As defined in section 467.1 of the Criminal Code, a criminal organization is a group, however organized, that is comprised of three or more people in or outside Canada, and one of its main purposes is the facilitation or commission of one or more serious offences that would likely result in the material benefit of members of the group. Simply put, if a group of three or more people join together to plan and commit serious offences for their benefit, they can be considered a criminal organization. These groups include gangs, and groups of people trafficking in child pornography. The definition of a criminal organization is purposely broad, in order to deter people from coming together and benefitting from criminal activity. There are certain offences specifically criminalizing the activities of a criminal organization. Canadian law prohibits the participation in activities of a criminal organization, commissioning an offence for a criminal organization, instructing people to commit an offence for the criminal organization, and the recruitment of members. All of these offences criminalize a broad scope of behaviors carried out to benefit a criminal organization. Even if someone is not acting on orders from the organization, but their criminal activities indirectly benefit the organization’s interests, they can be considered as part of a criminal organization.