Latest news with #UNODC
Scoop
7 hours ago
- Scoop
As War Rages On In Ukraine, Organised Crime Is Taking New Forms
Since February 2022, both legal and illegal economies in Ukraine have been severely disrupted by the war. The report examines the evolution of organised crime structures in the country and focuses on six distinct areas: drug trafficking and production, online scams and fraud, arms trafficking, economic crime, trafficking in persons, and the facilitation of illegal exit and draft evasion. 'The war has not only inflicted untold suffering on the Ukrainian people, but has also triggered a marked evolution in organised crime – which can have profound implications for the country's journey towards recovery and reconstruction,' said Angela Me, Chief of Research and Analysis at UNODC. Drug trafficking While the trafficking of cocaine and heroin through Ukraine has decreased drastically since 2022, the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs such as cathinones and methadone have increased. The expansion of cathinone trafficking in recent years has been facilitated by the darknet, notably through market platforms such as Hydra, which was dismantled in April 2022. Regarding methadone, the report noted that most of the Ukrainian production is trafficked within the country and not abroad, as domestic demand for the drug is on the rise. Arms trafficking The war has also increased the availability of weapons in the country, notably due to a massive influx of arms from the battlefield. This surplus is resulting in a rise in arms seizures and violence among civilians, marked notably by an increase in domestic and intimate partner violence. Although there is no evidence to suggest large-scale arms trafficking outside Ukraine, UNODC highlighted the importance of monitoring the situation in light of the sheer number of weapons available and the historic regional presence of criminal actors specialising in arms trafficking. While there is, as of now, no evidence of drones being used in a non-military context, civilian drones and 3D-printed components for frontline attacks could fuel new illicit markets, the report found. Trafficking in persons As roughly 14 million people have been displaced by the war, some criminal groups have exploited these populations by luring them into shelters or accommodations disguised as humanitarian assistance providers, where they are subjected to forced labour. While intensified patrolling of the borders, paired with the near-complete closure of the eastern and north-eastern borders, has limited the smuggling of migrants through Ukraine, traffickers have instead turned to facilitating draft evasion by Ukrainian men. 'Curtailing organised crime is a key requirement for achieving sustainable peace, justice, national security and the protection of human rights,' said Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, as the global body stands ready to support the country in this critical work.
The Diplomat
2 days ago
- Business
- The Diplomat
FATF is Behind the Curve on Cambodia's Cyber-scam Compounds
According to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, Cambodia-based scamming operations are generating billions of dollars in illicit profits each year. The global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) watchdog has yet to publicly grasp the dangers posed by the growth of cyber-scam compounds, including converted casinos, in Cambodia since the COVID-19 pandemic. Financial controls at Cambodian casinos were identified as an area of concern by the Paris-based FATF in a mutual evaluation report as far back as 2017. The report found that the Cambodian sectors most vulnerable to money laundering were casinos, along with the real estate, legal, and remittance and banking sectors, due to a lack of regulatory supervision. The FATF added Cambodia to its 'grey list' in February 2019, but removed the country from the list in February 2023. Yet a further mutual evaluation report in August 2023 found that: 'Weaknesses remain with fit and proper tests of casinos, lawyers, and accountants.' This was no simple loophole. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that cyber-enabled fraud caused financial losses of between $18 billion and $37 billion in 2023, most of it due to scams by organized crime groups in Southeast Asia. Cambodia, along with Myanmar, is a major scamming hub. UNODC in January 2024 reported that COVID-19 led to the repurposing of Cambodian casinos into cyber-scam compounds as regular business dried up. Yet Cambodia and other countries in the region, according to UNODC, 'pay virtually no attention' to casino junket operators, despite 'widespread misuse of these businesses for large-scale money laundering and underground banking by transnational organized crime groups.' I recently interviewed FATF president Elisa de Anda Madrazo for the Financial Times publication 'Banking Risk and Regulation.' She pointed to cases of the authorities in Cambodia and Malaysia cooperating to make arrests of members of organized crime gangs suspected of human trafficking. Such arrests have not been enough to dent the capacity of the compounds. In April 2025, the UNODC found periods of increased law enforcement activity in Cambodia have 'dampened the expansion of these industries in some more visible and accessible locations' but have also prompted 'significant expansion in more remote locations.' De Anda Madrazo said that Cambodia's next assessment will start 'in the next few years' and will assess how it is dealing with 'emerging threats.' Cyber-scam compounds in Cambodia and the region could fairly be classified as an established, rather than an emerging, danger. De Anda Madrazo herself said that 'cyber-enabled fraud is a major transnational organized crime that has grown exponentially in recent years.' Nigel Morris-Cotterill, a financial