How Organised Crime Groups Are Classified in the UK

How Organised Crime Groups Are Classified in the UK

If you or someone close to you is being investigated for involvement in serious offending, the term “organised crime groups” can feel intimidating and unclear. Many people first hear it during a police raid, an arrest, or in a CPS case summary. Yet understanding how organised crime groups are defined and classified in the UK is essential — especially for anyone worried about their position or facing potential allegations.

Under UK law, organised crime groups (OCGs) are a key focus of the Serious Crime Act 2015. This legislation sets out how authorities identify, classify, and prosecute groups believed to be involved in criminal activities on a continuing basis. These classifications matter because they influence how cases are investigated, what charges may be brought, and the penalties that might follow.

In this guide, you’ll learn how organised crime groups are defined in law, how agencies like the National Crime Agency track and map OCGs, and how many are currently identified across the UK. We’ll explore how these groups operate, the offences linked to them, and how the law deals with the overlap between organised crime and terrorism. You’ll also see how prosecutors build cases involving conspiracy, money laundering, and serious organised crime.

For those accused or under investigation, knowing how the law defines organised crime groups is essential. This article will give you a clear, practical understanding of the legal framework — and explain how specialist defence solicitors can help protect your rights if you are facing allegations connected to an OCG.

What Is an Organised Crime Group?

Under the Serious Crime Act 2015, an organised crime group (OCG) is defined as a group of three or more people who act together with a common purpose to carry out criminal activities on a continuing basis. This definition is broad, and it is designed to capture a wide range of networks involved in serious or complex offending.

The law sets out three core criteria:

• A group of three or more persons - the group does not need formal membership, and roles can vary widely.
• Acting together with a purpose to carry on criminal activities - the intention to commit crime is key, even if not every member is involved in every act.
• Operating on a continuing basis - the activity must be more than a one-off incident. The group must show an ongoing plan or pattern of offending.

Importantly, the law does not require every member to know one another directly. Many OCGs operate in loose networks, with different levels of involvement. Some members play central roles, while others perform small but essential tasks without understanding the full picture.

To identify and monitor these networks, law enforcement uses Organised Crime Group Mapping (OCGM). This is an intelligence process used by the National Crime Agency, police forces, and partner agencies. OCGM assesses how groups are structured, what risks they pose, and how involved individuals are within the network. It allows agencies to coordinate investigations, share intelligence, and disrupt activity more effectively.

Within each OCG, agencies typically identify a core group. These are the central figures (planners, organisers, facilitators, or leaders) who direct operations and benefit most from the criminal activity. Around them, there may be associates, runners, brokers, or individuals drawn in through coercion or exploitation.

In simple terms, an organised crime group is any network of three or more people who work together on repeated criminal activities, whether that involves drugs, fraud, trafficking, weapons, or large-scale financial crime. The definition is intentionally wide so authorities can target groups at every level.

If you’re concerned about allegations linked to serious organised crime, our Serious Crime Defence Solicitors can provide immediate, expert advice.

Key Legal Elements Under UK Law

• Three or more individuals involved
• Shared purpose of committing criminal activities
• Continuing or planned pattern of offending
• No requirement for members to know each other
• Involvement can range from leadership to low-level participation
• Identified and tracked through Organised Crime Group Mapping (OCGM)

How Many Organised Crime Groups Exist in the UK?

According to the most recent National Crime Agency (NCA) assessments, more than 5,000 organised crime groups operate across the UK. These groups vary in size, structure, and level of sophistication. Some are small, family-run networks operating within a single town. Others are large, international organisations involved in trafficking, fraud, money laundering, or cybercrime. The scale highlights why OCGs remain a major focus for UK law enforcement and why the government invests heavily in strategies to disrupt them.

A key tool used to track and understand these networks is Organised Crime Group Mapping (OCGM). This national system allows the NCA, regional organised crime units, and local police forces to share intelligence in real time. Through OCGM, agencies can identify how individuals are connected, what crimes they are suspected of, and how much risk they pose. This helps teams coordinate operations and prioritise groups causing the greatest harm.

Organised crime groups can take many forms. Some focus on drug trafficking, managing supply chains from importation through to street-level distribution. Others specialise in fraud, running large-scale scams targeting businesses or vulnerable individuals. Human trafficking groups exploit people for labour or sexual exploitation, while financial crime networks move illicit funds through complex laundering structures.

