Major Criminal Actors in China, Southeast Asia, and Africa

China

China's criminal landscape is characterized by a strict state that suppresses traditional mafias, leading to a focus on cybercrime, corruption, and transnational drug precursor networks.

Triads (in Decline Domestically)

Historically famous groups like the Sun Yee On and 14K have their roots in China but are now largely based overseas (Hong Kong, Macau, Southeast Asia, North America). Their power within mainland China has been severely curtailed by the government's aggressive anti-crime campaigns.

Primary Activities: Extortion, money laundering, and gambling operations, primarily in their overseas bases.

Cybercrime Syndicates

China is a global epicenter for sophisticated cybercriminal operations, often operating with implicit state tolerance as long as they target foreign entities.

Primary Activities: Business Email Compromise (BEC), ransomware, intellectual property theft, and large-scale online fraud schemes.

Chemical Trafficking Networks

This is where Chinese actors have the most significant global impact on the drug trade. They are the primary source of precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl and methamphetamine worldwide.

Primary Activities: Manufacturing and shipping legal but unregulated precursor chemicals to cartels in Mexico and Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia

The region is a hub for drug production, wildlife trafficking, and massive online scam operations, often involving transnational alliances and state-sponsored actors.

Wa Syndicate (Myanmar)

The United Wa State Army (UWSA) controls a semi-autonomous region in Myanmar and runs a massive drug production empire. They are arguably the most powerful criminal actor in the region.

Primary Activities: Production and trafficking of methamphetamine ("yaba", crystal meth) and heroin for the Asia-Pacific market. They also control much of the region's precursor chemical flow.

Online Scam Compound Syndicates (Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos)

A rapidly growing criminal industry involving large compounds, often in Special Economic Zones, that house and force thousands of people (often trafficking victims) to run online romance and investment scams.

Primary Activities: Large-scale cyber-scams, human trafficking, and modern slavery. These operations are often protected by corrupt local officials and military factions.

Transnational Cartel Alliances

Groups like the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) from Brazil and Sinaloa Cartel from Mexico have formed alliances with local syndicates in Southeast Asia to facilitate the global cocaine and methamphetamine trade.

Primary Activities: Using Southeast Asian routes to traffic drugs to Australia and other markets, and exchanging expertise in synthetic drug production.

Africa

African organized crime is highly diverse and entrepreneurial, focusing on resource theft, trafficking, and maritime piracy, often exploiting weak governance and vast ungoverned spaces.

D-Company (Nigeria)

Not a single group but powerful, networked syndicates, particularly from Nigeria, with a global footprint.

Primary Activities: Financial fraud (419 scams), heroin and cocaine trafficking to Europe, and human trafficking for prostitution in Europe.

Jihadist Insurgent Groups (Sahel & East Africa)

Groups like Al-Shabaab (Somalia) and ISIS-West Africa (Lake Chad Basin) finance their insurgencies through criminal activities.

Primary Activities: Extortion, kidnapping for ransom, and controlling smuggling routes for charcoal, drugs, and arms.

Pirate & Maritime Trafficking Networks (Gulf of Guinea, Horn of Africa)

The Gulf of Guinea is now the world's hotspot for piracy, while the Horn of Africa is a key transit zone for drug and arms smuggling.

Primary Activities: Kidnapping crew for ransom, hijacking oil tankers to steal cargo, and trafficking drugs from South America to Europe and the Middle East.

Summary

China: Dominated by cybercrime and chemical trafficking networks, with traditional Triads operating largely outside the mainland.

Southeast Asia: A production powerhouse, led by the Wa Syndicate's drug empire and the explosive growth of state-tolerated online scam compounds.

Africa: Characterized by highly entrepreneurial Nigerian syndicates, jihadist groups funding war through crime, and sophisticated maritime piracy and trafficking networks.

A key trend across all regions is the rise of network-based alliances over hierarchical organizations, and the increasing convergence of crime with insurgency and state corruption.