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Organized crime

Organized crime refers to transnational or national enterprises run by criminals engaging in illegal activity for profit. Examples are the mafia, triads or yakuza.

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All Content on this topic

Silhouette of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque during sunset in Istanbul

Silhouette of the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque during sunset in Istanbul

Turkey seeks to crack down on organized crime

Turkey has become a haven for international criminal gangs, according to experts. But for how much longer?

DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe - 23 November 2023

Shock result in the Netherlands, Finland closes border crossings with Russia, and choppy waters ahead for Spain’s Pedro Sanchez. Also: Erdogan’s double game on the Middle East, Italy's mafia mega-trial, the EU's AI Act, and a night out at the circus.

The court reads the sentences of the hundreds convicted in Italy's "maxi-trial"

The court reads the sentences of the hundreds convicted in Italy's "maxi-trial"

Italy mafia trial: 'Ndrangheta bosses get lengthy jail terms

A nearly three-year trial has ended in the conviction and sentencing of around 200 mobsters and white-collar helpers

DW's Eco India

DW's Eco India

Sand: A priceless resource?

The construction industry is booming and sand is being extracted faster than it can be replenished. In this episode of Eco India: Alternatives to sand, plantations against illegal sandmining, and how to stop coastal sand erosion.

Matteo Messina Denaro being escorted by police

Matteo Messina Denaro being escorted by police

Matteo Messina Denaro: Captured Mafia boss dies

He was the last known boss of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra mob that was depicted in the Godfather movies.

Police holding Matteo Messina Denaro

Police holding Matteo Messina Denaro

Italy mafia boss Messina Denaro in coma — reports

The Cosa Nostra chief, who was caught by police in January after three decades on the run, is reportedly in a coma.

People standing on the rooftop of prison facilities.

People standing on the rooftop of prison facilities.

Ecuador: Prisoners release 57 guards held hostage

The narcotics-related mayhem began when several guards and officials were taken hostage after an attempt to raid prisons

A still from "The Irishman" shows Robert De Niro (right) in a scene with Al Pacino. Both are dressed in 1970s-style costumes and sitting in armchairs.

A still from "The Irishman" shows Robert De Niro (right) in a scene with Al Pacino. Both are dressed in 1970s-style costumes and sitting in armchairs.

Robert De Niro's 80th birthday: His 11 best films

DW revisits some of Robert De Niro's best films, including "Mean Streets," "Raging Bull," "Casino" and "The Irishman."

Alexey Petrov

Alexey Petrov

Bulgaria: Controversial businessman shot dead in Sofia

Alexey Petrov was former secret agent and government adviser on the fight against organized crime.

Euro notes and guns confiscated by police

Euro notes and guns confiscated by police

Germany: Interior minister gets tough on organized crime

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser would see members of organized criminal groups collectively deported.

Fans of Serie A champions Scudetto Napoli wave flags and cheer

Fans of Serie A champions Scudetto Napoli wave flags and cheer

Fugitive Italian mobster blows cover celebrating Napoli win

Vincenzo La Porta was on the run for 11 years, but was arrested thanks to his devotion to his hometown soccer team.

Stock photo of an Italian Carabinieri van in front of an old building

Stock photo of an Italian Carabinieri van in front of an old building

Italy: 82 suspected mafiosi arrested in Foggia raid

Those arrested are accused of drug trafficking, illegal weapons possession and systematic extortion.

A soldier patrols the government palace area in Guinea-Bissau

A soldier patrols the government palace area in Guinea-Bissau

Guinea Bissau: Mafia, drugs and a former president's son

The son of a former Bissau-Guinean president is suspected of links to drug trafficking and to last year's coup attempt.

A row of men with full-bodied tattoos

A row of men with full-bodied tattoos

Japan: Tattoo artists want to wash off criminal connection

Body art remains taboo in Japan, and people with tattoos are often banned from public bathhouses and military service.

Magazin Global Us | Indien Holzmafia

Magazin Global Us | Indien Holzmafia

Courageous group of women battles the timber mafia

A group of women in India called the Tarzan Army successfully fights for forest preservation.

DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe - 29 June 2023

After the failed Russia revolt, what's next for Prigozhin? Why aren't Ukrainian POWs being handed over to Kyiv? Norway to mine the minerals needed to power electric cars. Also: Turkey labels the Istanbul Pride march a terror threat, residents cry foul over a polluting Dutch steel plant, mafia-run Italian farms are a bad deal for migrant workers and helping UK students to recite poetry by heart.

Protesters walk with posters of the 43 students.

Protesters walk with posters of the 43 students.

Mexico: Police arrest 8 soldiers over student kidnappings

In 2014, 43 students went missing in southern Mexico. So far, the remains of only three victims have been found.

Needle, baggie containing white powder and some more white powder on a black surface

Needle, baggie containing white powder and some more white powder on a black surface

Drug sales and violence up in EU, report finds

According to the European Union's narcotics monitor, the greater diversity of illicit drugs is increasing health risks.

