Organized crime is no longer a marginal phenomenon. It represents a structural challenge to internal security and Germany’s economic environment. Financial crime, money laundering, international drug trafficking, as well as gang and clan structures cause significant damage and undermine trust in public institutions. On February 25, 2026, the German Cabinet responded by adopting a Joint Action Plan Against Organized Crime. The plan was developed by the German Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF), the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, and the German Federal Ministry of Justice. For companies, financial institutions, compliance departments, and anyone professionally involved in addressing economic crime, the plan sends a clear signal: the state’s response to complex criminal structures is set to become more interconnected, data-driven, and internationally coordinated.

Why Organized Crime Is Becoming an Economic Risk

According to the latest federal situation reports on organized crime and drug-related crime, the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) estimates the damage caused by the relevant offenses in 2024 at around €2.65 billion. German Federal Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil described organized criminal structures as an attack on the rule of law and society as a whole. The German government explicitly links the intensified fight against organized crime to the goal of more consistently depriving criminals of their profits and ensuring that crime does not pay economically.

Two Agencies, More Data

A central focus is the legal, technical, and personnel strengthening of the German Customs Service and the German Federal Criminal Police Office. In the future, both authorities are intended to have greater access to each other’s data. This is designed to bring information together more quickly, make investigations more efficient, and better close existing gaps in responsibilities. At the same time, additional personnel capacity is intended to support the implementation of these expanded capabilities.

When Investigations Become Data-Driven

Another key element is the greater consolidation of existing information in a joint data platform. In addition, Artificial Intelligence is to be used to analyze large volumes of data automatically and, among other things, enable biometric searches on the internet. The aim is to identify relevant patterns and connections more quickly and to improve the identification of suspects. This approach has parallels with intelligence-led investigations, in which structured data analysis and the systematic linking of information play a central role.

Follow the Money: Targeting Criminal Assets

A particular focus is placed on the principle of “Follow the Money.” Financial investigations are intended to be used more systematically to identify, secure, and confiscate criminal assets. These can include cash, luxury vehicles, or real estate. The German government is therefore targeting an area where criminal organizations are particularly vulnerable: their financial structures and profits. The necessary legal frameworks are to be further developed in accordance with constitutional requirements.

Consolidating Expertise Against Complex Structures

The action plan also provides for the establishment of specialized structures. These include a joint competence center of Customs and the BKA for combating complex financial crime, an investigative center for money laundering within German Customs, and a joint Analysis and Evaluation Center “Drugs” operated by the Customs Criminal Police Office and the Federal Criminal Police Office. The aim is to pool expertise, data, and operational capabilities more effectively and to better target complex and internationally connected criminal structures.

Money Laundering at the Center of the New Approach

The fight against money laundering is also set to be further developed. The plan initially provides for an evaluation and potential further development of the money laundering offense under Section 261 of the German Criminal Code (StGB). In particular, it is to be examined whether so-called “saved expenses” can be covered in the future. This could be relevant, among other things, to the prosecution of tax evasion, environmental and species-protection offenses, and the misappropriation of employees’ wages and social security contributions.
In addition, the “All Crime” approach, which already applies under German money laundering law, is to be implemented more consistently in criminal procedural law. This would allow investigative measures in cases of commercial or gang-related money laundering regardless of the specific type of predicate offense. For combating complex and internationally interconnected money laundering structures, this would expand the investigative capabilities of law enforcement authorities.

Crime Knows No Borders

Organized crime does not stop at national borders. Accordingly, the action plan calls for further expansion of international cooperation, particularly in detecting and combating international drug trafficking. The exchange of information and cooperation with international partners are to be strengthened further.

What Companies Should Consider Now

Although the action plan is primarily directed at security and law enforcement authorities, its development is relevant to companies, financial institutions, law firms, and compliance departments. Planned changes in asset confiscation, anti-money laundering measures, and digital investigative powers may alter the environment in which companies assess risks associated with business partners, financial flows, and concealed asset structures.
At the same time, the action plan clearly indicates the direction in which the state’s response to complex crime is developing: toward more interconnected data, automated analysis, AI-supported pattern recognition, and international information sharing. For companies, the ability to identify and assess their own business relationships, financial flows, and potential risk structures at an early stage is therefore becoming increasingly important.

What This Means for Intelligence

FOREUS monitors regulatory and security-policy developments such as the action plan against organized crime because they can directly influence the risk environment of our clients. Our expertise in Fraud Investigations, Corporate Intelligence, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), Blockchain Analytics, and Asset Tracing is based on similar principles: systematically analyzing information, making connections visible, tracing financial flows, and uncovering concealed asset structures.
For companies, it is becoming increasingly important not only to meet regulatory requirements but also to identify potential risks at an early stage. Organizations that can thoroughly analyze business relationships, corporate structures, and financial flows create a stronger basis for decision-making and can identify risks before they develop into operational or legal problems.

A New Benchmark for Combating Economic Crime

The Joint Action Plan Against Organized Crime represents a significantly more interconnected and data-driven approach to law enforcement in Germany: greater technological support, more intensive information sharing, specialized structures, international cooperation, and a more consistent focus on criminal assets.
For companies, the direction set by the state is particularly relevant. The ability to analyze large volumes of data, identify complex structures, and systematically trace financial flows is becoming an increasingly important component of combating economic crime. As public authorities expand their investigative capabilities accordingly, companies will also increasingly need a structured, intelligence-driven approach to analyzing their business relationships and risk structures.