crime risk strategist based in Malaysia, argues that routine corruption needs to move up the agenda. Financial crime, he says, 'happens in large part because of corruption. And it persists because of lack of resources, especially in countries which have poorly paid law enforcement.' The basic police salary in Cambodia in 2024 stood at 1,306,550 riel ($326) per month. As in many other poor countries, bribes of all kinds are routinely taken to increase income. Police corruption in Cambodia is part of the much broader issue of the rule of law. The 2024 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index puts Cambodia at 141 out of 142 countries globally. The existence of industrial-scale cyber-scamming increases the possibilities for police on low pay. Amnesty International last month documented 20 cases of compounds in Cambodia which were the subject of one or more police and/or military interventions, but found that human rights abuses continued at the compounds even after the visits. When the police or military intervened, they would rescue only a small number of individuals in response to specific requests for help. The 'rescues' were largely controlled by scamming compound bosses, and were nothing like a 'raid.' The police would typically meet a boss at the gate, who would hand over the pre-requested individual. Amnesty also found evidence of collusion between police and compound bosses prior to the raids. In one case, two trafficked victims were moved immediately before a government 'crackdown' in Sihanoukville. There was no rush by the police to help the 'rescued' victims. Most survivors of scamming compounds interviewed by Amnesty spent two to three months in police detention centers, without being questioned in detail about their experiences. Some victims have reported that the police were willing to sell them back to the compounds for the right price. Low-level corruption, Morris-Cotterill says, receives little attention from the FATF. The reason, he says, is that 'there's no money in pursuing it: the entire counter-money laundering approach changed in the early 2000s from being a crime reduction measure to being about confiscation.' 'If policing is all about expenditure and revenue, which is what confiscation has come to be about, then policing has become a business, not a public service. This, as much as corruption, is a reason that crime is not deterred or detected.' De Anda Madrazo argued that being taken off the grey list doesn't make a country immune to financial crime. Morris-Cotterill sees a need for the FATF to rethink how it approaches the problem. 'The little stuff doesn't matter in the big policy-making forums,' he said. 'I find that disturbing.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Officials uncover shocking scale of smuggling ring driving species to brink: 'Substantial and lucrative'
Officials uncover shocking scale of smuggling ring driving species to brink: 'Substantial and lucrative' Despite the European Union's ban on the export of critically endangered European glass eels in 2010, the animals are still being illegally trafficked in record numbers and face a high risk of extinction. What's happening? As Mongabay reported, European eels have been a hot commodity in the illegal wildlife trade since the 1990s, particularly in East Asia, when Japan's native eel populations began declining. Because of concerns about the eels being overexploited, they were listed under Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 2007, which restricts their trade by requiring export permits. The following year, European eels were classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, reflecting a 97% decline in their population since 1980, as reported in a separate Mongabay article. However, due to complex criminal networks spanning Europe and Asia, which even involve biologists, chemists, and veterinarians to ensure the animals survive their arduous journey, it's becoming increasingly difficult to catch smugglers. And since European glass eels can't be bred in captivity, per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, aquaculture farms that raise them to produce the traditional Japanese dish unagi must import wild-caught juveniles, making smuggling the animals a highly profitable endeavor. According to a 2025 Europol assessment of serious organized crime, profits generated by the smuggling of glass eels are estimated at 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) in high-demand years. "The trafficking of glass eels remains one of the most substantial and lucrative illegal trades of protected species across the globe," the law enforcement agency wrote in the report. Ignasi Sanahuja, a physiology professor at the University of Barcelona and lead author of a study on the environmental consequences of the European eel trade, told Mongabay that if more efforts aren't made to stop smugglers, the animals and the ecosystems they inhabit could face major risks. "Disruptions at any stage — especially through overharvesting of glass eels — can collapse the entire population structure," Sanahuja told the news outlet. "Continued unregulated trade exacerbates this decline, threatening not only the species but also the ecological balance of the habitats they occupy." Why is the trafficking of European eels concerning? The illegal wildlife trade hurts economies because it reduces tax revenue for local communities and governments and threatens the livelihoods of traditional fishermen, farmers, and eel processors who have relied on sustainable eel fishing for centuries, particularly in Atlantic coastal communities, per Wired. Not to mention, trafficking the eels disrupts marine and freshwater ecosystems, as they act as both predators and prey, helping to regulate populations of other species and maintain biodiversity. