Organised crime and mafia groups

An organised crime is a widespread criminal activity that is co-ordinated and controlled through a central syndicate.1 It is a syndicate of criminals who rely on their unlawful activities for income. A syndicate is a group organised for a common purpose or an association formed to promote a common interest, carry out a particular business transaction, or (in a negative sense) organise criminal enterprise. For example, the Colombian Drug mafia is a cartel engaged in the illegal trafficking of cocaine, and this very act is an organised crime.
Mafia is a secret international criminal organisation that controls numerous illegal activities world-wide, especially in Italy and the US.2 In this background, this paper describes the working of mafia groups around the globe.
Colombian Cartel3
Highly organised, well-equipped, well-financed, formidable and totally entrenched in their country of origin, the organisations has built powerful financial, transportation, intelligence and communications empires. The Cali cartel was known to be worth $206 billion. Their two leaders, the brothers Gilberto and Miguel Rodriguez were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in January 1997. Cocaine and heroin trafficking into the United States is their main business, but they also do a nice sideline in contract killing. Colombia has been in a state of permanent civil war for the last 35 years, and allegations abound that link together the drug cartels, far right paramilitary groupings and the Colombian army itself. Colombia, to all intents and purposes, appears to be in a permanent state of national emergency. All of this has meant that the drug cartels have broadened their operations geographically, both to neighbouring South American countries and to Western Europe itself.
Mexican cartels
Mexican cartels have learned from the Colombians, but also have the added advantage of a 2,000-mile long border with the United States. Just as with the Colombians, drug gangs have made sizeable inroads into corrupt politicians and the political structure. Extremely violent, there are a variety of different groups: the Tijuana cartel; the Juarez cartel; the Miguel Caro-Quintero organisation and the Gulf cartel aka, and the Juan Garcia-Abrego organisation.
FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives include Ramon Eduardo Arellano-Felix (aka Ramon Torres-Mendez, El Comadante Mon, El Walin, Ray or Gilberto Camacho Rodriguez). Gilberto Camacho is 'One of the leaders of the Arellano-Felix organisation, also known as the Tijuana cartel, and is being sought in connection with the importation of controlled substances. The cartel is known for its importation of large quantities of controlled substances and its propensity for violence.'
Russian mafia
In St Petersburg, as an example, it is estimated that 230 criminal groups operate with five extremely influential gangs. Such an extent of criminality led to 33 contract killings in the city in 1999. In Moscow in 1999, the crime rate increased by 38.7 percent, compared to the previous year: registered crimes in the areas of economic-related, drug-related and arms related grew by 64 per cent, 39 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
It is now clear that much of the criminal activity in Russia itself existed under, and was 'tolerated' by the Soviet authorities. After the fall of communism, the influence of organised crime in Russia was all-pervasive, with estimates running as high as 80 percent of all Russian businesses being mafia controlled. What has been staggering is the spread of Russian organised crime since the dismantling of communism. There are said to be between 2,000 and 8,000 stratified crime groupings, who are alarmingly active all over the world: United Kingdom (sex trade, drugs and fraud); Holland (sex trade and drugs); the United States (drugs and fraud); Belgium (stolen cars); France (drugs, fraud and the sex trade); Switzerland (dummy businesses); Italy (drugs and human trafficking from Albania); Germany (the sex trade, drugs and stolen cars); Poland (drugs and fraud); Austria (dummy companies, the sex trade and drugs); Former Yugoslavia (the black market and illegal supplies of arms); Israel (drugs and extortion); Canada (drugs, sex trade and fraud).
Japanese Yakuza
The influence of the Yakuza on Japanese business and banking was perhaps underestimated until the last couple of years when their activities finally came out of the woodwork as a result of the Far East financial turmoil. Estimates as to their membership hover around the 100,000 mark with a turnover of up to $90 billion per year. These estimates make them by far and away Japan's biggest individual business. They have cornered the market in Japan for property and loan fraud together with prostitution, debt collection and extortion rackets. The downturn in the Japanese economy has also led to the Yakuza spreading out from their traditional family/national base and looking for investments and business opportunities in Hawaii, other US States, the Philippines, Australia and other areas of South East Asia.
Italian mafia
The correct term is 'Mafias' in the plural, as there are at least four (possibly five) major groupings. It has been estimated that there are only 2,000 active members in the United States and the Russian mafia, which have achieved more in the last five years than the Mafia did in decades. They are still hugely influential in Italy where it is still estimated that they control about 20 per cent of the country's commercial activities, notwithstanding the ongoing governmental purges on their activities.
The various groups have a heavy presence in arms, gambling, loan sharking, extortion, disposal of toxic waste, European Union frauds, animal trafficking, fraud centered on government tenders and increasing the infiltration of legitimate companies to launder funds. The Italian mafia have adapted and survived by entering new dynamic business areas and realising when it is prudent and/or sensible to leave behind their more traditional activities. The Cosa Nostra is still active all across Italy with 6,000 active member families. The 'Ndangheta is the richest Mafia in Italy with a propensity for international drug and arms trafficking. There are 150 cells each solely comprised of blood relatives together with 6,000 families and affiliates in Northern Italy and the rest of the world. The Camora are particularly active in Campania with over 100 clans totalling 7,000 affiliates. They prefer waste management activities, public tender frauds and shenanigans with EU money. The Sacra Corona Unta, whilst its strategic control has now decamped to the former Yugoslavia, is heavily present in the contraband tobacco market.
