The Harbor Rats are Old Harbor's most entrenched criminal organization — a mid-tier outfit of approximately 400 members who control smuggling operations through GLMZ's port infrastructure. They are not sophisticated. They are not glamorous. They are dock workers, stevedores, crane operators, and warehouse laborers who realized decades ago that the most valuable thing they possessed wasn't their labor but their access.

The Rats control what comes in and what goes out through a network of corrupted port workers, forged shipping manifests, and blind spots in the automated cargo scanning systems that they maintain through a combination of bribery and sabotage. Need to bring something into GLMZ without corporate customs knowing? The Harbor Rats can make it happen. Need to get something out? Same. Weapons, drugs, people, data storage (physical data smuggling remains relevant when network surveillance is total), stolen augmentation components, industrial equipment, biological samples — the Rats don't care what's in the container as long as they get paid.

The organization is structured around dock crews — teams of eight to twelve members who control specific sections of the port. Each crew operates semi-independently, running its own smuggling operations and paying a percentage to the organization's leadership. This structure makes the Rats resilient (lose one crew and the others continue) but also fractious (crews compete for the most profitable routes and occasionally settle disputes with violence).