#espionage ring

• Intelligence network — The totality of secret agents, informants, or collaborators operating in a coordinated network of espionage or intelligence within a foreign state; a local agency or branch representing the hidden or official interests of an external power. In a historical sense, the term often describes operational networks used for gathering strategic intelligence.
• Intelligence network variant — An archaic form or old variant for the noun agentură; the totality of secret agents, informants, or collaborators in a spy network operating within a state; also, a local office, agency, or branch representing the official or hidden interests of a foreign power. The term is frequently used in 19th and 20th-century diplomatic and political documents.