Characteristics of Organized Criminal Activities

The characteristics of organized criminal activities are diverse and vary depending on the location and scope of their operations. However, some of the unique characteristics are: They are transnational in nature, are more often than not involved in heinous crimes, are actively operational in different crime markets, usually run legitimate enterprises as fronts to cover up for their main criminal activities, do not shy away from bribing government officials to look the other way, use the latest in technology to carry out their activities, and are very innovative and highly adaptive in their enterprises. Although terrorist groups also fit the definition of being organized criminal outfits, what distinguish them are their end goals. While the main goal of drug cartels and the mafia is financial gains, the main goal of terrorists is pushing for their ideological principles in their activities.