Although people often ask “what is the biggest organised crime group in the UK?”, the government does not rank OCGs by size. Law enforcement instead assesses harm, capability, and threat level.

Real-World Examples in the UK

One publicly reported case is the Hillside Organised Crime Group in Liverpool, dismantled through coordinated law enforcement activity. This example is used only to illustrate how OCGs operate and how investigations unfold - not to comment on the guilt or innocence of any individuals. Other cases across the UK involve networks running drug lines, online fraud schemes, and cross-border money laundering operations.

These examples show how diverse organised crime groups can be, and why legal advice is vital for anyone linked - even indirectly - to an ongoing investigation.

How Organised Crime Groups Work

Organised crime groups operate with clear goals: financial gain, power, and control over illegal markets. Whether dealing in drugs, fraud, trafficking, or firearms, the core aim is to create reliable streams of profit while reducing the risk of detection. Understanding how these groups function helps explain why they are so difficult for law enforcement to dismantle — and why innocent people can sometimes become entangled in investigations.

Most organised crime groups follow a recognisable structure, even if members do not know everyone involved. At the top are leaders or organisers, who coordinate activities, manage finances, and make strategic decisions.

Beneath them sit enforcers, responsible for intimidation, violence, or the protection of assets. Facilitators handle logistics such as transport, communications, and recruitment.

Finally, money launderers move criminal proceeds through bank accounts, cash businesses, or international transfers to hide their origin.

Although each group is different, many operate in similar criminal markets, including:

• Money laundering: moving and disguising proceeds of crime.
• Drug trafficking: controlling supply chains from importation to local distribution.
• Cybercrime: running online frauds, malware operations, or data theft.
• Human trafficking: exploiting individuals for labour or sexual purposes.
• Firearms offences: sourcing and supplying illegal weapons.

These activities often overlap. A group trafficking drugs may also launder profits or use violence to protect its territory. As operations expand, groups create more complex networks involving dozens or even hundreds of individuals across different regions or countries.

How They Avoid Detection

People often ask how organised crime groups avoid getting caught, and the answer lies in the techniques they use to conceal their activity. These tactics are not described to glamourise criminal behaviour, but to highlight the challenges faced by investigators - and why people under investigation need specialist legal advice.

Common methods include:

• Front companies used to launder money or disguise illegal activity.
• Encrypted communication apps that hide messages and location data.
• Offshore accounts and international transfers to obscure financial trails.
• Multiple mobile phones (“burners”) to make surveillance more difficult.
• Coercion and control to keep lower-level members silent.
• Compartmentalisation, where individuals only know their small part of the operation.

These strategies make organised crime groups resilient and hard to infiltrate. They also mean that people on the fringes of these networks can be wrongly accused, especially in conspiracy-based prosecutions where guilt is inferred from association or communication patterns.

If you are under investigation for any form of serious or organised crime, early legal advice is essential to protect your position and challenge assumptions made by law enforcement.

Offences, Legislation & Law Enforcement

The UK has a strong legal framework designed to disrupt, prosecute, and dismantle organised crime groups. Several key pieces of legislation work together to target both the individuals involved and the financial infrastructure supporting criminal operations.

One of the most important laws is the Serious Crime Act 2015. Under Section 45, it is an offence to participate in the criminal activities of an organised crime group. This offence is deliberately broad, allowing prosecutors to pursue not only leaders but also those who knowingly assist, enable, or benefit from the group’s criminal conduct. The maximum penalty is five years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.

Financial aspects are dealt with under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA). This legislation allows the police and Crown Prosecution Service to seize and confiscate assets believed to be the proceeds of crime. POCA orders can be made even if someone is not convicted of a specific offence, making it a powerful tool against organised crime. Money laundering offences under this Act also capture anyone who conceals, converts, or transfers criminal property - even if they are not directly involved in the underlying crime.

Broader conspiracy and fraud offences are covered by the Criminal Justice Acts 1987 and 1993, allowing authorities to prosecute complex financial and cross-border operations. These laws are commonly used in serious fraud, drug importation, and human trafficking cases linked to organised networks.

