Comparative_Perspective_on_Organized_Crime

Comparative Perspective on Organized Crime Diana Harri University of Phoenix CJA 300 Organized Crime Group SC06BCJ02 John Hullar February 28, 2006 South Africa is a nation that is new to the world of organized crime, while India has seen the effects of organized crime for more than sixty years. While the organized groups in these countries may be different, the crimes being committed are the same in many aspects, drug trafficking and selling, smuggling and extortion. A major difference between the crimes of South Africa and India is that Indian criminal groups are heavily involved with terrorist activities. In this paper, we will evaluate the similarities and differences of these two criminal groups. South Africa has been more accessible to the international traveler and the economic world since the 1980’s. It has also become more accessible to the organized crime world, opening up the door for major players, such as Russia and China, in the criminal aspect. With South Africa being an under developed country for so long, it remained isolated from criminal groups who would later utilize the country for criminal activities. In the 1970’s the Chinese started using South Africa harbors as a means of smuggling shark fins, believed to be an aphrodisiac, to Hong Kong and other countries. It wasn’t until 1990 that the police realized that this was becoming a rising crime in their country. In 1991 the South African police established the Organized Crime Intelligence Unit. This unit was to monitor criminal groups and individual suspected of crime. With establishing the OCIU, police hoped to reduce the amount of crime being committed within the country. However, even with the establishment of the OCIU, the Chinese groups involved with smuggling and drug-trafficking were staying under the radar. In 1993, police discovered abalone, also known to be an aphrodisiac, was being harvested and traded by the tons. According to South African law, abalone can only be harvested by those who have a permit or a specific quota. The illegal trade of abalone was being operated in homes and smuggled into Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere for astounding fees. The police monitored the Chinese activity for the next several years, but during the late 90’s, the police re-prioritized the criminal activities going on and pulled those who were monitoring the Chinese crime activities. With no dedicated police unit to monitor the activities of the Chinese, by 2000 they had increased their criminal activities to include drug-trafficking, money-laundering, prostitution and the exportation of exotic goods. Another group that operates out of South Africa is Russian criminal groups, focusing on diamond and weapon smuggling along with investing in legitimate business. In 1998, the South African Minister of Safety and Security met with Russian officials and provided a list of 23 people believed to be involved with organized crime in South Africa. Due to the fact that many of these individuals use legitimate businesses as a front for their criminal activities, no one has been arrested for their crimes. South African authorities also believe the Russian groups are using small, unguarded airports to bring in and take out goods, such as diamonds, weapons, and drugs. The Russians believed to be involved in these crimes are not mafia members, but associated with the Russian mafia, and are using South Africa since their borders are not as heavily guarded. In India, trafficking of drugs, arms, human beings and money laundering is a linkage between organized crime and terrorism. “Terrorist groups, whether indigenous or sponsored by outside states, need arms and money for their fight against the security forces. Organized crime conglomerates need a clientele and couriers who can smuggle drugs, arms, and human beings across the countries and regions.” (Chandran, 2003) Dawood Ibrahim is the godfather of godfathers in India, allegedly running criminal activities from Bangkok to Dubai. His organization, known as D Company, is believed to have strong-arm protection, participate in drug trafficking, murder-for-hire and extortion. Dawood Ibrahim is a household name across the country and is believed to be the most wanted man in India. He has been designated a global terrorist by the United States Treasury Department for assisting al Qaeda with smuggling routes and providing engineering help with the 1993 Bombay attack. “Understanding Dawood’s operations are important, experts say, because they show how growing numbers of terrorist groups have come to rely on the tactics, and profits, of organized criminal activity to finance their operations across the globe.” (Kaplan, 2005) When the Madrid bombing occurred in 2004, the terrorists groups behind it were drug dealers who exchanged hashish and cash for explosives from a former miner. When the miners’ home was raided, police confiscated 125,800 tablets of ecstasy and nearly $2 million in cash and other drugs. This is how many terrorist groups have funded their activities, by becoming couriers of illegal drugs, fire arms and even human beings from one point of the country to another. The spreading of counterfeit money has also become a vital part of the organized crime and terrorist linkage. It is believed that these couriers are bringing in counterfeit money from Kashmir, which is then spread all over India. Counterfeit money is not the only problem India has when it comes to their financial economy. Underground banking, also known as havala, has been on the rise since 1947 when partition of India into two independent countries occurred. Underground banking is a serious problem facing India. Between the ‘black’ economy (transactions unreported for income tax purposes), organized crime, political corruption, rigging of stock markets, political contributions and other forms of manipulation by multinational corporations, havala will continue to occur as long as there is a demand for it. For South Africa, international development has had its price, with organized crime activity becoming more dominant over the past 20 years. India has seen organized crime go from the selling of illegal drugs to terrorist activities. The only true similarity between these two countries is that organized crime exists. India has become much more developed with the way organized crime groups operate, utilizing terrorist to be their drug couriers. If this has occurred in India, it is only time that it will occur in South Africa. When citizens realize the extent of criminal activities occurring in their back yards, one day they will take a stand against organized crime and remove the corruption that has already imbedded itself into these countries. References BBC News (2003). Drug Crime Wracks Southern Africa. Retrieved February 18, 2006 from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-1/hi/world/africa/3167125.stm Gastrow, P. (2001). Triad Societies and Chinese Organised Crime in South Africa. Retrieved February 16, 2006 from: http://www.iss.co.za/Pubs/Papers/48/48.html Gastrow, P. (1999). Main trends in the Development of South Africa’s Organised Crime. Retrieved February 16, 2006 from : http://www.iss.co.za/pubs/ASR/8No6/MainTrends.html Chandran, S. (2003). Terrorism and Organized Crime in India. Retrieved February 24, 2006 from: http://www.ipcs.org/printArticle.jsp'action=showView&kValue=973&status=article U.S.News (2005). Paying for Terror. Retrieved February 24, 2006 from: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/051205/5terror.htm