Organized crime in the 2000s
Organized crime in the 2000s saw a significant transformation, evolving from traditional groups like the Italian American Mafia to more complex, transnational networks. While efforts to combat organized crime in North America had effectively diminished the influence of established crime syndicates by the end of the twentieth century, new groups emerged, often based in South Asia, Russia, Latin America, and Africa. These organizations operated across borders, utilizing advanced communication technologies, including the Internet, to coordinate their activities. Unlike their predecessors, these new groups had less hierarchical structures, often outsourcing operations to local gangs and fostering decentralization.
Criminal activities during this period included traditional crimes such as drug trafficking, extortion, and human trafficking, but also expanded into sophisticated scams and identity theft, fueled by online interactions. Additionally, ties between organized crime and terrorist organizations became more prevalent, with arms trafficking identified as a significant concern. Law enforcement faced challenges in addressing these evolving threats, requiring international cooperation that was not always forthcoming. The economic impact of organized crime was staggering, with estimates suggesting it generated around $870 billion in income globally in 2009, affecting individuals and economies alike. The human toll was also considerable, with victims often experiencing severe emotional and physical harm, particularly in sex trafficking and immigration fraud scenarios.
Organized crime in the 2000s
Criminal activities conducted by organized groups to operate illegal businesses, corrupt the political or law enforcement process, or materially affect legitimate business through extortion or other criminal tactics
Although activities of traditional organized crime groups in North America were curtailed by the end of the twentieth century, new organizations arose to take their place in running sophisticated criminal networks that challenged law enforcement agencies and affected economic prosperity both the United States and Canada.
During the 2000s, the face of organized crime changed but the central problem persisted in both the United States and Canada. As a result of a 1970 statute, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act, which allowed the United States government to prosecute individuals suspected of engaging in organized crime activities, by 2000 the influence of traditional organized crime groups like the Italian American Mafia in areas such as gambling, prostitution, racketeering, drug trafficking, and other corrupt practices was substantially circumscribed. Nevertheless, the threat from organized crime to law-abiding citizens’ safety and security and to the economic health of the United States and Canada continued, as other criminal groups arose or were strengthened.
The Changing Face of Organized Crime
The criminal organizations that posed the most serious threats in North America during the period from 2000 to 2009 were ones based in South Asia, Russia, Latin America, and Africa. These groups differed from the Mafia in three important ways. First, they were transnational. Aided by improved communications, especially the Internet, these groups often operated in two or more countries, sometimes on two or more continents. Second, the command-and-control structure of new groups was notably different from the hierarchical organization of traditional groups like the Mafia. While a formal organization may have made it easier for leaders in the Mafia to control operations, the existence of that structure also allowed law enforcement officials to identify group members and negate activities once leaders were apprehended. By contrast, new criminal groups tended to have a less formal structure and be more willing to outsource activities to other groups. It was not uncommon for law enforcement officials to discover that local street gangs in the United States were being employed by Mexican or Colombian drug lords who managed a sophisticated and often decentralized supply network that involved several different groups in South, Central, and North America. Even traditional organizations like the Mafia began contracting with violent gangs like the Hells Angels to carry out violent activities such as contract murder. A third important change was the growth of government sponsorship of organized crime. In a number of countries, especially Third World countries, government leaders gave protection to criminal networks in exchange for a share of profits. A handful of officials also made enormous personal profits from illegal sales organized by criminal networks.
Criminal Activities and Practices
As they had done for decades, between 2000 and 2009 organized criminal groups continued to engage in what may be termed traditional activities: loan sharking, union infiltration to skim profits, gambling, drug trafficking, prostitution, and extortion of legitimate businesses. Theft for resale continued to provide a lucrative source of illegitimate profits, from mundane items such as cigarettes to sophisticated computer hardware and software. Organized crime also became heavily involved in the sale of stolen prescription drugs and fraudulent medicines. At the same time, activities that had been practiced on a modest scale in the past were stepped up, particularly human trafficking. The desire for foreign nationals to enter the United States or Canada presented a lucrative opportunity for criminal organizations to develop sophisticated networks to smuggle in immigrants, often collecting exorbitant fees for their services. Additionally, sophisticated networks were created to bring in young women for the sex trade; these women frequently were abused and even enslaved by those who arranged their entry into the country. Another form of trafficking also became popular: the illegal sale of natural resources. Criminal groups stole exotic wildlife, precious metals and gems, and particularly energy resources such as oil and natural gas for resale to customers willing to overlook the source of these commodities.
