Organized Crime

WHAT IS ORGANIZED CRIME?

Organized crime refers to a category of criminal activities that are coordinated and executed by powerful groups. These activities are typically planned in advance, characterized by a structured organization that allows for large-scale operations, often crossing regional and national borders. Organized crime is not limited to street crime but extends to various illicit enterprises that generate significant profits and exert influence over social, political, and economic systems.

DEFINITION:

• Organized crime involves criminal activities that are carefully controlled by established groups often engaged in a variety of illegal ventures, wielding significant power within society.

• Such enterprises can encompass activities from trafficking drugs and weapons to corruption and human trafficking.

NOTORIOUS ORGANIZED CRIME GROUPS:

• Italian Mafia: A historical crime organization in Italy known for its influence over various sectors, including construction and waste management.

• Russian Mafia: A collective of various organized crime groups originating from the former Soviet Union, involved in drug trafficking, arms dealing, and money laundering.

• Kosovar Albanians: Known for their role in the drug trade and human trafficking across Europe.

• Roma: Various groups within the Roma community have been linked to organized crime, particularly in Europe.

• Latin-American drug cartels: Powerful organizations from Latin America that control drug production, trafficking, and distribution, notably the Medellín and Sinaloa cartels.

• Yardies: Jamaican gangs involved in drug trafficking, especially in the UK and the USA.

• Yakuzas: Japanese organized crime syndicates known for their strict codes of conduct and involvement in gambling, drugs, and extortion.

• Triads: Chinese organized crime groups engaged in diverse illegal activities, particularly in Asia and in Chinese communities around the world.

FACETS OF ORGANIZED CRIME:

• Strategic Co-operation and Planning: Organized crime groups often display a high level of strategic cooperation, allowing them to effectively plan and execute their illicit activities without detection.

• Material Ends: The driving motivation behind organized crime is the pursuit of material gains, primarily focused on maximizing profit and power.

• Primary Purpose: The main aim of organized crime is financial gain, often at the expense of legal and ethical standards.

• Contrast with Terrorist Groups: Unlike terrorist organizations that may engage in violence for ideological reasons, organized crime predominantly seeks profit, although ideologically driven individuals or groups may resort to crime for funding purposes.

CONDITIONS FOR EXISTENCE:

• Groups Serving a Demand: Organized crime thrives in environments where there is a clear demand for illegal goods and services, fulfilling a gap left by legitimate markets.

• Demand for Illegal Goods/Services:

  • Examples: Various illegal items such as alcohol during Prohibition, illicit drugs, money laundering services, duty-free goods, and human trafficking services.

• Overpriced Products/Services: When legal alternatives become prohibitively expensive, black markets arise.

  • Examples: Counterfeit goods or gems that are overpriced in legitimate markets, leading to a demand for cheaper, illegal options.

• Inaccessible Goods/Services: Organized crime often fulfills the need for goods or services that are difficult to obtain through legitimate means.

  • Examples: Sensitive data or certain types of narcotics.

• Performance of Certain Crimes: Engaging in organized crime requires a high level of planning, expertise in specific areas, and access to necessary resources or manpower. Often these operations span large geographical regions covering various illegal products and services.

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ORGANIZED CRIME:

• Individual-Level Factors:

  • Opportunism: Individuals may resort to organized crime out of the availability of opportunities, fueled by personal circumstances.

• Environmental Factors:

  • Mafia Context: In regions where organized crime is prevalent, such as in some Italian cities, respectability and honor are tied to mafia involvement.

  • Forced Labor: Individuals may be coerced or feel they have no choice but to work within criminal organizations.

  • Misled Opportunities: Some may be misled into thinking they are part of legitimate ventures when they are not.

• Structural Factors:

  • Economic Factors: Economic deprivation and a lack of viable alternatives can push individuals towards organized crime, especially in areas transitioning from communist regimes.

  • Failed States: In regions with weak governance, organized crime can flourish due to a lack of law enforcement and oversight.

  • Lack of Morality/Cultural Acceptability: Societal norms regarding crime and what constitutes acceptable behavior vary widely, allowing organized crime to thrive.

  • Post-Prison Employment: Individuals leaving prison often struggle to find legitimate employment, increasing the likelihood of reoffending or joining criminal groups.

