NCJ Number
213771
Date Published
2005
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article examines the problem of organized crime in the Common Market of South America (MERCOSUL) countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) and offers strategies for combating the organized crime problem in this region.
Abstract
Established in 1991 as a strategic approach to addressing the demand for economic competitiveness in the region following the Cold War, the MERCOSUL has developed strong cooperative political relationships within the Central American countries and North America (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela are all associate members). Despite their strong cooperative relationship, there are a number of challenges to reducing organized crime in the area, including the lack of a common and consistent approach to the development of judicial and legislative measures and the increasing infiltration and contamination of the State system by criminal networks. The types of organized criminal networks found within the MERCOSUL region and the types of crimes they tend to commit are described and include five main typologies of crime networks: (1) those that clearly delineate lines of authority and discipline; (2) those with weak structural organization; (3) those that are organized around financial crimes; (4) those that involve political activities or public officials; and (5) terrorist networks. A set of 19 strategies is listed for combating organized crime in the MERCOSUL region, such as the development of a database for the exchange of information on organized criminal activities, the creation of a Brazilian Public Safety System, and the formation of a MERCOSUL police region with an integrated police force drawn from member states. In closing, the author notes that reforms and changes to the economic, political, and social conditions of individual countries in the South American region are also a necessary part of combating transnational crime on an international level. Footnotes