Organized Crime FINAL 2025

What percent of all transplanted organs are trafficked?

10%

What are the major forms of organ trafficking?

Trafficking for commercial sale (poor sell organs for money), harvesting from the dead (no consent), forced removal, state sanctioned

Kosovo Yellow House Case

During Kosovo war in the 90s there was evidence of organ extraction from Serbian war prisoners

Istanbul Declaration

To reduce organ trafficking, Istanbul prohibited organ trafficking and transplant tourism. Stated that the poor were being exploited

Source regions for organ trafficking

The key hotspots/transportation are in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Nepal), Middle East & Africa (Egypt, Nigeria, Sudan), Eastern Europe (Moldova, Ukraine, Russia)

What is one of the primary reasons that organ trafficking exists?

There is lots of demand for organs, and not enough donors (people on the list wait years or never get an organ they need to live)

Jeffrey Epstein Case

Trafficked minors under the the promise/lie of modeling opportunities

Brock Turner Case

Stanford student sentenced to only six months for sexual assault because anything longer than that would “affect his future”

Nirbhaya Case

Woman on bus in India was gang-raped and fatally assaulted by a group of men when traveling with her male friend. Large protest for the protection of women happened and laws were passed to improve investigation and prosecution times of sex offenders

Which populations are vulnerable to sexual exploitation?

Women, minors, marginalized groups, sex workers, ethnic/religious minorities

Sex Crimes

Sexual acts performed without consent, through coercion, force, or exploitation

What factors might make a sexual action illegal or a crime?

Lack of consent, when someone involved is too young to give consent, drugs/alcohol, physical/mental disabilities

What legal framework recognized rape as a crime against humanity?

International Criminal Court (ICC)

Grooming

Building trust with a minor to manipulate them into sexual activity

What are some challenges to prosecuting gang rape cases?

Perps intimidating victims or witnesses, possible lack of evidence, cultural attitudes towards rape/assault

Honor Based Killing

When a woman or young girl is murdered by a male family member. They believed their actions are justified by claiming the victim dishonored their family or culture

Sextortion

Using sexual images or videos to extort money or further exploitation

Marital Rape

Non-consensual sex within a marriage

What are some examples of early forms of terrorism?

Killing people as part of their “religious duty”, killing Roman soldiers and Jewish people to send a message, killing politicians who didn’t adopt specific form of Islam

How is terrorism different from traditional forms of crime?

Terrorism is goal oriented, dedicated to a cause, doesn’t cooperate with officials, careful planning, they prepare and rehearse

Terrorism

Use of force and violence against persons or property to
intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives

Types Of Terrorism

Political, Religious, Ethnonationalist, Cyberterrorism

Left-Wing Terrorism

Wants to overthrow capitalism

Religious Terrorism

Groups believe they are acting on divine command. Based in religious ideologies

Ethnonationalist Terrorism

Violence used to advance the political goals of an ethnic or nationalist group

Cyber Terrorism

Use of the internet to carry out attacks, spread propaganda, or disrupt infrastructure

Right-Wing Terrorism

White supremacist, fascist, anti-government ideologies

Narco-Terrorism

Drug cartels using terrorist tactics to control markets or fight government forces

The Thugs/Thuggees

They strangled and dissected victims in isolated areas and preyed on travelers as part of their religious duty, Hindu and Muslim Indians

Zealots of Judea

Political movement to rebel against Roman Empire. Killed Roman soldiers and sometimes Jewish people with hidden daggers in crowds for collabing with Romans. Earliest known group that exhibited aspects of a terrorist org

The Assassins

Stabbed politicians and clerics who refused to adopt their form of Islam, used their own deaths as forms of publicity, martyrdom was used to reach paradise

FARC

Colombian leftist guerrilla group involved in drug trafficking, Marxist-Leninist insurgency

Aum Shinrikyo

Japanese religious Doomsday terrorist cult that left bags filled with toxic liquid nerve agents on a train which hurt and killed many people

ETA

Basque nationalist group that using car bombs in Spain to show they wanted independence

Oklahoma City Bombing

Right-wing attack, ex-army soldier has bomb inside a truck and blows it up outside of a federal building, hated the government

Boko Haram

Nigerian Jihadist militant terrorist group, wants to overthrow Nigerian government and replace it with Sharia Law, name means “Western education is forbidden”, kidnapped youngs girls in school, many still missing

