(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) VIENNA, Nov 15 (KUNA) -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Saturday called for fighting organized crime effectively by means of targeting the financial systems it depends on.
"Transnational organized crime is a growing global threat that harms and exploits people, communities, economies and the planet," the UNODC said in a press release, marking the International Day against Transnational Organized Crime, which falls on November 15.
From the illicit drug trade and narco-deforestation to cybercrime, human trafficking and trafficking in firearms and critical minerals, transnational organized crime is everywhere and organized crime groups are generating billions of dollars in illicit proceeds each year, it said.
The staggering profits of organized crime come at an immense human cost. Between 2015 and 2021, an estimated 22 percent of all global intentional homicides, around 100,000 deaths each year, were linked to organized crime, it added.
The damage extends beyond the lives directly lost. Organized crime fuels conflict and undermines peace, security and the rule of law. Falsified medicines threaten public health, illegal logging and mining destroy natural resources, waste dumping pollutes rivers and scams rob people of their savings, while economic crime and money laundering compromise financial systems and erode trust in institutions, it noted.
The ability to generate, move, conceal and reinvest illicit profits allows organized criminal groups to sustain and expand their operations, with many diversifying into other types of crime, it warned.
Today, organized criminal groups use increasingly sophisticated digital tools, leveraging advanced cyber skills, emerging technologies, cryptocurrencies and shell companies to hide the origins and destinations of illicit funds, UNODC said.
Illicit funds can now move faster, further and more discreetly than ever before, crossing borders with the click of a button, often beyond the reach of traditional law enforcement tools and capabilities, it noted.
It stressed that the 2025 campaign, "Follow the money. Stop organized crime", highlights the cost of transnational organized crime and underscores the importance of tracing illicit financial flows to cut the lifeline of criminal networks.
In conclusion, it said, "By targeting the profits of organized crime, we can disrupt operations, strengthen justice and return stolen assets to communities." (end)
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