High-tech crimes, such as document fraud, money laundering and online trading in illegal goods, are at the root of almost all serious criminality, Europe's police agency said on Thursday.

"These cross-cutting criminal threats enable and facilitate most, if not all, other types of serious and organized crime," such as drugs and people trafficking, Europol said in a study of organized crime that it publishes every four years.

So-called "ransomware", which blocks a person or company's computer until a fee is paid to unlock it, has become a major concern.

But traditional crimes also now rely increasingly on new technology, such as the drug trade's use of drones, and burglars using computers to scout neighborhoods online and track social media posts to see when people are away from home.

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