Hostile States Exploit UK Crime Gangs, NCA Chief Warns
The boss of the National Crime Agency (NCA), Graeme Biggar, has sounded the alarm over hostile nations like Russia and North Korea using UK-based organised crime gangs to carry out illegal schemes and steal cash. Speaking on the NCA’s latest crime threat assessment, Biggar revealed worrying links between serious criminals and foreign state actors.
North Korea’s Cyber Heists and Russia’s Crime Ties
Biggar highlighted North Korea’s long-running cybercrime campaigns to plunder funds, now targeting cryptocurrency too. Meanwhile, Russia tolerates cyber gangs operating on its turf, with connections to powerful oligarchs. Shockingly, hostile states have started using UK organised crime groups—regardless of nationality—as proxies to do their dirty work. The NCA is teaming up with MI5 and counter-terror police to track this growing threat.
UK’s Hidden Threat: Hundreds of Thousands Pose Sexual Danger to Children
The NCA head revealed a chilling fact: up to 830,000 people in the UK pose a sexual threat to children—ten times the prison population. Biggar warned that the flood of online abuse images normalises such behaviour, pushing some to commit child abuse. Alarmingly, this includes AI-generated content too.
Organised Crime’s £12bn UK Empire and Migrant Exploitation
Some 59,000 serious criminals rake in around £12 billion yearly from illegal activities across Britain. The UK also launders an estimated £100 billion of dirty money from global crime. One standout problem is gangs exploiting migrants arriving by small boats—numbers doubled last year to over 45,000. Gangs now cram people into flimsy, disposable boats, risking countless lives.
Drugs, Fraud and Tech – The Crime Mix Threatening Britain
- Illegal drugs fuel violence, theft, firearm crimes, and modern slavery. The UK consumes near 120 tonnes of cocaine and 40 tonnes of heroin yearly. Some areas have seen a 25% rise in cocaine use, while authorities race to prevent a fentanyl crisis like America’s.
- Online fraud accounts for more than 40% of crime. A massive 75% of fraud is conducted fully or partly from overseas. Biggar exposed how generative AI and deepfake videos make scams harder to spot.
- New tech like end-to-end encryption poses huge challenges to law enforcement. Biggar insists the NCA must stay ahead with sustained investment and better partnerships with tech firms to balance privacy with public safety.
Biggar concludes: “We must harness technology’s benefits while cracking down on its dark side. Only through bold vision and teamwork can we keep Britain safe.”
