JOHN COOPER
MUN
2025
Background Guide
Committee History
The framework in INTERPOL was created at the first
International Criminal Police Congress in Monaco in 1914, by
an assemblage of lawyers and police officials from 24 countries
who discussed the prospect of international unity against
organized crime, identification techniques and extradition.
The committee was formally established a few years later in
1923, the gap being due to the outbreak of the first World War.
The main aims of the then-called International Criminal Police
Commissions (ICPC) revolved around direct police contact,
cooperation on arrests, common languages, fingerprinting
techniques, and the creation of offices for counterfeit
currency, checks, and passports. In 1956, the ICPC became known as INTERPOL following the
adoption of a modernized constitution for the organization, which became autonomous by
receiving funding and dues from member countries and financial investments. The INTERPOL
committee is composed of a General Secretariat, coordinating daily activities and initiatives; the
National Central Bureaus (NCBs) are run by police officers and provide a point of contact between
the General Secretariat and other NCBs; and a General Assembly as the primary governing body
that brings all member nations together for annual meetings. INTERPOL offers investigative
support through forensics and criminal analysis, managing 19 police databases with up-to-date
information and records on criminals and criminal activity globally. INTERPOL officials are
experts in the four most pertinent fields of criminal activity: combating terrorism, organized
crime, cybercrime, and financial crime and anti corruption. All of the actions of INTERPOL are
politically neutral and remain within the bounds of the laws for every respective nation in terms
of both conducting investigation and physical action.
Topic Description
Transnational organized crime (TOC) is a global phenomenon. Spanning between nations, TOC
has evolved into a lucrative business that veers dangerously close to capitalist market structures. It
threatens many aspects of social life and economic stability while also affecting the global stage
through its influence on local governments. In the face of such an expansive issue that is, by
definition, difficult to pin down domestically, nations must band together to recognize, organize
against, and ultimately mitigate the dangers of international criminality.
International crime organizations in today’s world are very different from those in days past. A
more globalized, interconnected world has allowed for a major shift in TOC operation. The flow of
information and new digital technology allows for a more interconnected web of crime,
streamlining everything from communication to larceny. As a result, organizations have turned
away from their older, sensationalized ‘Big Boss’ allegiances towards looser networks that
function more like legitimate international corporations - although many of these groups seem to
have retained their blood loyalty or geographical and ethnic ties. Syndicates today have been
observed to modify their business models to maximize profit, aided by globalized trade, travel,
and the previously mentioned international flow of information.
Accompanying this shift in structure are the massive economic benefits reaped by criminal
organizations. As very succinctly stated by the UNODC:
Transnational organized crime is big business. In 2009 it was estimated to generate $870
billion - an amount equal to 1.5 per cent of global GDP. That is more than six times the
amount of official development assistance for that year, and the equivalent of close to 7
per cent of the world's exports of merchandise.
A more dramatic economic siphoning can be found in African countries: in that region, $90
billion (about 3.7% of the continent’s GDP) is lost to illegal activity annually. Other issues caused
by criminal organizations can be clearly illustrated in African nations, including some effects
exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In South Africa, many criminal groups claimed they
were willing to lay down arms, unify, and bring aid to citizens in need during the crisis. However,
this ceasefire and sudden goodwill appears to have been a front for concealed illicit trade. Drugs
were smuggled in food parcels, and gang members used aid to buy favors and reward loyal
individuals. These attempts to find new recruits, buy loyalty, and potentially expand territories of
influence, while applicable to this very specific localized instance, follow the typical organized
crime modus operandi. A deeper dive reveals that criminal groups have always given deceptive
welfare to their communities, providing food parcels and paying school fees but expecting
long-term reciprocation. In an interview with a Manenberg, South Africa resident conducted by
the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, these ulterior motives are
confirmed:
Today, they will give me a food parcel in front of my son but a few months later they will
remind him of the food parcel and tell him to deliver ‘goods’ for them. This is going to
come back to us.
Although this provides only one small snapshot of the massive web of TOC, it illustrates
international criminal organization’s tendencies to capitalize on poverty, a lack of social services,
and areas of high unemployment to maximize profit and establish relationships. These
characteristics of targeted areas indicate that developing nations are at high risk of becoming
homeground for criminal organizations. Even as they experience national growth, developing
countries often see class discrepancies widening. This change is generally followed by a spike in
unemployment and criminality, which in turn encourages the nation’s government to crack
down on criminal networks. In doing so, however, imprisonment rates rise - which feeds directly
back to the proliferation of illicit organizations, as prisons provide recruitment fodder for many
such groups. This vicious cycle is a disheartening one, and yet another indicator of the resilience
of TOC.
