Organized crime represents one of the most serious security threats facing the world today. Organized crime in the Czech Republic did not become a well-known problem until the mid-1990s, largely due to the initiatives of the international community against organized criminal activities. Legislative changes introduced in the Czech Republic since 1995 are reviewed and the challenges of conducting criminological research on organized crime are enumerated. The authors describe their research project, which was designed to learn more about the characteristics of organized crime and organized criminal groups operating in the Czech Republic during the period 200 through 2003. Data under analysis included official crime statistics and expert reports. The findings indicate that around 50 to 70 organized criminal groups operate in the Czech Republic with approximately 2,000 members altogether. Organized criminal activities in the Czech Republic largely consist of motor vehicle theft, drug smuggling and distribution, and resale of stolen goods. Other characteristics of organized crime and organized criminals are presented before the authors outline their research plans for the period 2004 through 2007, which involve the examination of corruption and terrorism as serious forms of organized crime.