Читать книгу Criminology For Dummies - Steven Briggs - Страница 20

Despite what you see on TV, organized crime is much more than the Italian mob. In fact, the mafia is really only a very small part of the organized crime threat in the United States today. Organized crime refers to the groups of individuals who organize themselves in a hierarchical structure, usually for the purpose of engaging in the business of crime. These groups are set up in such a way that even when police arrest one or two members, the organization continues to operate. This structure is what makes fighting organized crime so difficult.

Organized crime groups are traditionally set up along ethnic lines, in large part, because members of the same ethnic group are more likely to know and trust one another. (However, a group called the United Nations gang, known for its ethnic diversity, was taken down in May 2009 for a large-scale drug-smuggling operation between Canada and the United States.)

Some common organized crime groups include the following:

 Motorcycle gangs

 Drug-smuggling operations

 Prison gangs

 Street gangs

 White-supremacist organizations

These groups usually gravitate toward the types of criminal activities that provide the most income. Obviously, much of this activity includes illegal drugs. But it also includes tobacco smuggling, trafficking in counterfeit goods, and Internet fraud. Plus, you can’t forget the more traditional, localized organized crime activities, such as extortion, loan sharking, and robbery. And some groups, like white-supremacist criminal organizations, aren’t as interested in making money; they’re actually closer to being terrorist organizations. In Chapter 8, I go into much greater detail about the organized crime threat and how law enforcement is dealing with it.