Today, Europol published its latest report, Decoding the EU’s most threatening criminal networks: Issue 2 – The blueprint of criminal opportunism’, offering an in-depth analysis of the evolving threat posed by organised crime in the European Union. The report reveals how criminal networks continuously adapt, regenerate, and exploit opportunities despite sustained law enforcement pressure.

The report highlights two key insights: first, the success of law enforcement in disrupting many of the previously identified criminal networks, and second, the resilience of these networks within a fluid criminal ecosystem. Criminal networks are not isolated entities but thrive within interconnected systems that enable cooperation, resilience, and rapid adaptation. They operate according to a blueprint of opportunism, systematically identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in modern systems. Digital, financial, technological, and geopolitical opportunities sustain and expand their criminal activities.

Three out of four criminal networks disrupted

Of the 821 criminal networks identified in 2024, 76% are no longer considered among the most threatening, demonstrating the impact of effective, targeted, intelligence-led law enforcement operations. These successes highlight the impact of operational taskforces, financial investigations, and coordinated action days targeting key nodes within criminal ecosystems. Other factors also come into play, such as dissolution, restructuring, transformation into other criminal configurations, or changes in their assessed threat level.

Persistence in a fluid criminal ecosystem

Despite these achievements, a core group of 198 networks has persisted, often the most long-standing and hierarchically structured ones. Furthermore, 533 new networks have emerged, reflecting the dynamic and adaptive nature of organised crime. These networks continue to exploit digital, financial, and geopolitical vulnerabilities, posing ongoing risks to EU citizens and institutions.

Key findings

The report underscores the increasing prominence of cybercrime, with criminal networks leveraging digital platforms, encrypted communication, and AI to scale operations while minimising risk. It also describes how criminal networks exploit weaknesses in financial systems, using cryptocurrencies, money laundering techniques, and legal business structures to obscure their activities and reinvest illicit proceeds.

Themistos Arnaoutis

Chief of Cyprus Police

This report underscores: To truly dismantle criminal networks, we need a whole-of-society response: stronger collaboration between law enforcement, governments, and the private sector; investment in innovation and intelligence-led policing; and proactive measures to prevent criminal exploitation. The fight against organised crime is not just about arrests - it’s about building societal resilience.

Jürgen Ebner

Acting Executive Director of Europol

Every disrupted criminal network matters. Every target removed weakens the criminal ecosystem. Yet this report shows that organised crime adapts quickly, filling gaps and exploiting new opportunities. Our challenge is therefore not only to dismantle networks, but to stay ahead of them through intelligence, innovation and operational cooperation.

Magnus Brunner

European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration

Understanding the enemy is the first step to defeating it. The Decoding report gives us exactly that – and our response is already underway, from the Drugs strategy to combating migrant smuggling and digital fraud. Because while competences remain national, solutions can only be European. That is why we are also updating Europol's mandate – to make sure that European solutions reach every Member State, faster and with more impact.

A call for collaboration

The networks covered in the new Europol report comprise over 400 000 members from 118 nationalities, operate across drug trafficking, cybercrime, human trafficking, and other serious crimes, while increasingly exploiting digital and financial opportunities.

Europol urges continued cooperation between law enforcement, public authorities, and the private sector to tackle these evolving threats. The report underscores the need for innovative tools, trust-based partnerships, and a holistic response to protect EU citizens and institutions.

Europol remains committed to working with EU Member States, third countries, and all partners in the public and private sectors to address the root causes of organised crime and reduce the opportunities that enable it to thrive.