noun
Refers to criminal activities carried out by structured groups, such as the yakuza or mafia. Often used in legal, news, and sociological contexts.
警察は組織犯罪の取り締まりを強化している。
The police are stepping up their crackdown on organized crime.
犯罪組織 (criminal organization) refers to the group itself, while 組織犯罪 (organized crime) refers to the activities or the phenomenon.
Compound of 組織 (organization) and 犯罪 (crime). The term is a direct conceptual borrowing from English 'organized crime', likely entering Japanese in the 20th century.