...threat in Europe is organized crimes Organized criminal activity in Europe, it is widely accepted, has grown enormously in the last decade. The last ten-fifteen years have witnessed great changes in the political makeup of Europe, the collapse of Communism in 1989 and the deepening and widening of the European Union, through the establishment of the Treaties, have all been factors in the contribution to the growth of organized crime. Although organized crime is certainly not a new phenomenon it has become, in recent years, increasingly more widespread and highly sophisticated, taking advantage of the advances in technology, particularly in the field of communications. It has also been quick to adapt and exploit the changing political and economic mechanisms within Europe. This is particularly the case with the transition economies of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) in Eastern Europe. The dramatic changes that followed 1989 and the resultant political and economic chaos have left many CIS countries extremely vulnerable to organized crime. Why has Organized Crime Increased? The reasons for the increase in organized crime are many and varied. One of the most important reasons for the sudden increase in organized criminal activity was the signing of the SEA (Single European Act) in 1986 and its introduction and provision, which states the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital, also provided a favorable situation for organized crime. The wholesale...
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...Cottingham English 101 TTH Mr. Mark Rooze November 23, 2009 Drug Trafficking in the U.S. In the United States, there are two basic roots of evil that inspire more than a majority of all criminal activity, greed and drugs. Money and drugs go hand in hand in the U.S. and many places all over the world. The drug epidemic has been sweeping the world and the United States rapidly. More and more Americans are admitting to using drugs regularly. “An estimated 14.8 million American currently use illicit drugs” (Go). This means there is a huge demand and a wide range of demographics for drug dealers. “The 2004 National Drug Threat Assessment reports that in adults, age eighteen to twenty-five, 15.4 percent report having used cocaine in their lifetime, 53.8 percent report having used marijuana, and 15.1 percent report having used MDMA (commonly known as "Ecstasy")” (Swanson). The U.S. government is spending billions to fight a so called war on drugs. For the past 50 years the drug trade has increasingly grown in popularity. It is the biggest money making industry in the world. It is estimated that the highest annual income is around $400 billion with a gross profit margins of 300 percent, making the drug trade worth more than the annual budget of the U.S. DOD (Department of Defense). The demand for illicit drugs is greater worldwide than the demand for textiles and automobiles. It is said that of all international trade, 8% of that is illegal narcotics, while textiles make up 7.5% and...
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...2008 Global Organized Crime Globalization has brought about many new ways of communication and different ways of interaction. Helping societies progress in the ever changing world by introducing beneficial styles and ideas to each other are just some of the positive concepts to result from globalization. Unfortunately, globalization has also led to negative concepts such as illegal trade and other various crimes. Organized Crime has been around for centuries and now exists in a variety of distinctive manners in almost every section of the globe. How is the world today so polluted with crime, and why is there a substantial presence of gangs, racketeering and counterfeiting throughout our society? Global organized crime rose greatly in the early modern era during times of the spice trade and well through the industrial revolution. Throughout this period, markets became self-regulating as well as less dependent on the state from where they were located or originated. The world was rapidly becoming more globalized and crime evolved with it as well. Underground organizations at the time could not be prevented from carrying out illegal trade as well as smuggling. As the world was changing, so were methods of illegal operations. Older structures of organized crime were more centralized. All through the time of the early modern era, organized crime became more diverse, decentralized, and highly mobile, similar to how it is today. In the present day global organized crime has developed...
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...The mafia has been participating in a love/hate relationship with the world of illegal drugs for many years. For a number of years the moneymaking entity has been narcotics and earning the gross domestic product of most countries. However, right in the center of it all was the mafia. The Sicily Cosa Nostra has one of the most successful businesses that are drug related of course. The Sicily mafia earns approximately 130 billion Euros, nearly 165 billion, and profit approximately 70 billion euro in which adds up to 90 billion in American dollars (Wise, 2008). The earning is after all investments and expenses are deducted. The Sicily mafia is indeed one of the prevalent companies in Italy. Drug trafficking alone earning nearly 59 billion Euros year, which is considered to be one of the main sources of income for Sicily mafia as well as for other organized crime in general (Wise, 2008). The Sicily involvement in the illegal drug industry is so big that other methods have evolved. For instance, loan sharking. Loan sharking is one of the most recent activities that has been invented and up scaling to greater height as a source of income from the business sector (Wise, 2008). The mafia organization has stretch beyond your typical contraband, extortion, and drug dealing, but has gained access into different sectors of the legitimate economy (Wise, 2008). For instance, tourism, restaurants and food production (Wise, 2008). According to Confesercenti, the Sicily mafia alone is worth nearly...
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...Africa has heated up as a hot spot for Transnational Organized Crime groups. This region is being used as a major transit route for illegal drugs being transported to Europe and United States. This is heroin’s many route west and methamphetamine’s route toward Asia. “TOC exacerbates corruption and undermines the rule of law, democratic processes, and transparent business practices in several African states that already suffer from weak institutions.” (n.d.). This is giving the Transnational Organized Crime groups the ability to operate in West Africa. Corruption, open borders, location, and weak law enforcement allows these areas to become narco-states. For example, Guinea-Bissau is very close to being unable to combat these organizations....