Chinese triads This intricate network of Chinese criminals has its routes in the 19th century opium trade, some commentator's even date their origins back even further to the 17th century. They now operate in every major centre of the world with a Chinese population, and have an estimated turnover of $200 billion per annum. Membership figures vary widely, but a minimum figure is estimated as being 20,000 with a maximum exceeding 100,000. There are 6 main gangs (but over 50 in all) who are essentially rivals at local level but cooperate globally. These include the Sun Yee On (also known as the San Yee On), the 14k, the Wo On Lok and the Wo Sing Wo.
The Sun Yee On is the largest group with cells in North America, Western Europe, Asia and Australia and a membership of more than 25,000; the 14k is based in Hong Kong with outposts in the Netherlands, North America, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Amongst other businesses that the Triads are involved in are gambling, illegal prostitution, human trafficking, extortion, fraud, loan sharking, counterfeiting, drug trafficking and money laundering.
Turkish gangs
These are very important gangs in the drugs market in the United Kingdom where they supply 80 percent of the heroin smuggled into the country each year. This group is becoming an increasing concern for the concerned authorities. Turkish is a generic term covering Cypriot and Kurdish members; the groups are extremely tight knit, very efficient and highly secretive. They are also moving into illegal immigrants and stolen cars utilising the supply and distribution channels they have established to such good effect in the drugs trade.
Sicilian mafia
The Sicilian mafia was formed in the mid-1800s to unify the Sicilian peasants against their enemies. In Sicily, the word Mafia tends to mean "manly." The Sicilian Mafia changed from a group of honourable Sicilian men to an organised criminal group in the 1920s.
In the 1950s, Sicily enjoyed a massive building boom. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Sicilian Mafia gained control of the building contracts and made millions of dollars. Today, the Sicilian Mafia has evolved into an international organised crime group. Some experts estimate it is the second largest organisation in Italy.
The Sicilian Mafia specialises in heroin trafficking, political corruption, and military arms trafficking - and is also known to engage in arson, frauds, counterfeiting, and other racketeering crimes. With an estimated 2,500 Sicilian Mafia affiliates it is the most powerful and most active Italian organised crime group in the US. The Sicilian mafia is infamous for its aggressive assaults on Italian law-enforcement officials. In Sicily the term "Excellent Cadaver" is used to distinguish the assassination of prominent government officials from the common criminals and ordinary citizens killed by the mafia. High-ranking victims include police commissioners, mayors, judges, police colonels and generals, and Parliament members.
Jamaican posse
Jamaican posses, often referred to simply as posses, are a loose coalition of gangs, based predominantly in London, the New York City area and Toronto, Canada, first being involved in drugs and gun-running in the early 1980s. It is widely claimed that the Jamaican posses are affiliated with Jamaican political parties, such as the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party.
The JLP posses dominate the west and south of Kingston and other smaller towns and the PNP posses are mainly found in the eastern and central side and there are a few that state they are not allied to either Political party. These are often in the Northern slums of downtown Kingston.
In the United Kingdom, these Jamaican gangsters would be referred to as Yardies in reference to people who lived in "government yards" in the aftermath of Hurricane Charlie which hit Jamaica in 1951. They are strongly populated in London and are specifically known to have occupied and operate in their infamous grounds of Brixton, Harlesden, Tottenham and Hackney.
Jamaican posse members are known for gun battles with the police and drive-by shootings in disputes with rival gangs over drug turf. Posse members are known for ritualised killings of members who "rip off" profits on drugs. The killing ritual usually involves the shooting of the individual five times; four to the chest and one to the head. Other ritual violent acts have included the use of laundry irons, chainsaws, hammer and nails, vacuum cleaners, and butcher's knives.
Israel mafia
There is a substantial presence of organised criminal gangs in Israel, they have not succeeded in infiltrating the establishment, as for example gangsters such as Al Capone who had judges, police chiefs and other authority figures in his pocket. Kleiman also said that since the September 11, 2001, attacks a lot of police resources were diverted to fighting terrorism rather than organised crime, leading to resurgence in gangland violence. In December 2003, three men were killed by a bomb in Tel Aviv meant for a local crime boss.
However, Kleiman's remarks considering organised crime's infiltration into the establishment may be disputed, since in 2004, a former government minister Gonen Segev was arrested for attempting to smuggle in thousands of ecstasy pills from Amsterdam, which might suggest that some elements of the Israeli establishment are indeed collaborating with organised crime.
South Africa mafia
Organised crime syndicates, including mafia organisations, are believed to have moved their financial operations to South Africa. It is due to money laundering which is easy here because of an unsophisticated anti-crime corruption unit and the ability to exploit officials.
Mafia bosses are buying unused diamond cutting and polishing licenses, allegedly with the help of Zackey Nujoma, son of former Namibian president Sam Nujoma. Originally from Sicily, Vito Palazzolo has been granted South African citizenship 13 years ago and is living in Cape Town.
He has appeared in local courts on a number of charges including fraud and forgery related to his South African citizenship. Palazzolo was convicted, in absentia, two years ago by a tribunal in Palermo, Sicily, of associating with the mafia and sentenced to nine years. Last year Italy asked for him to be extradited and the justice department said earlier this year it would only begin processing the extradition request once his appeal against that conviction was finalised.
(The writer is an advocate and is currently working as an associate with Azim-ud-Din Law Associates.)
1. Black's Law Dictionary, Ninth Edition, West Publishers.
2. Chambers Concise Dictionary, [2004], Chambers.
3. Peter Lilly, Dirty Dealings, {2000}, Kogan Page.