The growing pervasiveness of the Internet allowed criminal groups to capitalize on sophisticated scams to prey on unsuspecting victims who believed they were engaging in legitimate electronic business transactions. Criminal groups also created systems for engaging in identity theft, allowing them to steal from individuals’ financial accounts without having to engage in any direct contact with victims. The same electronic systems that have permitted the transfer of funds internationally between banks in different countries have also been used by organized crime for money laundering. In 2009, more than eleven million people in the United States were victimized, at a cost of $54 billion.
Perhaps the most disturbing trend is the growing link between organized crime groups and revolutionary or terrorist organizations. Frequently these arrangements involve transfer of weapons, often from the United States. For example, in 2008 an international arms dealer was arrested and charged with supplying arms to the Revolutionary Armed Forces in Colombia (FARC). Two years earlier, United States customs agents uncovered a smuggling ring that was obtaining weapons and military equipment in the United States for shipment to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
Law Enforcement Efforts
The growth of translational organized crime posed significant challenges for law enforcement agencies in North America. To be effective in eliminating these groups or at least minimizing their effectiveness, cooperation among agencies of different nations became mandatory. While such cooperation existed between the United States, Canada, and their traditional political allies, it was not always forthcoming from states that have not had close relationships with, or were openly hostile toward, Western governments. Some of these nations refused assistance or openly abetted criminal groups whose victims were predominantly in First World countries.
A related problem posed by the growth of international criminal syndicates was the requirement for the United States and Canada to shift resources away from fighting traditional forms of organized crime to deal with newer, more complex forms of illegal activity. As a consequence, during the 2000s older groups such as the Mafia were able to begin rebuilding organizations decimated by federal efforts during the last three decades of the twentieth century. The success of these rebuilding efforts was highlighted in 2011 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched a coordinated effort against the Mafia that resulted in more than 120 arrests.
Impact
The economic impact of organized crime during the 2000s was staggering. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that in 2009 transnational organized crime generated $870 billion in income. As the largest economy in the world, the United States suffered the greatest loss, though the nature of international activity makes it difficult to quantify that loss precisely. Not always noted, however, is the human impact of organized crime: the victims often suffered irreparable physical or emotional harm, particularly those swept up in sex trafficking or caught in immigration schemes that went awry. The need to focus law enforcement resources on organized crime placed great strain on national security, particularly in the United States, which is a particular target of terrorist groups.
Bibliography
Albanese, Jay S. Transnational Crime and the 21st Century: Criminal Enterprise, Corruption, and Opportunity. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print. Provides an overview of organized criminal activity in the first decade of the twenty-first century, explaining the relationship between criminals and government officials and exploring the many illegal activities in which organized groups participate.
Camilleri, Jason D. Organized Crime: Challenges, Trends, and Reduction Strategies. Hauppage: Nova Science, 2011. Print. Describes trends in organized criminal activity and its impact on the economic and security of the United States; suggests government actions required to counter threats.
Finckenauer, James, and Ko-lin Chin. “Asian Transnational Organized Crime and Its Impact on the United States: Developing a Transnational Crime Research Agenda.” Trends in Organized Crime 10.2 (2006): 18–107. Print. Discusses an in-depth study on organized crime in Asia and its effect on the United States in terms of issues like human trafficking and the drug trade.
Larkin, Erik. “Organized Crime Moves into Data Theft.” PC World 27.7 (2009): 33–34. Print. Examines the increasing incidence of data theft and cybercrime as related to criminal organizations.
Liddick, Donald R., Jr. The Global Underworld: Transnational Crime and the United States. Westport: Praeger, 2004. Print. Describes the many international organized crime groups and the wide variety of criminal operations that have a significant impact in the United States and Canada.
Nicaso, Antonio, and Lee Lamothe. Angels, Mobsters, and Narco-Terrorists: The Rising Menace of Global Criminal Empires. Mississauga: Wiley, 2005. Print. Systematic examination of the various criminal cartels operating throughout the world, focusing on organization and preferred forms of criminal activities.