COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR ORGANIZED CRIME GROUPS

Abstract

Since the beginning of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated policies have transformed the environment in which organized crime groups operate. The COVID-19 has generated different opportunities for organized criminal groups and provoked them with different challenges. Due to the transformations induced by the pandemic, organized criminal groups had greater opportunities to further infiltrate the legal economy and to strengthen their illegal governance, possibly posing additional threats for governments. The analysis of illustrative cases shows evidence on the fact that the COVID-19 emergency has affected the behavior of some organized criminal groups by providing them with new opportunities to gain legitimacy and support in the community within which they operate, as well as to expand and diversify their investments. Study of how these groups have responded to the pandemic yields better understanding of how they work and enables the devising of more effective counter-strategies.

Keywords

• covid-19 pandemic
• organized crime
• criminal activity
• security threats