Global Mafia: The New World Order of Organized Crime

• NCJ Number: 163833
• Author(s): A Nicaso; L Lamothe
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 221 pages
• Sale Source: Macmillan Co of Canada, Ltd
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

This book profiles major organized crime groups that are operating internationally, as it considers their histories and recent cases that illustrate their roles in larger criminal networks; since the authors consider Canada central to the international crime wave, it is the focus of much of the discussion.

Abstract

In addition to focusing on the familiar mafias -- La Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mafia, Triads, and Colombian cartels -- the authors also discuss the less well-known groups, such as the 'ndrangheta, Tongs, Yakuza, and the White and Black Russian mafias. The authors note that the first four years of the 1990's have seen the growth of Eastern European organized crime that has resulted from the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. East European crime groups have changed the face of the international underworld as they form links with dozens of underground organizations throughout Europe and North America. The breakdown of barriers in Eastern Europe has opened a market not only for drugs but also for Western goods ranging from cars to clothing to technology. In return for these goods, the Russians are supplying arms and nuclear material to buyers in Europe. The 1990's also brought about a shift in the market position of Colombian drug cartels, as the Cali cartel emerged to replace the Medellin cartel. Of particular significance is the production of heroin from Colombia, in addition to cocaine. The Italian mafias are cooperating with one another and with the Colombians and Russians. The Sicilians, for example, launder the Colombians' drug profits in Europe, and the U.S. mafia works with the Russians in massive criminal enterprises in North America. This book personalizes and localizes the globalization of crime as it examines anecdotally the cross-pollination in the underworld. Canada, whose borders are so easily penetrated and whose money restrictions are so lax, is central to the international crime wave. Articles and recommended readings are included, along with a subject index.