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "The illegal or excessive harvest of glass eels strips away a critical life stage," Sanahuja said. "That disrupts their ecological role — leading to a cascade of effects like overpopulation of aquatic insects, reduced food for eel predators, and weakened ecosystem resilience." Even when eels are rescued and released back into their native habitats, they put wild populations at risk of contracting bacterial infections because of their reduced immunity. And if the European eels happen to escape from aquaculture farms in Asia, they could outcompete native species for resources and contribute to ecosystem collapse in other areas as well. What's being done to protect them? Louisa Musing, the senior program officer for the organization TRAFFIC in Europe, told Mongabay that the huge scale of the trade demands coordinated efforts from multiple agencies across the EU and stronger legislation to prevent smuggling. But even though authorities are cracking down on wildlife crimes associated with the eels, experts say public awareness campaigns and reintroduction programs are also necessary to help the species rebound. Individuals can help by learning more about wildlife trafficking, reporting suspicious activity to anti-trafficking hotlines, and donating to nonprofits such as the World Wildlife Fund that are working to end the illegal wildlife trade. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
CNA
2 days ago
- CNA
Commentary: Myanmar's war is exacerbating a flood of meth across Southeast Asia
SINGAPORE: At first it was innocuous enough – a fishing boat far below, making its way across the azure blue surface of the Andaman Sea. But an Indian Coast Guard crew on a routine air patrol sensed something odd about it, and called it in. A fast, armed Coast Guard cutter was dispatched from its base at Port Blair in the Andamans to intercept the boat. It quickly caught up and shadowed the vessel for some time. When the Myanmar-flagged boat crossed into Indian territorial waters, the Coast Guard moved in. On board were six Myanmar nationals and a staggering 5.5 tonnes of crystal meth. It was the largest drug bust in India's maritime history. That haul on Nov 24, 2024, was both an indicator, and the proverbial drop in the ocean. Synthetic drug production and trafficking in the region, particularly out of Myanmar's Shan State, has grown exponentially in recent years. And it is fuelling a criminal economy Southeast Asia is finding hard to control. CRIMINAL CONVERGENCE Methamphetamine seizure in East and Southeast Asia hit a record 236 tonnes in 2024 – a 24 per cent increase over the previous year, according to a recent report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). At the heart of this problem is Shan State, Myanmar's largest region by land. Bordering China, Laos and Thailand, it spans 155,800 sq km and is bigger than Nepal or Bangladesh. It is part of the infamous Golden Triangle where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet among rice fields, dense jungles, mist-covered mountains, lazy rivers – and drugs, guns, and money. 'The volume of methamphetamine moving out of Shan State is likely larger than what is trafficked north out of Mexico, making Shan State the most geographically concentrated meth production centre in the world,' said Jeremy Douglas, UNODC's chief of staff and strategy advisor, who has long focused on transnational crime in the Mekong region. The capacity of the US to gather intelligence and secure borders is however far better than the neighbouring countries of the Golden Triangle and Southeast Asia, he told me. While Myanmar has long grappled with illegal drugs, the problem has accelerated since a military coup in 2021 and the ensuing civil war, becoming what experts are saying is now a full-blown regional crisis that is, frighteningly, often beyond the capacity of local law enforcement. Controlled by various ethnic armed groups – many of which are fighting Myanmar's military and at times each other – Shan State is a patchwork of competing factions in a volatile region ravaged by poverty and conflict. These groups, along with regime forces, have also converged with criminal organisations, leveraging and living off a range of illicit activity. These include meth production, illegal mining and logging, human trafficking, cyber scams and money laundering via underground banking and illegal online casinos. What sets them apart from old-school drug cartels is how tech-savvy and decentralised they are. Encrypted messaging, drones, GPS trackers and cryptocurrency payments are part of their toolkit. They also use front companies as covers and operate cell-based networks that hire locals like drivers or fishermen to transport the drugs. Precursor chemicals needed to manufacture the drugs are often bought online using cryptocurrency and often shipped from suppliers in China and India. A REGIONAL CRISIS Of particular note is the role maritime routes play. The boat carrying the crystal meth seized by the Indian Coast Guard last November was intercepted 8 nautical miles from Barren Island, a volcanic island due east of India's Andaman and Nicobar island chain, and roughly southwest of Yangon. The crew on the boat had a satellite phone and was using Starlink to navigate. Intelligence sources believe the shipment originated in Tachilek in Shan State just across the Thai border from Mae Sai, and was shipped via Yangon, bound for several foreign markets including Australia and Japan – probably after being subdivided somewhere en route. In July 2024, Indonesian authorities seized 106kg of crystal meth from a vessel off the Riau Islands. Three Indian nationals were arrested. Reports citing sources said the crystal meth was bound for Brisbane, Australia. Meanwhile, it appears that Sabah, Malaysia, has also emerged as a new hub, with fishermen often recruited to ferry