Global Organized Crime

In the maelstrom of globalization and cyberspace, organized crime continues to defy definition. A diverse array of activities is perpetuated by criminal organizations, criminal groups and associations, and gangs, and it is clear that one specific label is no longer adequate. This book offers a uniquely global approach to organized crime and the multitude of forces that shape it in the 21st century.

The new edition has been revised and reorganized to include even more global and comparative coverage of various forms of organized crime, spanning the US, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Russia and Europe, Asia and Africa. Some of the topics included are:

• Global definitions of organized crime
• The evolution of maritime piracy
• Female participation in organized crime and the overlap of victim-offender binary
• Discussions on contemporary drug crisis: opium and the Taliban, fentanyl crisis and the role played by China and Mexico, Myanmar and the Golden Triangle, the impact of Covid on Latin American cannabis production
• Forms of environmental crime and the “ecomafia”
• Rise in cyber and technology driven crime across Asia and Africa, including discussions on Dark Net, deep web, TOR
• Reorganization of the Latin American criminal economies
• Updated coverage on terrorist groups
• Discussions on new international cooperation frameworks, the use of AI, case studies of Interpol and Europol cases in the 2020s, including Operation Lionfish Hurricane (2025) and Greenlight/Trojan Shield (2021)

This book is essential reading for students engaged in the study of global and transnational organized crime, with features including chapter overviews, key terms, critical thinking questions, and case studies.