PHYGITAL OC develops, tests, and operationalises advanced multi-agency analytical and investigative tools to counter ethnic mafia-style Organised Criminal Groups (OCGs). The project introduces intelligence-led Operational Task Forces (OTFs), cutting-edge techniques, and a dedicated ‘Operative Room’ within the Prosecutor’s Office of Florence to enhance coordination and response capabilities. Beyond EU Member States, PHYGITAL OC extends its scope to three key external regions—Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC), Africa, and the Western Balkans—due to their strategic links to mafia-style criminal networks affecting the EU.
Structured across five Work Packages (WPs), the project aims to:
- Observe, Detect, and Orient (WP2) EU and partner responses to ethnic crime,
- Decide and Plan Together (WP3) through coordinated action planning, and
- Fight, Prevent, and Disrupt (WP4) transnational criminal operations.
WP5 ensures efficient information management and communication throughout.
The project’s key objectives include:
- Enhancing the criminal intelligence picture through a comprehensive analysis of ethnic OCGs in Europe and a collaborative network of 20 agencies across the EU and strategic partner regions.
- Facilitating cross-border and financial investigations via Operation Rooms in Rome, Murcia, and Athens equipped for OSINT, HUMINT, and SIGINT activities, supported by 40 Liaison Officers and 120 OTF members trained through 10 international training courses.
- Strengthening capacities to combat drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings, by creating multicultural OSINT teams, deploying OTFs specialising in Digital as a Service (DaaS), and conducting 200 High Value Target analyses and 100 joint investigations.
PHYGITAL OC offers a comprehensive and innovative response to the evolving challenges of transnational organised crime, fostering cross-border cooperation, intelligence-led enforcement, and proactive disruption of ethnic mafia-style criminal groups.