From drugs and people trafficking to money laundering and tobacco smuggling, to sex offences against children - all these offences have a foreign dimension.

A recent UN report says the annual income from international crime could be as much as $2 trillion (£984 billion).

UK Government's fight against drugs and international crime

We use our global network of embassies and diplomatic posts around the world to support other UK Government departments who are working to prevent harm to the UK from drugs and international crime.

No crime threat can be addressed solely from within our borders which is why we believe it is better to:

• stop drug smuggling before the drugs hit the streets of the UK
• disrupt human traffickers in their source countries
• undermine international crime before the impact reaches the UK.

Our aim is to increase the capacity of foreign partners to combat the effect of drugs and crime on the UK.

Who do we work with?

We work closely with other UK Government departments and organisations to implement the UK's international effort against drugs and international crime:

• Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA)
• HM Revenue and Customs
• Home Office
• Metropolitan Police
• HM Treasury
• UK Border Agency
• Department for International Development

Our staff in London and our embassies offer practical and political support to operations in these countries – this is key to their success.

We also works bilaterally with foreign governments and multilaterally with partners such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to support our partners' activities.