Interpol: Criminal Groups Worldwide Earn $3 Trillion Annually

The Director General of the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol, stated on Wednesday, April 8, that organized criminal groups have expanded their activities globally from Southeast Asia due to increased human trafficking and online operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Reuters, Jürgen Stock noted that these groups generate approximately $3 trillion annually. Speaking at Interpol's office in Singapore, he added that the current operations of these criminal organizations are unimaginable compared to ten years ago and result in millions of victims. The Interpol chief pointed out that drug trafficking still accounts for about 40 to 70 percent of the total income of criminal groups. Mr. Stock further mentioned that criminal organizations exploit drug trafficking routes for human trafficking, arms smuggling, intellectual property theft, trafficking of stolen goods, and car theft. The United Nations reported last year that over 100,000 individuals were trafficked to extortion centers online in Cambodia. In November of last year, Myanmar handed over thousands of fleeing Chinese citizens suspected of illegal activities to China. The Iraqi government's request to Interpol for the arrest of former officials accused of corruption, a request from an Argentine judge to arrest four Lebanese suspects in the bombing of a Jewish center, and the news that one of the crew members of a confiscated plane is related to Ahmad Vahidi, Iran's Minister of Interior, were also mentioned. Additionally, the presence of Mohsen Rezaei at the inauguration ceremony of Nicaragua's president was noted; Rezaei has been wanted by Interpol since 2007.