The UK’s approach to how to tackle an organised crime group extends beyond legislation. Enforcement involves:

• National Crime Agency (NCA) investigations into high-level or cross-border networks.
• Joint taskforces, combining local police, HMRC, Border Force, and specialist units.
• International cooperation, including Europol and Interpol intelligence sharing.
• Asset freezing, restraint orders, and confiscation of criminal property.
• Covert operations, surveillance, and informant handling.
• Cyber capabilities to counter encryption and online criminal markets.

These tools aim to disrupt OCGs at every level - from leadership to finance to distribution.

The Offence of Leading or Participating in an OCG

For someone to be convicted of leading or participating in an organised crime group, prosecutors must prove knowledge and intent. The prosecution must show that:

• The defendant knew, or had reasonable cause to suspect, the group was engaged in organised criminal activity.
• Their actions helped, enabled, or supported the group’s criminal purpose.
• Their involvement was deliberate - not accidental or incidental.

Mere association is not enough for a conviction. Knowing someone involved in crime, being present during discussions, or having peripheral contact does not automatically mean someone “participated” in an OCG. The Crown must demonstrate a clear link between the person’s conduct and the group’s criminal activities.

Because of the complexity of these cases, early legal advice is critical. Specialist solicitors can challenge assumptions about intent, knowledge, and involvement. Particularly in conspiracy-based investigations where guilt is often inferred rather than proven directly.

Terrorism and Organised Crime - Are They Linked?

While distinct in motive, terrorism and organised crime sometimes overlap. Terrorist groups are driven by ideology, while organised crime groups aim for profit and control. Yet in practice, the two can cross paths, often out of necessity. Understanding this overlap helps explain why some investigations involve both counter-terrorism and organised crime teams.

A major reason why organised crime and terror groups are converging is money. Terrorist networks often struggle to fund their activities through legal means, so they turn to criminal markets already dominated by organised crime groups. This can include:

• Drug trafficking, often used to generate predictable income.
• Smuggling and human trafficking, including the movement of weapons and people.
• Fraud and cybercrime, such as identity theft, money muling, or online scams.
• Money laundering, needed to disguise funds and move them across borders.

In some global investigations, bodies such as Europol and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration have identified links between organised criminal networks and groups such as Hezbollah. These findings focus on financial or logistical cooperation rather than ideological alignment. Mentioning these examples does not imply guilt for any individual or group in the UK; they are simply used to show how law enforcement understands these trends.

Despite areas of overlap, UK law treats terrorism and organised crime as separate categories, each with its own offences, penalties, and investigative powers. Terrorism is prosecuted under the Terrorism Acts, while OCG involvement is usually charged under the Serious Crime Act 2015 or conspiracy laws. However, when evidence shows that terrorism may be funded or supported through organised crime, both sets of powers may be used together.

Anyone facing questioning or charges linked to both terrorism and organised crime should seek immediate specialist advice due to the seriousness and complexity of the allegations.

What to Do If You’re Accused of Involvement in an Organised Crime Group

Being accused of involvement in an organised crime group is terrifying. Many people describe feeling shocked, confused, and unsure who to trust. The stakes are high, and even a brief police interview can have serious consequences. Acting quickly and calmly is essential.

Your first step is to seek legal representation immediately. Do not attempt to explain yourself to the police or investigators without a solicitor present. Anything you say - even if you believe it helps - can later be used as evidence. You have the legal right to free and independent advice during questioning.

Next, avoid answering questions until you have spoken to a solicitor. Politely state that you want legal representation. Do not guess, speculate, or try to “clear things up”. Early mistakes are often the hardest to undo.

It’s also important to preserve any evidence that may help your defence. This might include text messages, call logs, emails, bank records, work schedules, or witness details. Do not delete anything, even if it seems unimportant. Your legal team can help assess what is relevant.

MMA Law’s Serious Crime Solicitors have extensive experience defending clients accused of organised crime and conspiracy-related offences. We understand how intimidating these investigations are and offer discreet, strategic support from the start. Our team will analyse the evidence, challenge unlawful procedures, and build a defence tailored to the facts of your case. Everything you share with us is confidential.

If you are worried about an arrest, an interview under caution, or an ongoing investigation, you do not have to face it alone. Contact us today for a free, 30-minute legal consultation.