drugs across the Myanmar-Malaysia-Indonesia-Philippines route. For instance, authorities confiscated 1,143kg of crystal meth in Sabah and Sarawak last year, nearly three times the amount the previous year. The volume of crystal meth seized from boats is mirrored by higher volumes of drugs seized per shipment on land routes. Thailand's northern and northeastern borders with Myanmar and Laos respectively remain the busiest trafficking corridors. The porous route to India through that country's northeast is also increasingly a problem for law enforcement. In January this year, Thai forces in Chiang Rai province, for instance, seized over 1 tonne of crystal meth assessed as headed for markets in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. And just last week (Jul 11), security forces in Zokhawthar, a town in India's Mizoram state on the border with Myanmar, challenged two men with backpacks who then shed their packs and jumped into a river which they crossed into Myanmar. The packs revealed methamphetamine pills worth over US$13 million. That was just one of almost daily seizures of thousands of methamphetamine tablets in northeast India, where rising local drug addiction has long been a worry. In parts of the region, like Manipur, the flow and use of drugs across the border feed into ethno-nationalist tensions entwined with mafia-like politics fuelling barely contained internal conflicts. In terms of methamphetamine transit as well as use in Southeast Asia, Thailand remains an epicentre. Seizures of the drug, in both tablet and crystal form, continue to rise. With little methamphetamine pills known as 'yaba' retailing locally for only around 20 baht or less than US$1 each, stemming the tide is a daily battle for Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB). 'It's a nationwide epidemic' said Ms Sritrakool Waeladee, director of the foreign affairs bureau of the ONCB, at a recent briefing at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand. In 2024, Thailand seized more than 900 tonnes of controlled precursor chemicals, while meth tablet seizures rose by over 55 per cent from 2023 to 2024. THE CORE PROBLEM The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) does recognise the threat. In October 2024, ASEAN leaders committed to strengthening cross-border cooperation and coordination against synthetic drugs. Experts have called for greater maritime cooperation between India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. But much like the infamous Mexican drug cartels, the core of the problem, in Shan State, remains beyond the reach of individual countries in the region. While there are several centres across the region manufacturing and pushing out synthetic drugs, the bottom line is that Shan State is the primary source. However, further complicating a region rife with armed ethnic groups and criminal syndicates is an overlay of geopolitical competition. China, for example, is known to back, among others, the United Wa State Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army. The United States is largely sympathetic to the National Unity Government, which is a collection of groups fighting the military regime. India is worried about its volatile and misgoverned northeast being undermined by drugs and illicit money from Myanmar. Only a negotiated peace between the warring factions including Myanmar's military regime offers any hope of a solution to this Gordian knot. But that remains a distant prospect. In its absence, the best one may hope for is that neighbouring countries in the interest of their own stability, beef up intelligence sharing, border security and enforcement.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Public-private collaboration key to fight corruption in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Combating corruption requires a united commitment from both public institutions and private enterprises to foster integrity and resilient governance, said Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki. He emphasised that while the government enforces regulations, the private sector can support anti-corruption efforts through technological advancements, data sharing, and operational resources. 'Efforts to combat corruption demand continuous commitment, unwavering integrity, and joint action,' he stated. Azam made these remarks during the opening of a workshop titled 'Advancing Integrity Together: Public-Private Partnership for Inclusive Anti-Corruption Reforms', organised by MACC and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The event saw participation from representatives of Brunei, Denmark, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. Malaysia has shown progress in its anti-corruption drive, with its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranking improving to 57th in 2023 from 61st in 2022. Azam attributed this to the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) 2019-2023, which achieved a 77% implementation rate, completing 85 out of 111 initiatives. To sustain this momentum, MACC introduced the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2024-2028, featuring five core strategies: Education, Public Accountability, People's Voice, Enforcement, and Incentives, supported by 60 sub-strategies. Azam also highlighted reforms such as adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain for investigations and monitoring to counter increasingly sophisticated corruption methods. 'Cooperation with UNODC is crucial to advancing the global anti-corruption framework, particularly in corporate liability and cross-border collaboration,' he added. The event was attended by Rasidah Abdul Karim, director of MACC's Policy, Planning and Research Division, and Annika Wythes, team lead of UNODC's Anti-Corruption Hub for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. - Bernama