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...Medellin Organized crime has been a problem since the early 1900s and has grown to become a major problem for law enforcement. The start of organized crime is known to be part of the prohibition from the early 1920s. In the 1920s organized crime groups were first known to society members as gangs. Most gangs were known to be immigrants from the same group that gather together to commit illegal crimes on other society members or the government. In the United States, organized crime is also known as racketeering. In 1970, congress passed an act known as the RICO act. RICO stands for "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act” (Organized crime, 2003). This act made it easier for law enforcement officials to prosecute individuals who have not committed a crime but has been found guilty of being the head person in charge of an organized crime group. In order for a organized crime group to succeed in a committing crime, history proves that blackmail, bribery, and other forms of manipulation have been used by gang members to gain what they want form society members. One of the best ways that organized crime groups have continued to succeed in the United States is because they have been known to have connections with many different levels of law enforcement and within the government. Organized criminal groups are known to be the main contributors of drug trafficking. Today the types of crimes committed by organized crime groups have grown. As organized crime groups have...
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...regard to illegal goods and activities brought into the country. The United States has continually fought terrorism, human trafficking, cyber-crimes, organized crime, money laundering, drugs, weapons, and illegal goods brought into the United States from other countries. With Civil Laws and Common Laws so different amongst all nations, this leaves room for error and many barriers. Additionally, policing systems are set up contrarily which impacts the larger organizations and vice versa. Assessing criminal justice from a global perspective * Many organized groups and networks prey on a weak government to achieve the organization’s goal to make profit from their illegal activities. “The political turmoil of the 21st century and advances in technology make transnational crime a concern for the United States. Increased travel and trade and advances in telecommunications and computer technology have had the unintended effect of providing avenues for the rapid expansion of transnational organized crime activities. Policing objectives in the United States must extend beyond national borders to seek out and target this type of crime. Only through international collaboration and information exchange can the United States develop effective protocol and policies for countering these crimes and mount a serious opposition” (Transnational Organized Crime, para 3.). “The trend for...
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...illegally transport people, goods, or drug into or out of a country. Smuggling dates back to the 1820s, an interesting fact is that back then our country were the ones smuggling over into Mexico. Fast forward to a 100 years to the 1920s when the alcohol prohibition fueled smuggling between Mexico and the United States. The prohibition is which led to a federal presence of policing the border. Smuggling does not only pertain to goods, human smuggling dates back to the 1800 when slaves would flee over the Mexican border. The Mexican Army was forced to send out garrisons of troops to attempt to end this. Many illegal immigrants cross over into the U.S and are able to find work. This...
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...Personal Perception of Organized Crime Angela Garlets CJA/384 Jack Tandy 2/2/2014 Introduction Crime can be defined in many ways. Everyone has their own opinion on how crime is defined. Organized crime consists of a group of people that seek to do harm on others for wealth or to prove a point. We cannot underestimate organized crime groups because of the danger factor. All we have to do is be prepared and know how to deal with them. The way that some groups are successful is that they are able to outsmart people and to be able to pay off some of those people. Organized Crime I would define organized crime as crime that is committed by a group of 2 or more people. Crimes committed by these organized crime groups can vary from petty to misdemeanor crimes and to arson and murder. Organized crime groups can vary in race, color, and ethnicity. You can have a motorcycle gang that deals with drugs and guns. They sell the guns to other gangs or subordinates. With drugs, motorcycle gangs work as transporters for another gangs or a drug lord. This is one way a gang would make money is to transport drugs and sell guns. Animal rights activists or environmentalists, “Tree huggers”, can be an organized crime group because they can be a threat to society because their beliefs. They will protest and cause damage and harm to innocent people to get their point across. This usually consists of protest rallies, burning down buildings or causing damage to private property...
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...Personal Perception of Organized Crime Kassandra Franklin CJA/384 May 9, 2013 Theresa Bunn Personal Perception of Organized Crime Organized Crime an organization in existence before the development of the criminal justice system the organization a “continuing and self-perpetuating criminal conspiracy with an organized setting, and fed with fear and corruption, and motivation of the excitement of greed” within the organization. The organization is a conspiratorial enterprises engaging in illicit activities as a mean of generating income known on the streets as “Black Money” developed like a pyramid shaped hierarchy, freely to employ violence and bribery to maintain the operations. The organization makes threats of grievous retribution that could result in murder to maintain internal and external control and contribution. Election Campaigns buy political patronage for immunity from exposure and prosecution. Activities within the operation include credit card fraud, transporting fire arms, illegal gambling, insurance fraud, kidnapping for ransom, drugs/narcotics trade, pornography, prostitution, racketeering, and vehicle theft. The organization involves international terrorism often related to “Cyber Technology” and covers almost every nation and segment of society. Organized crime is a modern and sophisticated method using credible organizations, including charities, and high-tech firms a front to move large sums of weapons, and money. The street name for such organizations...
