The Index

<p>Scam call centres are no longer the work of lone fraudsters. They are sophisticated, hierarchical operations embedded within transnational organized crime networks. </p><p>In Eurasia, tens of thousands of people are...

<p>South Africa has deployed its military to combat gang violence and illegal mining under President Cyril Ramaphosa's Operation Prosper, targeting hotspots in the Western Cape and Gauteng. But is armed force a genuine...

<p>Synthetic drugs are reshaping the global drug market.</p><p>Faster to produce, easier to move, and harder to regulate.</p><p>This video unpacks the 2025 Global Organized Crime Index findings and expert insights on...

<p>In January 2024, Fiji recorded the Pacific’s largest methamphetamine seizure of over four tons bound for Australia. If sold there, the drugs would have had an estimated street value up to 1.2 billion Australian...

<p>A deadly turf war is unfolding inside Italy’s fast fashion supply chain. In April 2025, Chinese gangster Zhang Dayong was shot dead in Rome, an alleged professional hit linked by investigators to rival syndicates...

<p>Criminal groups that once focused primarily on the cocaine trade are now diversifying into illegal gold mining, logging, and the wildlife trade - activities that are devastating the environment.</p><p>The Amazon’s...

<p>Organized criminal gangs were deployed by politicians to counter peaceful protests in Nairobi in June, triggering worries of violence in Kenya ahead of the 2027 general elections. </p><p>On June 25, gangs unleashed...

<p>Celso Gamboa Sanchez, a former security minister and judge from Costa Rica, was arrested in June 2025 on international drug-trafficking charges. He denies the allegations.</p><p>What makes the arrest interesting is...

<p>Since the Covid-19 pandemic, cyber scams have surged across the Mekong region. Abandoned casinos and hotels have been turned into “scam compounds” serving as bases for romance scams, fake call centres, Ponzi schemes...

<p>Underworlds with Mark Shaw is returning for another season.</p><p>Mark sits down with authors to discuss their investigations into the murky world of organized crime.</p><p>In season two, we hear about a range of...

<p>Millions of unregistered firearms, surging drug addiction, and cross-border trafficking have turned Pakistan into a hotspot for organized crime. Corruption and economic instability have allowed illicit markets — from...

<p>The full-scale war in Ukraine has been raging for three years now. One of the defining military developments during this conflict has been the use of drones. And both sides have utilised them with devastating...

<p>In August 2024, King Mohammed VI pardoned over 4800 Cannabis farmers in Morocco. This came as part of the country’s wider legalization efforts to tap into the economic potential of the booming global cannabis market...

<p>In Canada, Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs, often referred to as a "1%" Club, include infamous names like the Hells Angels, The Outlaws, Bandidos. </p><p>The Hells Angels are reported to have over 450 chapters across almost...

<p>In August police in Vietnam uncovered an infant trafficking ring which had purchased and resold at least 16 infants, ages ranging from just days to a few months old, leading to further investigations that uncovered...