We can already identify some of the trends that are likely to mark the evolution of organized crime in 2014. One is the issue of criminal migration, as organized crime in Mexico and Colombia, under increasing security force pressure, follows the path of least resistance, and sets itself up in other countries.

The Philippine Department of Justice is planning to re-open its investigation into an alleged rice smuggling cartel led by a “David Tan,” reports GMA News. Tan is believed to have spent more than $US 135 million in the past two years bribing customs officials according to AsiaOne.

Credit and debit card numbers that were stolen in a massive Target security breach are now being sold in black markets, reports the Los Angeles Times. 

Maritime drug trafficking along the Pacific coast from Mexico to the United States has risen steeply in recent years as overland smuggling has become more difficult, a pattern little reported amid fanfare over the reemergence of the Caribbean drug route.

Former Yugoslavian countries have raised more than US $50 million, some of which has come from “shadowy, unaccountable funds,” for accused war criminals reports Balkan Insight.

Authorities have detained more than 50 businessmen and local officials in the largest anti-bribery probe in Turkey this decade, reports Reuters.

Police in El Salvador say the country's gangs are "mutating" and becoming more deeply involved in drug trafficking, a development that adds to fears the gangs have used the truce between them to increase their strength and reach.

Former Russian public official Lev Lvov has been fined $US 29 million for attempted bribe taking, reports the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI). This is the largest fine in Russian history, the agency says.

Vertir Airlines, an Armenian company owned by the uncle of the man who heads Armenia’s Civil Aviation Department, has been accused by the U.S. Commerce Department for acting as a middleman for an Iranian airline in order to circumvent U.S. sanctions.

According to Global Financial Integrity (GFI)’s new report, the developing world lost nearly US$1 trillion in 2011 due to crime, corruption, tax evasion, and other illegal transactions. This represents an increase of almost 14 percent from 2010’s numbers, reports the non-profit organization.