2024-10-05 15:43:38
The Secretary General of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), Jürgen Stock, whose mandate is expiring, has sounded the alarm about the actions of international gangs, DPA reported, BTA reported.
“The world risks losing the fight against transnational organized crime,” Stock told DPA in New York in comments published today.
Stock stressed that Interpol has clear evidence that mafia groups such as Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta, which once operated on a regional scale, have now spread to all continents.
“They operate as global enterprises,” the Interpol chief said. The groups reportedly have “astronomical resources” to carry out operations, including human and arms trafficking.
However, the main source of income for these gangs remains drug smuggling, which is growing across Europe.
“We are talking about all types of drugs that are available on the criminal markets. Mostly cocaine, though, is a huge problem right now,” says Stock.
Despite the seizures of record quantities of drugs in the major European ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam and Hamburg, street prices and supply remained unchanged, a clear sign that there was no shortage of illegal drugs, he said.
According to estimates, authorities currently intercept only about 15-20 percent of all traffic.
For countries to combat the growing threat posed by these gangs, Stock stressed the need for closer international cooperation between law enforcement agencies.
Authorities should focus on breaking up between 10 and 15 of the biggest criminal groups operating across borders, he said.
Stock will step down as Interpol Secretary General after a 10-year term in November. Brazilian Valdesi Urquiza is expected to be confirmed as his successor at the next General Assembly of the organization, which will also be held in November, DPA said.