for the Threat Intelligence Team at PRODAFT. Zoë Brammer, Cyber & Information Operations Associate at the Institute for Security and Technology - Ransomware Ecosystem Map Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor for ESET. Artwork by Paulina Rosol-Barrass Additional Reading: Reports/Papers: PRODAFT - Conti Ransomware Group In-Depth Analysis PRODAFT - Wizard Spider In-Depth Analysis Google - Fog of War: How the Ukraine Conflict Transformed the Cyber Threat Landscape DISCARDED Podcast (Proofpoint) -