Illicit Economies, Transnational Organised Crime and the Role of Asia
Event Description
Transnational organised crime is no longer confined to specific regions or single illicit markets. Many groups now operate at a scale that effectively creates “illicit economies” across sectors, with criminal networks cooperating across borders in ways that were far less common even a decade ago. This has accelerated the growth of major revenue streams, including online fraud (now at epidemic levels in parts of Asia), illegal online gambling and sports betting, trafficking of people for sexual exploitation or forced criminal activity, and wildlife poaching and sales, particularly to end consumers in Asia.
Alongside this expansion is the growing sophistication of laundering the proceeds of crime into the global financial system. Major hubs such as Hong Kong, London and Singapore face complex fund and asset flows that have increasingly outpaced established anti-money laundering structures. Criminal actors are also adapting fast, using digital tools, including cryptocurrencies and diversifying laundering activity into layered investments and structures. Recent high profile cases in Asia underline the scale of the challenge, from large money laundering syndicates to vast fraud schemes.
In this webinar, Vanda Felbab-Brown and Martin Purbrick will unpack what is driving the global expansion of transnational organised crime and how Asia features in evolving supply chains, financial flows, and enforcement responses. The discussion will also touch on recent issues in the headlines, including the international fentanyl supply chain and the role of Chinese money laundering networks, as well as broader developments such as Latin American organised crime groups, including Tren de Aragua.
The expansion of organised crime from Asia is having an impact on other regions. Chinese actors have expanded their illicit activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, often taking advantage of the expansion of Chinese legal businesses and trade with the region. The presence of Chinese criminal groups has also grown, sometimes exploiting Chinese diaspora communities in the region. Chinese drug trafficking networks continue to be the principal suppliers of precursor chemicals for the production of methamphetamine and fentanyl to Mexican cartels that produce both drugs in Mexico. Chinese money laundering networks have become the go-to money launderers for the Mexican cartels.
Key topics for discussion
- How organised crime groups are building cross-border partnerships and “illicit economies” across multiple sectors
- Online fraud in Asia, illegal online gambling and sports betting as major criminal revenue streams
- Human trafficking and forced criminality, including exploitation linked to online scam operations
- Money laundering trends in major hubs and the growing use of digital tools, including cryptocurrencies
- Current issues and case studies, including US-China fentanyl dynamics, Chinese money laundering around the world, and developments involving groups such as Tren de Aragua, including activity in Venezuela
Speakers
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Dr. Vanda Felbab-BrownSenior Fellow, Brookings InstituteDr. Vanda Felbab Brown is a senior fellow in the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution. She is also the director of the Initiative on Nonstate Armed Actors and of the Fentanyl Epidemic in North America and Global Reach of Synthetic Opioids series and co-director of the Africa Security Initiative.
Vanda is an expert on international and internal conflicts and nontraditional security threats, including insurgency, organized crime, urban violence, and illicit economies. She has conducted fieldwork on these issues in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A frequent consultant for the U.S. government and commentator in U.S. and international media, Vanda regularly provides congressional testimony on these issues and serves as an expert witness in court cases related to transnational crime and governance. She has also been the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of her scholarly and policy contributions. Vanda received her doctorate in political science from MIT and her bachelor’s in government from Harvard University.
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Martin PurbrickConsultant, Analyst & WriterMartin Purbrick is a consultant, analyst and writer focussing on projects relating to a wide variety of areas including illicit economic activities, transnational organised crime, and money laundering.
He produces ‘The Asian Crime Century’, which is a series of articles explaining organised crime and terrorism.
Martin has worked in corporate risk roles with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, McKinsey & Company, and Intel Corporation. Before his private sector roles, Martin joined the Royal Hong Kong Police Force in 1988 and spent eleven years as a Detective Senior Inspector in Special Branch, the Criminal Intelligence Bureau, and Commercial Crime Bureau, dealing mainly with intelligence led investigations into terrorism, organised crime and Triad societies in collaboration with overseas agencies.
Martin is a former Director of the Asia Scotland Institute, is based in Edinburgh, and received his first degree in politics and history from the University of Edinburgh and his MLitt in terrorism studies from the University of St Andrews.