Study shows: Organised crime has an annual turnover of EUR 110 billion in the EU

The cash flow in organised crime in the European Union totals an estimated EUR 110 billion per year. The largest source of income is the illicit drug trade, and areas such as fraud and property crime are also lucrative. This is apparent from the findings of a study jointly undertaken by seven EU Member States in which the Police University College took part.

“Organised criminal groups, such as the Italian Mafia or motorcycle gangs as referred to in the study, also invest unlawful gains in wholly legal businesses. They spend money on luxury items but also on running restaurants or construction companies. An ordinary citizen using perfectly legal services may thus be unwittingly funding organised crime,” says Senior Researcher Jarmo Houtsonen from the Police University College.

Organised crime in Finland typically involves money laundering by motorcycle gangs, drug crime and financial crime.

Analysis and prevention

The aim is to extend the scope of study to all European countries. Another aim is to broaden the perspective by conducting risk analyses and identifying sectors that attract criminal activity. This will allow leveraging of research findings for preventive purposes.

Project OCP – Organised Crime Portfolio is a joint research project undertaken by Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, starting in 2012. The project was funded by the European Commission.

The research report in English is available online: http://www.ocportfolio.eu .

» Bulletin by the project coordinator, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, on the study pdf, 199,6 kB (in English)