Crime doubtlessly represents the 'other' or 'dark' side of globalisation. The ever increasing list of transnational crimes includes terrorism; drugs and arms trafficking; the smuggling and trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation and prostitution, as well as that of immigrants, antiquities and endangered species; corruption and state crimes; cybercrime and the theft of intellectual property.1 These crimes require a certain level of organisation, just like any other global business, and transnational crimes therefore fall under the rubric of organised crime. A recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) rates transnational organised crime as an extremely serious threat that affects all Member States and considers it "one of the world's most sophisticated and profitable businesses".2 Illegal transactions thus shadow the 'bright side' of globalisation, with its enormous opportunities for exchange, trade, communication, and business. As illegal entrepreneurs take advantage of these opportunities, organised and transnational crime is expected to overtake the legal global economy in terms of growth. Transnational organised crime also thrives on the "inability of the criminal law to globalize"3 and generate global and transnational instruments of crime control and criminal justice. Criminal justice systems are entrenched in the nation state and operate locally rather than across borders, and consequently the UNODC report states that "purely national responses are inadequate".4