Al-Shabaab

Somalian terrorist group with ties to Al-Qaeda, gunmen attacked the Westgate Mall in Kenya to get back at Kenyan military for deploying in Somalia

Earth Liberation Front

American Eco-Terrorists, wants to stop exploitation and destruction of the environment/forests, used arson to company buildings causing millions of dollars in damage

al-Qaeda

Religious terrorists responsible for 9/11 and embassy bombings, global Jihadist network

ISIS

Wants to establish a “caliphate”, also justifies attacks as part of global jihad, online propaganda/recruitment, hacking attempts, worldwide terrorist attacks,

4 Waves Of Terrorism

Anarchist (provoking state to lead to popular revolt), Anti-Colonial/Decolonization (freedom for indigenous peoples to decide own system/structure), New Left/Leftist Anti-Western Sentiment (strategies for political change, Marxism, separatism, international terrorism booms), Religious Inspiration (terrorism inspired by religious ideas, current wave, anti-west mostly, far enemies)

State Terrorism and why it’s a contested term?

Terrorism conducted by a state against its own citizens or state’s citizens. It’s contested because typically terrorism is caused by non-state actors, terrorism itself has no one definition, makes governments seem delegitimized

Which U.S. government agency was created as a response of 9/11?

Department of Homeland Security

Environmental Crimes

Illegal acts which directly harm the environment and violate environmental regulations

Why are criminals attracted to environmental crimes?

Low risk, high profit, minimal prosecution

Major Forms Of Environmental Crimes

Illegal wildlife trade, illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances, dumping and illegal transport of various kinds of hazardous waste, unregulated and unreported fishing, logging and trade in timber

What drives illegal trade of endangered species?

Demand in fashion, traditional medicine, and exotic pets

Corporate Crimes (2 examples)

Illegal activities committed by companies that harm the environment, dumping toxic oils into the Amazon rainforest and car brands cheating on emissions tests

Which group dumped toxic waste in Italy/Triangle of Death?

The Italian Camorra

Basel Convention

Global treaty to prevent hazardous waste dumping across borders

E-Waste, where is it dumped and by whom?

Discarded electronic/electrical devices that nobody wants or needs, typically dumped in Africa (Ghana) or Asia by industrialized countries

Just War Theory

Some wars are acceptable and some aren’t, develops principles for legitimate warfare

Jus Ad Bellum (Just Cause)

When is it acceptable to go to war? bans aggressive war

Jus In Bello (Just Means)

What is acceptable to do in war? bans unnecessarily cruel or destructive tactics

Atrocity Crime

International crimes: genocide, crimes
against humanity and war crimes

Genocide

Deliberate and systematic destruction/killing of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group

8 Stages of Genocide

Classification (separating us vs. them), Symbolization (distinguishing people by color, dress, symbols), Dehumanization (denying humanity of affected group), Organization (The state making plans for genocide), Polarization (Propaganda), Preparation (separating victims, death lists), Extermination (mass killing), Denial (Denying any crimes happened/hiding evidence)

Child Soldier

A child that is forced/coerced/kidnapped into becoming a soldier for some type of armed force/ group (mostly 14-18, some as young as 7)

What is the allowed international age for military involvement?

Typically 18, but some allow as young as 16

What are the different motivational categories of cyber actors?

Explorers, Good Samaritans, Hackers, Machiavellians, Exceptions, Avengers, Career thieves, Moles

Black Hat Hacker

Only interested in personal goals and financial gain, regardless of impact

White Hat Hacker

Good guys. Report hacks/vulnerabilities to appropriate people, lives by code

Why is cybercrime appealing to organized crime groups?

Safer than trafficking crimes, allows scaling operations with fewer physical risks, lower penalties, less violence

Cybercrime

Using the Internet to commit a crime (identity theft, hacking, viruses, etc)

Phishing

General cyberattack aimed to steal sensitive information

Spear-Phishing

Targeted cyberattack to steal sensitive information from a specific person or company

What was the motivation of early hackers vs. now?

Early hackers motivated by seeking status or information, now they do it for financial gain and involve organized crime

Malware

Software with a malicious purpose (viruses, trojan horses, spyware)

What is a major challenge for law enforcement when it comes to cybercrime?

Different laws between countries, hackers can hide their info and make themselves appear as if they are in a completely different country/different person