Illicit business and crime

Illicit business and crime involve violent extremist groups or individuals engaging in illegal activities to fund their operations. These may include drug and arms trafficking, human smuggling, extortion, cybercrime, counterfeiting, money laundering and other criminal enterprises.

For example, the Serbian football hooligan group Principi (originally known as Janičari) has consistently promoted violent ethnonationalism since its formation in 2013, primarily through organized displays and chants at football stadiums.⁴⁸ Alongside their ideological activities, Principi developed a network of illicit financing. What began as a hooligan faction supporting Partizan Belgrade has reportedly evolved into an organized crime group engaged in drug trafficking, extortion, private security services and murder-for-hire.⁴⁹ This shift illustrates the complexities and possibilities of violent extremist financing. Drug trafficking has been the primary revenue source for Principi, thus becoming a dominant street-level distributor in Belgrade, handling cocaine as well as cannabis, amphetamines and MDMA.⁵⁰ Drugs and weapons were stored and distributed directly by members of Principi,⁵¹ underscoring the blurred boundaries between hooliganism and organized crime.