SUSTENANCE OF ORGANIZED CRIME GROUPS:

• Understanding the existence and sustainability of organized crime requires a multifaceted approach. A variety of factors contribute to their resilience despite legal and societal pressures.

• Organized criminal groups sustain themselves through:

  • Societal Factors:

  • Historical/Societal Evolution: Local histories, such as those seen in Sicily or through figures like Pablo Escobar, influence and normalize organized crime.

  • Economic Benefit: In some contexts, organized crime can provide economic stimulus for communities, as seen in Miami’s drug trade’s impact on local economies.

  • Intimidation: Fear of reprisal discourages communities from cooperating with law enforcement, allowing organized crime to operate with relative impunity.

ENFORCEMENT ISSUES:

• Law enforcement struggles against organized crime face numerous challenges:

  • Ineffective Convictions: Convicting individual members of organized crime does little to dismantle the overarching structure, and removal of key figures can often destabilize balance more than shut down operations.

  • Police Dynamics: Often, crime groups may have an understanding or even collaboration with police forces, complicating legal responses.

  • Resource Limitations: Law enforcement agencies may lack adequate funding and resources to effectively combat organized crime.

  • Collusion and Corruption: Inside men and political collusion can hinder efforts to eradicate organized crime.

  • Dodging Justice: Criminal groups develop ways to cover their tracks and evade law enforcement scrutiny.

  • Police Objectives: Law enforcement agencies can sometimes benefit from organized crime by creating opportunities for arrest and prosecution to justify funding and resources.

GLOBALIZATION OF CRIME:

• Increased connectivity through trade routes and technological advancements has led to a globalized landscape of organized crime:

  • Criminal Networks: These networks spread globally, facilitating illicit activities across borders.

  • Organizational Structure: Organized crime groups may adopt varied structures, such as hierarchical organizations or decentralized ad hoc groups.

  • Technological Advancements: The internet has become a double-edged sword, providing avenues for crime while also offering new resources and tools for law enforcement.

  • State Law/Security Variations: Differences in law enforcement and regulation across states create vulnerabilities that can be exploited by organized crime.

  • Poorly Governed Spaces: Regions with weak or non-existent governance present fertile grounds for actionable organized crime, leading to systemic instability.

  • Exploitation of Regulatory Differences: Criminal operations, particularly in money laundering, often take advantage of discrepancies in law across jurisdictions.

  • Capital Inequality: Wealth disparities create markets for organized crime, enabling its proliferation.

DRUG TRAFFICKING:

• Drug trafficking remains one of the most prominent aspects of organized crime, with major networks involved in:

  • Exporters:

  • Afghanistan: A leading producer of opiates, heavily linked to various organized crime syndicates.

  • Colombia: Historically associated with cocaine production and trafficking, impacting both local and global markets.

  • Destinations: Key markets for drug trafficking include Europe and North America, where demand is high.

  • Criminality in Production: Often, the production of drugs involves regional criminal organizations deeply embedded in local economies.

  • Process: The drug trafficking process includes production, transit, distribution, and filtering to consumers, supported by elaborate smuggling and laundering techniques.

  • Buffer: Large organized crime networks create buffers between drug production and consumer markets, ensuring profit margins remain high while evading law enforcement scrutiny.

  • Examples: The flow of opiates and cocaine involves complex channels from sources to end-users, frequently through specific trafficking routes.

THREATS TO STATE SECURITY:

• The presence of organized crime poses significant threats to state security, including:

  • Breaking Laws: Undermines the rule of law and undermines state governance.

  • Tax Evasion: Results in substantial revenue losses for governments, compounding economic challenges.

  • Societal Ills: Introduces various social issues, such as addiction, violence, and exploitation, detrimental to community health.

  • Violence: Organized crime can lead to increased homicide rates and street violence, impacting public safety.

  • Economic Suppression: Disrupts legitimate markets and can stifle the growth of lawful economies.

  • Security Risks: Migrant issues and associated security concerns can arise from illegal human trafficking and drug distribution.

  • Human Rights Violations: Organized crime often leads to significant human rights abuses, particularly concerning trafficked individuals.

Understanding organized crime requires a comprehensive analysis of these various dimensions, how they interconnect, and their implications for society as a whole. Through awareness, policies can be developed to combat and mitigate the impacts of organized crime both locally and globally.