Organised crime last year cost the national economy $10 billion and the groups responsible were increasingly taking advantage of cyber-space, according to a report by the Australian Crime Commission.
Drugs, particularly amphetamines, still made up half of all organised crime in Australia.
However, the report found that organised crime gangs used computer technology to advance their activities and were proving early adopters of new technologies, such as Second Life, MySpace, YouTube and Facebook.
The interaction portals, as well as internet banking and wireless technology, increasingly allowed criminals using false identities to infiltrate and influence vulnerable members of society.
The internet also allowed criminals to target Australians from overseas and the trend was expected to continue.
The ACC found that successful organised crime groups were typically involved in some form of financial crime or money laundering and had some connection with the illicit drugs market.
The ecstasy and cocaine markets were currently undergoing the most expansion in Australia.
Amphetamines were commonly developed within Australia and were the largest target for police.
While Canada remained a key shipping point for cocaine imports, Nigeria and Germany have emerged as the new cocaine embarkation points.
The report found that while some localised heroin markets had become more significant in size, overall the heroin market had remained relatively stable.
South-East Asia was the primary point of heroin shipments, yet the emergence of West African criminal networks in India was believed to have assisted in making India a significant port for heroin exports.
Scattered importations of heroin and cocaine by post continued to be the most frequently detected method.
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