Drug smuggling and cybercrime. The number of cases against organized crime remains almost unchanged. The financial damage caused is increasing – especially in one area.
Berlin – According to a report by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), criminal gangs caused billions in damage last year – twice as much as in the previous year. At 2.7 billion euros (2022: 1.3 billion euros), the amount of damage in 2023 reached the highest level in the past ten years, according to the “Federal Situation Report on Organized Crime” presented in Berlin by Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) and the President of the BKA, Holger Münch.
The majority of the financial damage was caused by cybercrime. According to the report, a single gang caused damage of 1.7 million euros by stealing bank details from its victims.
Violence is not uncommon
The use of violence to enforce one’s own interests remains at a high level and is increasingly endangering security in public spaces, according to the BKA report. It lists 4 completed and 34 attempted homicides by organized crime groups.
According to the definition of the police and the judiciary, organised crime is driven by the pursuit of profit or power. More than two people involved act systematically and on a long-term basis, dividing up the work, and their crimes must be of “significant importance”.
The BKA counted 642 proceedings against organized crime groups last year – slightly more than in 2022 (639). For the third time in a row, the figure has broken the 600 mark and is slightly above the average of the past ten reporting years. Drug trafficking in particular dominates the proceedings, accounting for around 40 percent of investigations. dpa
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