When discussing the span of international organized crime, it is critical we observe its main areas
of influence:
● Human trafficking
● Drugs/illicit goods
● Weapons trade
● Armed violence
● Counterfeiting and money laundering
Nations in the Pacific experience heightened illicit trade due to the prevalence of international
crime syndicates in that region. Methamphetamine trafficking, enabled by organized groups
functioning on a transnational level, provides clear evidence of this trend. Pacific states are also
especially vulnerable to human trafficking and labor exploitation due to their high percentage of
agriculture-based output. This region is therefore indicative of both the drug trade and human
trafficking aspects of TOC.
The weapons trade and tendency towards armed violence associated with TOC has, especially in
the last decade, caused an increasing amount of problems. International terrorist groups such as
the Taliban have become closely involved with illicit transactions to finance their operations.
They often use criminal organizations’ drug trade to fund both their weapons and their activities.
Non-state fatalities - deaths caused by actors not affiliated with any level of government - reached
a peak in 2017, according to data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. Since then, the total
fatalities caused by non-state actors (most of which are now organized crime groups) has hovered
at about four times the average amount of annual deaths by the same cause measured just 20 years
ago.
Despite its wide ranging and increasingly damaging implications, TOC is an under-researched,
under-prioritized topic. Criminal organizations cause harm to national economies, societies, and
governments, causing political shifts, introducing and fueling corruption, and siphoning money
from the global GDP. As of 2023, the Global Organized Crime Index listed the criminality of the
world at 5.03 - a 0.16 score increase since the last published index. Hotspots for organized crime
are widely spread across the globe, showing their overall international nature. Whether based
domestically or proliferating internationally, crime syndicates will inevitably affect the global
stage, causing great harm.
There has, however, been marginal improvement in tackling this elusive issue. Nations continue
to ratify anti-TOC policies such as the United Nations Convention against Transnational
Organized Crime (UNTOC), bringing the world ever closer to a unified set of preventative
measures.
Previous UN Efforts
There are several historical policies Interpol
has directed towards the regulation and
combat against organized crime while
targeting specific groups. Many of these
initiatives are specialized, pertaining to
work between INTERPOL and various
continents or organizations. By facilitating
annual group meetings and aiding in a large
pool of data collection tracing criminal
activity internationally, INTERPOL has
been the gateway to bring nations together to combat criminal organizations and mafia groups, as
well as related wide spread crimes such as cyber scams and human trafficking networks. The
missions are either based in directly derailing criminal activity or compiling data and “spying” on
crime syndicates to inform governmental leaders on how to approach their takedown.
I-CAN (Interpol cooperation against ‘Ndrangheta)
A collaborative project with INTERPOL and the European Union to disrupt the intricate global
syndicate of the ‘Ndrangheta mafia that operates in the Calabria region of Italy. This is a recently
acquired project that aims to infiltrate and withhold the mafia’s extensive economic monopolies
through coordination of a multilateral response. By enacting global law enforcement, the I-CAN
project has compiled thousands of documents and police data utilized to gather information.
Operation Storm Makers II
Collective law enforcement protocol marking a collaboration between INTERPOL and 27
different countries throughout Asia. This covert operation strives to expose schemes of financial
fraudulence, human trafficking and smuggling on a global scale, essentially targeting the indirect
power and authority of organized crime syndicates through these networks.
Project ENACT
A specialized mission aimed to analyze and collect data on organized crime throughout the
African continent. This project is more based in data analysis and the compilation of catalogues,
recordings, and digital data that traces the communication and activities of criminal
organizations. Through these efforts, INTERPOL aims to provide policy makers and government
officials in African nations with proactive strategies and intel to combat the leaders of these
organizations, improve investigations, and exchange viable information and statistics.
Operation HAECHI IV
A six month long INTERPOL-led project active from July to December of 2023 via collaboration
with the South Korean government to trace cybercrime, phishing, telephone scams, and digital
human trafficking. This in-depth operation led to the arrest of roughly 3,500 suspects and the
seizure of up to three hundred million USD from thirty four countries. This mission exposed
several businesses and networks of online gamblers
Case Studies
European nations, especially in the west, experience a wide range of organized criminal activity.
