NCJ Number
219291
Journal
THE POLICE CHIEF Volume: 74 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 22-24
Date Published
May 2007
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article explores the changing face of organized crime and its increasing links to terrorism and terrorism funding.
Abstract
The main argument is that organized crime has taken on a global nature that focuses mainly on the illicit trade market. However, law enforcement investigations have uncovered that many of the assets gained from illicit trade markets are funneled into terrorist funding. The author suggests that as part of the efforts to combat terrorism, law enforcement needs to aggressively pursue possible links between target businesses, their owners, and terrorist and organized-crime networks. In making this argument, the author begins by discussing organized crime of the past, when La Cosa Nostra proliferated and dabbled mainly in gambling and prostitution for their own gain. Now, in our increasingly global society, organized crime networks have turned to illicit trade markets such as human trafficking, untaxed cigarettes, and counterfeiting of virtually any product from baby formula to prescription drugs to designer purses. Moreover, these organized crime networks are no longer dominated by Italian American families, but rather by Middle Easterners, ethic groups from Eastern Europe, and Asians. These groups are turning to illicit trade, such as counterfeiting, because they are typically considered low-risk crimes that carry high returns. Even when caught, offenders face little prison time simply because counterfeiting is not considered as serious as violent crimes. Notes