Bangkok Summit Targets Growing Threat of Digitally Enabled Organised Crime
Bangkok Summit Targets Growing Threat of Digitally Enabled Organised Crime
Bangkok, 27 May 2026
Senior law enforcement officials, judicial authorities and international organised crime experts from Europe and Southeast Asia gathered in Bangkok this week for a major international event focused on strengthening cooperation against transnational organised crime.
The two-day Regional Community of Practice event, held on 26–27 May as part of the EU-funded Phygital-OC project, brought together representatives from European and Southeast Asian law enforcement agencies, INTERPOL, judicial authorities and international security organisations to address the growing threat posed by technologically enabled criminal networks operating across borders.
Organised by consortium partner the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), the event titled “Enhancing Law Enforcement Cooperation to Counter Ethnic Organised Crime Groups” focused on improving international collaboration, intelligence sharing and operational coordination in response to increasingly sophisticated organised crime threats.
Discussions examined emerging organised crime trends in Southeast Asia and their links to Europe, including the activities of inter-connected criminal networks operating across regions, the exploitation of digital technologies and financial systems by criminal groups, and the challenges facing cross-border investigations and judicial cooperation.
Participants also explored opportunities to strengthen cooperation between Southeast Asian police forces and international partners, alongside practical approaches to improving intelligence exchange and operational coordination.
“Transnational organised crime groups are increasingly agile, technologically sophisticated and globally connected,” said Ruggero Scaturro, Senior Analysts at GI-TOC, a partner within the Phygital-OC consortium.
“No single country or agency can tackle these threats alone. Events like this are essential in building the trusted international partnerships, operational understanding and collaborative approaches needed to disrupt criminal networks operating across both physical and digital environments.”