Two Australian police officials take a man into custody

Two Australian police officials take a man into custody

Authorities find drugs worth millions hidden in maple syrup

Authorities who cracked the transnational drug syndicate hailed the collaborative efforts of different nations.

Police officials at the scene of crime after the shooting.

Police officials at the scene of crime after the shooting.

Sweden: Teenager killed, three injured in shooting

While two suspects were arrested after a car chase, the motive of the shooting is yet to be established.

Forensic experts work with several bags of human remains extracted from the bottom of a ravine

Forensic experts work with several bags of human remains extracted from the bottom of a ravine

Mexico: Remains of missing call center workers identified

The remains of several missing young call center workers have been identified in Mexico, officials said.

Young Black people at a protest holding up signs with slogans like "No false miracles" and "False prophets"

Young Black people at a protest holding up signs with slogans like "No false miracles" and "False prophets"

Unmasking South Africa's false prophets

Behind some of South Africa's most lavish churches and charismatic preachers lies a growing pile of arrest warrants.

South African investigators at the scene in Constantia, Cape Town

South African investigators at the scene in Constantia, Cape Town

South Africa: 4 Bulgarian nationals shot dead in Cape Town

The four deceased were found with gunshot wounds in the leafy suburb of Constantia.

The defendants in the trial of the jewel robbery in the Green Vault sit next to the lawyers in their seats

The defendants in the trial of the jewel robbery in the Green Vault sit next to the lawyers in their seats

German court hands sentences to Dresden Green Vault suspects

Members of a criminal gang were accused of stealing priceless jewels from a museum in Dresden.

A still from a video by the Italian police shows some of the cocaine they seized in the port
of Gioia Tauro in the southern region of Calabria

A still from a video by the Italian police shows some of the cocaine they seized in the port
of Gioia Tauro in the southern region of Calabria

Italy police seize 2.7 tons of cocaine in banana shipment

Cocaine worth an estimated €800 million was confiscated by police in Italy in a shipment of bananas from Ecuador.

Police officers standing outside an icecream parlor in Saarlouis on May 3, 2023

Police officers standing outside an icecream parlor in Saarlouis on May 3, 2023

Why the mafia loves Germany

Massive raids on the Italian 'ndrangheta organization have highlighted money-laundering activities in Germany.

A German police officer enters a building during a raid in the west German state of North Rhine-Westphalia

A German police officer enters a building during a raid in the west German state of North Rhine-Westphalia

More than 100 arrested in European anti-mafia raids

Police in Europe has struck the infamous 'ndrangheta mafia organization.

An interpol officer walking next to an arrested woman

An interpol officer walking next to an arrested woman

Interpol: Drugs worth billions seized in Latin America

Interpol said it seized more than 200 tons of drugs as part of operation "Trigger IX," its "biggest firearms operation."

A screengrab taken from a video shows Matteo Messina Denaro being arrested by Italian police on January 16, 2023.

A screengrab taken from a video shows Matteo Messina Denaro being arrested by Italian police on January 16, 2023.

Italy: Convicted Mafia boss' girlfriend arrested

A woman believed to be the girlfriend of captured Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro has been arrested.

A man rolling a tire into a blockade of burning tires on the streets of Port-au-Prince

A man rolling a tire into a blockade of burning tires on the streets of Port-au-Prince

Haiti in turmoil as police riot over officer deaths

The Haitian government is under mounting pressure amid violent protests by police. The UN is considering sending troops.

Matteo Messina Denaro, former mafia boss, being escorted by police in Sicily, Italy

Matteo Messina Denaro, former mafia boss, being escorted by police in Sicily, Italy

Matteo Messina Denaro: The mafia and deep-running corruption

Matteo Messina Denaro's arrest may help Italy clean its image of corruption and secure needed post-pandemic EU funds.

Matteo Messina Denaro after his arrest surrounded by carabinieri police

Matteo Messina Denaro after his arrest surrounded by carabinieri police

Italy: Cosa Nostra mafia boss arrested after 30 years

Police in Italy have arrested the nation's most wanted mafia boss. Matteo Messina Denaro was on the run for 30 years.

People are seen placing flowers at the spot where Dutch journalist Peter R. de Vries was killed.

People are seen placing flowers at the spot where Dutch journalist Peter R. de Vries was killed.

Are drug gangs threatening rule of law in the Netherlands?

The yearlong investigation of the murder of reporter Peter R. de Vries has exposed cracks in the Dutch legal system.

Italien Autor Roberto Saviano speaks outside a court in Romer where he is on trial for libel

Italien Autor Roberto Saviano speaks outside a court in Romer where he is on trial for libel

Italy's anti-mafia author Saviano on trial for 'defaming' PM

A trial pitting Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni against writer Roberto Saviano started in Rome.

