"No one country can do it alone," Raman said. "Put in very stark terms, because of the reach of international criminal networks, we will be on our heels if we rely only on our own countries' law enforcement capabilities. We need one another."

Speaking to the International Association of Prosecutors North American and Caribbean Regional Conference, in Rhode Island this afternoon, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman said a "comprehensive, coordinated response" is essential to fight transnational criminals whose exploits are not limited to a country's borders.

The head of the U.S. Justice Department's Criminal Division today called on the world's law enforcement to work collaboratively to fight international crime.

Raman said the Justice Department is committed to "identifying and responding to the tactics and methods of criminal networks, even if they operate beyond our borders." That includes recent successes when pairing up with other agencies, like the forfeiture of a $700,000 home in Maryland that had been purchased with corruption proceeds traceable to a former governor of Nigeria.

She also highlighted the indictment announced in June of Sinovel Wind Group, a manufacturer of wind turbines in China, on charges of stealing trade secrets from an American company known as AMSC. The theft, she said, caused losses of over $800 million.

In her remarks, Raman didn't mention Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency contractor who recently exposed the scope of government intercepts of personal communication. Russia recently granted Snowden asylum, giving him a reprieve from a pending criminal case, based on the leaks, in Alexandria federal district court.

The Obama administration wasn’t pleased with Russia's decision to allow Snowden to remain in the country. The U.S. government considers him a fugitive.

"We will send the message loud and clear that criminals cannot hide in corners of the globe; they will be found and held to account," Raman said at the end of her prepared speech. "I look forward to what we will accomplish together."