Global crime can refer to any organized crime that occurs at an international or transnational level. Like national and local organized crime, global crime includes highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Transnational organized crime (TOC or transnational crime) is organized crime coordinated across national borders, involving groups or networks of individuals working in more than one country to plan and execute illegal business ventures. In order to achieve their goals, these criminal groups utilize systematic violence and corruption. The most commonly seen transnational organized crimes are money laundering; human smuggling; cyber crime; and trafficking of humans, drugs, weapons, endangered species, body parts, or nuclear material.
Some espouse that all organized crime operates at an international level, though there is currently no international court capable of trying offences resulting from such activities (for example, the International Criminal Court's remit extends only to dealing with people accused of offences against humanity, such as genocide ). Today criminal organizations are increasingly working together, realizing that it is better to work in cooperation rather than in competition with each other (thereby consolidating power). This has led to the rise of global criminal organizations such as Mara Salvatrucha and the 18th Street gang. The American Mafia in the U.S. have had links with organized crime groups in Italy such as the Camorra, the 'Ndrangheta, Sacra Corona Unita, and Sicilian Mafia. The Cosa Nostra has also been known to work with the Irish Mob (John Gotti of the Gambino family and James Coonan of the Westies are known to have worked together, with the Westies operating as a contract hitman for the Gambino family after they helped Coonan come to power), the Japanese Yakuza and the Russian Mafia.
International Criminal Court (ICC)
While the International Criminal Court can prosecute individuals for crimes against humanity, it has no jurisdiction over other global crimes.
Transnational organized crime is widely opposed on the basis of a number of negative effects. It can undermine democracy, disrupt free markets, drain national assets, and inhibit the development of stable societies. In doing so, it has been argued, national and international criminal groups threaten the security of all nations. These transnational crime networks often victimize governments that are unstable or not powerful enough to prevent them, conducting illegal activities that provide them with immeasurable profits. Transnational organized crimes result in interrupting peace and stability of nations worldwide, often using bribery, violence or terror to meet their needs.
Transnational Organized Crime is one of "The Ten Threats" warned by the High Level Threat Panel of the United Nations. The UN has taken a stand against this threat with the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime which has been adopted since 2000 to fight against transnational organized crime, with the recognition of UN Member States that this is a serious and growing problem that can only be solved through close international cooperation. The Ad Hoc Committee established by the United Nations General Assembly is to deal with this problem by taking a series of measures against transnational organized crime. These include the creation of domestic criminal offences to combat the problem, and the adoption of new, sweeping frameworks for mutual legal assistance, extradition, law-enforcement cooperation and technical assistance and training.