Police investigators in forensic suits inspect a crime scene in Mexico

Police investigators in forensic suits inspect a crime scene in Mexico

Conflicts between cartels leave five women dead in Mexico

Three of the five women were found in bags, next to a hand-written message from the leader of a drug gang.

A single tree in a deforested patch of Amazon jungle

A single tree in a deforested patch of Amazon jungle

Environmental crime: Profit can be higher than drug trade

Environmental crime is the world's third-most lucrative criminal activity. Yet it is still treated like a petty crime.

Members of the ultra-orthodox Jewish Lev Tahor sect harassing a guard at a southern Mexican detention facility

Members of the ultra-orthodox Jewish Lev Tahor sect harassing a guard at a southern Mexican detention facility

Mexico: Members of ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect escape custody

Their leader was arrested last week on organized crime and human trafficking charges.

Carabinieri car in Naples, archive image from 2021.

Carabinieri car in Naples, archive image from 2021.

Police arrest 35 suspected mafia members in Sicily

The suspects were arrested in a series of raids aimed at capturing mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro.

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[No title]

Our listeners aren't psychopaths (but might be cheaters)!

Infidelity might actually be 'contagious,' according to a fascinating new study — but our listeners... are mostly good!

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[No title]

Think you're funny? You might be a narcissist

What do a narcissist, a psychopath and a Machiavellian have in common? They tend to use very specific kinds of humor.

Lots of police officers enter in Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters to make a domiciliary in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. Yamaguchi-gumi is the Japan's largest yakuza organization and one of the largest criminal organizations in the world

Lots of police officers enter in Yamaguchi-gumi headquarters to make a domiciliary in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. Yamaguchi-gumi is the Japan's largest yakuza organization and one of the largest criminal organizations in the world

Ranks of Japan's once-feared 'yakuza' shrink

The COVID pandemic has hit Japanese underworld groups that were already struggling to overcome economic decline.

A priest blesses the photos of Jesuit priests Javier Campos Morales, left, and Joaquin Cesar Mora Salazar during a Mass to mourn them, at a church in Mexico City

A priest blesses the photos of Jesuit priests Javier Campos Morales, left, and Joaquin Cesar Mora Salazar during a Mass to mourn them, at a church in Mexico City

Two Jesuit Priests gunned down in Mexico

A man seeking sanctuary at the two priests' church was also killed in Chihuahua — a region wracked by organized crime.

Peter R. de Vries speaking at a press interview in the weeks before his death

Peter R. de Vries speaking at a press interview in the weeks before his death

Trial opens in killing of Dutch crime reporter

De Vries, one of the Netherlands' most famous crime reporters, was fatally shot dead in the street last July.

Police escort a handcuffed suspect into a Dresden courtroom as the Grünen Gewölbe trial resumes

Police escort a handcuffed suspect into a Dresden courtroom as the Grünen Gewölbe trial resumes

Dresden Green Vault trial: Police give expert testimony

Authorities say the suspect had complete copies of all police investigation and judicial case files.

-Mexican students take part in a protest against the violence in Mexico.

-Mexican students take part in a protest against the violence in Mexico.

Number of 'disappeared' in Mexico crosses 100,000

There are now over 100,000 people in Mexico's national register of the "disappeared."

Austrian police making arrests on a lonely country road at the Hungarian border, police vehicles and a yellow human traffickers' van are seen in the background

Austrian police making arrests on a lonely country road at the Hungarian border, police vehicles and a yellow human traffickers' van are seen in the background

Austria leads massive international human trafficking bust

The €150 million network used Vienna as a hub to move migrants from Hungary to Germany and France.

Attorney General of Paraguay Sandra Quiñonez prays to a Virgin Mary statue at the entrance of her office after she found out about the killing during his honeymoon in Colombia of Paraguayan prosecutor Marcelo Pecci

Attorney General of Paraguay Sandra Quiñonez prays to a Virgin Mary statue at the entrance of her office after she found out about the killing during his honeymoon in Colombia of Paraguayan prosecutor Marcelo Pecci

Paraguayan anti-mafia prosecutor killed on Colombia beach

Marcelo Pecci was killed on his honeymoon. Paraguay's president has vowed to redouble efforts against organized crime.

Mosambican troops ride in an armored military vehicle.

Mosambican troops ride in an armored military vehicle.

Terror threat morphs in Mozambique

The insurgency in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province is spreading to neighboring regions, according to a new study.

Cars with shattered glass and police cordon

Cars with shattered glass and police cordon

The lawlessness behind Mexico's journalist murders

A string of journalist murders in Mexico despite a state protection program show that lawlessness is a systemic problem.

Luxury Mercedes with popped hood, parked indoors

Luxury Mercedes with popped hood, parked indoors

German, Dutch police nab suspected car smugglers

While investigating international car thieves, police also stumbled upon an illegal cigarette factory, officials said.