Organizations take advantage of different industries and expand their illicit trades, focusing
specifically on large port cities to do so.
Italy
In 1992, two Italian judges committed to fighting organized crime through the justice system
were assassinated. The murders of Paolo Borsellino and Giovanni Falcone spurred the Italian
government to crack down on crime syndicates in hopes of preventing similar tragedies in the
future. Since then, the nation has built a society dedicated to the elimination of such
organizations. Both federal policy and non-state actors have committed themselves to anti-mafia
protection, including providing legal assistance to victims of organized crime, supporting
businesses attacked by TOC, and redistributing confiscated mafia funds. The justice system has
also been fundamentally restructured to maximize its efficiency and ability to persecute
members of crime syndicates. Three main components can be credited for this resounding
success: first, a social rejection of organized crime in its entirety; second, a solid support system
for victims; and third, the use of confiscated organization assets for social good rather than
corruption and stagnation. Although Italy still sustains high levels of organized criminality, its
resistance to such crimes as measured by the Global Organized Crime Index is impressively high.
This nation’s accomplishments can and should be used as a model for other nations tackling
organized crime within their borders as well as international groups seeking to mitigate the
effects of TOC.
France
France has, in recent years, seen a spike in organized crime. Port cities such as Marseilles, long
acting as illicit trade gateways, are experiencing concerningly high levels of violent crime. The
members composing organized criminal groups have also gotten progressively younger - a
concerning trend that spells ill for the country’s youth. The drug trade in France is also spiraling
out of government control. Its cocaine market is one of the largest in Europe, and the nation has
consistently been ranked first in criminality among western European nations by the Global
Organized Crime Index. Between 2022 and 2023, the number of drug-related murders and
attempted murders rose by 38%, with the rate in Marseilles alone rising by 50%.
The cocaine market is especially fueled by transnational organizations acting between France and
its overseas departments, such as Guadeloupe, which often have direct routes between other major
trafficking hubs in different nations. Contact between mainland French and Guadeloupean
groups also often involves the trafficking of drug mules - another increasingly problematic
hallmark of TOC.
Increased crime in France can be attributed to factors such as new interest in crime groups among
the youth and unprecedented levels of access to firearms. Although the French government is
showing new interest in passing preventative measures, data collected on France in recent years
stands in stark contrast to that coming from Italy: a warning to international anti-TOC groups,
and an antithesis to what may bring success.
Sources & Further Reading:
➔ Catalyzing the Building Blocks of a Global Strategy
➔ International Day against Transnational Organized Crime - 15 November
➔ Organized crime
➔ France in the crossfire | Global Initiative
➔ « J’ai presque 60 ans de banditisme », relate Milou, ancien membre de la French Connection
devant les sénateurs - Public Sénat
➔ Murder of journalists in Mexico a threat to democracy | Global Initiative
➔ New sanctions target Haiti gangsters | Global Initiative
➔ What lies beneath: Germany’s hidden organized corruption threat | Global Initiative
➔ Organized Crime, Illicit Economies, Civil Violence & International Order: More Complex
Than You Think
➔ From Illegal Markets to Legitimate Businesses: The Portfolio of Organised Crime in Europe
➔ Number of deaths related to drug trafficking in Marseille, France 2016-2023
➔ Transnational organized crime: the globalized illegal economy
➔ Organized violence 1989–2023, and the prevalence of organized crime groups - Shawn
Davies, Garoun Engström, Therése Pettersson, Magnus Öberg, 2024
➔ Fulfilling the Promise of Palermo? A Political History of the UN Convention Against
Transnational Organized Crime | Journal of Illicit Economies and Development
➔ The Italian recipe: Civil society a key building block of resilience to organized crime | Global
Initiative
➔ Pourquoi il n'est pas si simple d'affirmer que les règlements de compte en France sont de
plus en plus violents ces dernières années
➔ Cape Gangs in Lockdown: Saints or sinners in the shadow of COVID-19? | Global Initiative
➔ More than 20 terrorist organizations operate in Afghanistan — Security Council’s chief -
World - TASS
➔ Transnational organized crime is undermining security and governance in the Pacific: United
Nations report
