Sanctions and organized crime, EAS-Obs

Stemming the tide: Arms trafficking dynamics in Central and South-Eastern Europe

Stemming the tide

...Across central Europe, firearm violence remains exceptionally low by both European and global standards, and organized crime has largely transitioned away from weapon-based operations toward activitie...

Posted on 17 Mar 2026

Author(s): Trpe Stojanovski, Aleksandar Srbinovski

Global Initiative

A world of deceit: Mapping the landscape of the global scam centre phenomenon

A world of deceit

...Scams and fraud have undergone a profound evolution in recent decades, becoming one of the most sophisticated, pervasive and lucrative forms of organized crime globally. According to the Global Ant...

Posted on 16 Mar 2026

Author(s): Kristina Amerhauser, Alex Goodwin

Gold Watch, Latinoamérica y el Caribe, AMA-Obs

Illicit gold trafficking to Venezuela and the implications of US action

Shifting Amazon gold flows

...Illicit gold flows in the Amazon Basin are shifting. Over the past two years, Venezuela has emerged as a regional destination for illicit gold, reversing established smuggling patterns and reshaping s...

Posted on 10 Mar 2026

Author(s): Marcena Hunter, Gabriel Funari, Sophia Pickles

APA-Obs

Online child sexual exploitation in the Pacific and why Fiji’s numbers matter for the region

...The Pacific is often celebrated for its strong community values, rich cultures and close-knit family networks – social structures that play an important role in protecting children offline. But as i...

Posted on 10 Mar 2026

Author(s): Virginia Comolli

EUR-Obs

European Drug Trends Monitor

European Drug Trends Monitor

... This is the first report of the GI-TOC European Drug Trends Monitor, an output of our Observatory of Organized Crime in Europe. This series of bulletins will track developments in European drug ma...

Posted on 09 Mar 2026

UN-TOC Watch, UNTOC

Changing drug policy in an unstable world: 10 years on from the UNGASS on drugs

...The international community is preparing for the 2026 Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), which will take place in Vienna from 9–13 March, amid profound geopolitical uncertainty. With overlapping gl...

Posted on 06 Mar 2026

Author(s): John Collins

ESA-Obs

How border criminal economies are drawing Chad further into Sudan’s conflict

...For nearly three years, the fighting in Sudan has largely remained within its borders, even as the conflict has drawn regional support. But the effects have been more far-reaching, with millions of re...

Posted on 06 Mar 2026

Author(s): Alexandre Bish