Introduction

Organized crime, as a field of study, has always occupied one of the most prominent places in criminology. However, from time to time, researchers tend to ask: what is new in the existing literature on organized crime; which new theoretical insights contribute to our understanding of this phenomenon; what new trends and markets have emerged in relation to organized crime activities? is it worthwhile to continue exploring ‘old’ research areas like drugs, human trafficking and so on? although some of these questions are hard to answer in a straightforward manner, it is clear that organized crime remains a topical and important issue. Mafias migrate, new forms of organized crime have popped up, traditional activities and modi operandi have been replaced by modern ones. The dynamics of organized crime activities, the fluid and vague structures of criminal organizations and the slow disappearance of secrecy and trust as a result of mass social media and new cyber technologies – all these phenomena require an adequate response from law enforcement and other local and global actors.