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...INTRODUCTION The present global socio-economic-political and technological landscapes have undeniably pose serious challenges and opportunities to the United States as the only super power in the world at the present. It is not only globally superior in terms of military might and technology but also the biggest economy in the world. Such epitome of global success and leadership for more than a century has been the very beneficial to the U.S. and its economy particularly in the pre-9/11 and pre-2007 global financial crisis eras. But these events particularly the 9/11 attack for example have created serious blow to the U.S. global leadership and its image. Like in the area of the U.S. foreign policy in which its global image defends upon that has also significant implications on its economy, global economic and political interest. Hypothesis The evolution U.S. Foreign Policy for example has been intertwined with the changes of the socio-economic-political and technological landscapes. But for the first time in U.S. History, Terrorism has become the major cause of the abrupt changed in its Foreign Policy which has some serious implications on its national security, political and economic interests in different regions of the globe including West African region which composed of countries like Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria...
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...Organized crime and terrorism generally has different objectives, but most of their criminal activities overlap each other. For instance, terrorist groups use organized crime activity to fund their political purposes; and they most time adapt the conventional tactics of organized criminal groups such as generating profits from drug trafficking, and other illegal trade. In addition to this, terrorist sometimes conducts attacks such as kidnapping, bank robberies, smuggling of contraband, and other illicit activities only to further their cause; equally, organized crime uses their to gain more money for power (Mullins, & Wither, 2016). The organized crime groups provide clean papers to terrorists for them to move from city to city undetected....
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...The Drug Business Tawni Masters CJA 384 January 30, 2012 Sherryl Roten-West The Drug Business The illegal drug business in the United States is not a new business. This business has been around for quite some time. In this paper I will discuss the history of illegal drug business in the United States including the types of drugs that involved in the illegal drug business. I will also be discussing illegal drug syndicates and cartels a long with their structures and operational methods. Also I will be talking about some of the modern trends of organized drug trafficking. Finally I will answer, explain, and provide recommendations to the question, is there is a better solution to the ways in which we combat the drug business in the United States. The illegal drug business in the United States consists of all different types of activities from drug use to drug sales to producing and manufacturing to trafficking. Until the 1940’s most Italian Mafia leaders were strict with their rules telling their outfits that they were to avoid dealing drugs. A few leaders, notably Charles “Lucky” Luciano, broke that rule and used their organizations to push other gangs out of the drug trade and developed sophisticated networks for importing and selling illegal drugs in the United States (Mazzeno, 2011). During World War II illegal drugs were becoming less available in the U.S. because traffickers had a difficult time importing the drugs from overseas areas that were already in a conflict...
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...years, drugs have been prohibited by laws that the governments have imposed to prevent its illicit distribution and consumption. However, it is not a secret for many of us that Humans have been using psychedelic drugs since the beginning of time, and laws to regulate these substances are rather a new concept. So, that is why we think this way of preventing drug use is not the right one, the reality is that the strategy of drug prohibition, not drug use itself, is largely responsible for almost the same social pathologies produced by the drug consumption; as poverty, crime, lack of productive employment, marginalization, public health problems, among others. Briefly, drug liberation seems to be the new trend, but to what degree will the government relax drug laws before it is too much? Understanding the possible social benefits at legalizing drugs, we strongly believe that drugs use should be legalized by the government in order to win the Drug War. The first reason why drug use should be allowed is that drug legalization would mean a lower price. All illegal drugs are very expensive (their price is determined by a demand-led, unregulated marked) because their production, transportation and sale is very dangerous. So “some dependent users resort to stealing to raise funds (accounting 50% of UK property crime – estimated at £2 billion a year) most of the violence associated with illegal drug dealing is caused by its illegality” (urban 75, n.d) when people developed drug habits...
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...Controlling Organized Crime CJA384 Controlling Organized Crime Since the 1990’s, organized crime has become a problem among U.S. citizens. The Mafia was the earliest group to show its strengths of power and manipulation among citizens and business of New York City. From the time of the Mafia’s rise, other criminal organizations have surfaced using their power to corrupt personal within business for the gain of finance and political strength. In today society, one of the main question when it comes to these groups is how can criminal organizations be controlled? This paper will identify the problems presented and the various relationships established by organized crime. It will describe the legal limitations associated with combating organized crime, including a critique of major federal laws and strategies that support this effort. This paper will end with a suggestion of a realistic solution to control organized crime by discussing and evaluating the effectiveness of organized crime prosecutions. Problems Presented and Relationships Established It needs to be remember that organized crime is defined as any crime that threatens peace and human security, violates human rights and undermines economic, social, cultural, political and civil development of societies around the world (United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, n.d.). The above definition was provided by the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime and that is just one of the many law enforcement groups that have...
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