A growing threat: child assassins in Europe
Under Europol’s leadership, several European states have launched a large operation to combat a rising threat: the recruitment of very young teenagers, sometimes as young as 12, by criminal networks for contract killings.
In recent months, dozens of minors have been identified in this structured system. Some were intercepted just before committing violent acts. This trend reflects the growing involvement of minors in drug trafficking. Criminals target them for their vulnerability and the perception of judicial impunity. According to Europol, minors are now involved in over 70% of criminal markets. These include drug trafficking, cybercrime, property crime, migrant smuggling, and associated violence.
Minors are especially exploited in cocaine and cannabis trafficking. They often act as street dealers, couriers, warehouse operators, and container drug extractors. They also carry out « rip-offs, » which are thefts of drugs from criminal supply chains. This activity, once rare among youth, now represents up to 10% of cases in some countries. These findings come from Europol’s 2024 report The Recruitment of Young Perpetrators for Criminal Networks.
A trigger: the killing of a driver in France
The investigation accelerated after a dramatic incident in Marseille, on October 4, 2024. A VTC driver was shot dead by a 14-year-old boy recruited online. This event revealed an underground network where adolescents are contacted online. They are then enrolled to carry out murders for several thousand euros. In response, Europol created a multinational Task Force. Its aim is to dismantle these recruitment networks quickly and trace the masterminds if possible.
New hunting grounds: gaming platforms and social media
Online games and social media are now the main tools used by criminal recruiters. Using commercial algorithms, they target young people lacking guidance, who are active online. Once contact is made, adolescents are gradually moved into private chat rooms. There, they are offered « contracts » disguised as challenges. These come with symbolic rewards and promises of financial gain. The goal is clear: to dehumanize the act and present violence as a personal achievement.
Recruiters use encrypted and anonymous communication tools. This makes it easier to form temporary private groups that are hard to trace. Messages can be set to self-delete, histories erased, and access limited to verified members. In these spaces, minors are exposed to coded and emotionally manipulative language. Criminals mix emojis, slang, visual symbols (like snowflakes for cocaine, trees for cannabis), and benign-sounding terms like “job” or “opportunity.” “Gamification” plays a key role too: missions are framed as exciting challenges. Trophies and rewards mimic influencer content and video game formats.
The Swedish case: a teen recruiter in Malaga
This pattern of remote recruitment is spreading across several European countries. One striking case comes from Sweden. A 15-year-old boy was arrested in Malaga, Spain, while officially on holiday with his parents. Authorities suspected him of using gaming platforms to recruit children into a criminal network. He targeted vulnerable teens and gradually pushed them toward criminal tasks. The boy applied manipulation techniques similar to those used by terrorist recruiters. These tactics were adapted to fit gang culture and youth language.
Investigators have identified over thirty adolescents recruited through similar methods. Some were intercepted before they could act. Several girls were among them. Two of these girls were recently stopped at a European border. They had a firearm and train tickets, likely headed to carry out a violent assignment. This case highlights the mobility and organization of such networks. Minors are moved across borders and used as tools of normalized violence.
A cynical use of children
According to Europol, the use of minors for violence is now openly strategic. Children are seen as “torpedoes”: cheap, discreet, and facing lighter penalties if caught. Authorities are observing increasingly sophisticated recruitment systems. These methods include playful representations of criminal acts.
Recruiters also use grooming techniques. They flatter young targets by offering them attention, validation, and a sense of community. Some minors are promised protection, money, or exclusivity. This instrumentalization of youth by criminal groups poses a major challenge.
European security services now face a new frontier. The main objective is to detect and disrupt these recruitment pipelines early. That means targeting the digital spaces that feed organized crime with new, very young operatives.
