Drugs and criminal organizations
Drugs
Drug abuse and the problems associated with it continue to grow in most parts of the world. The global abuse of drugs and the drug trafficking situation is becoming more complex, in part due to political and economic changes around the world which have led to increasingly open borders between many countries.
These include:
- the emergence of a more affluent class of drug abuser with higher disposable income to spend on so-called ‘recreational’ drugs;
- a rise in demand and availability for almost all types of controlled substances;
- cultural changes brought about by globalisation and rapid communications.
The drug trade involves growers, producers, couriers, suppliers, dealers and users and affects people in almost all of INTERPOL’s 186 member countries.
Drug trafficking is frequently linked to other serious crimes such as people smuggling, organized prostitution and travel-document counterfeiting. It is often cited as a means to finance the more violent and destructive activities of criminal and terrorist organizations, because of the major cash benefits derived from relatively minimal time and investment.
INTERPOL’s primary drug-control role is to identify new drug trafficking trends and criminal organizations operating at the international level and to assist all national and international law enforcement bodies concerned with countering the illicit production, trafficking and abuse of cannabis, cocaine, heroin and synthetic drugs by:
- collecting and analysing data obtained from member countries for strategic and tactical intelligence reports and disseminating these reports to the concerned countries;
- responding to and supporting international drug investigations;
- helping to co-ordinate drug investigations involving at least two member countries;
- organizing operational working meetings between two or more member countries where INTERPOL has identified common links in cases being investigated in these countries;
- organizing regional or global conferences on specific drug topics, the aims of which are to assess the extent of the particular drug problem, exchange information on the latest investigative techniques and strengthen co-operation within law enforcement communities.
Interpol maintains close liaison with national law enforcement agencies and with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) that have a counterdrug mandate. Information gathered and assessed by these NGOs is valuable in creating a more comprehensive assessment of drug trafficking and abuse issues.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime not only has information on drug trafficking and abuse studies, but reports on other criminal matters that have a global impact.
The World Customs Organization has information regarding the harmonization of customs controls and practices, and provides information on smuggling. Back issues of their magazine can be accessed through the website in PDF format.
Criminal organizations
Definitions of what constitutes organized crime vary widely from country to country. Organized groups are typically involved in many different types of criminal activity spanning several countries. These activities may include trafficking in humans, weapons and drugs, armed robbery, counterfeiting and money laundering.
INTERPOL currently has projects targeting organized crime in two areas of high activity: Eurasia (Project Millennium) and Asia (Project AOC – Asian Organized Crime).
