ABSTRACT
Transnational organized crime (TOC) is commonly associated with offenders who freely roam a globalized world. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an alternative view; one which assumes that political borders as well as legal, cultural and language barriers continue to pose substantial challenges for criminals. The theoretical starting point for the present discussion is the assumption that transnational crimes are not fundamentally different from any other forms of criminal behaviour in that offenders exploit opportunities characterized by a lucrative target in the absence of sufficient protection (Cohen and Felson 1979). The international context, however, may influence the way opportunities present themselves. In some respects the ‘transnationality’ of a crime may work in favour of the offenders, making it easier, more rewarding and less risky to commit a crime, while in other respects, the ‘transnationality’ of a crime provides extra challenges. From this perspective offenders in general are problem solvers, but transnational offenders face problems that are specific to, or are more salient because of, the international context.
