Drugs in society

Chapter_81.ppt

Chapter 8

Domestic Drug-Trafficking Organizations

Drugs in Society:
Causes, Concepts, and Control , 7th ed.

The University of Adelaide, School of Computer Science

Chapter 2 — Instructions: Language of the Computer

Overview

This chapter will enable you to:

Distinguish between traditional and nontraditional organized crime
Learn about the origins of the criminal group known as the Mafia
Understand the role of outlaw motorcycle gangs in the illegal drug trade
Understand the role of youth gangs in the drug trade
Learn the origins of prison gangs and their involvement in the illicit drug trade

TRADITIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME:
THE MAFIA

The Sicilian Mafia has established itself as Italy’s premier criminal group through corruption, assassination, extortion, and manipulation

Its criminal influence reaches around the globe,
with particular strength in Western Europe, North America, and South America

Mafia Characteristics

Strict code of silence
Omerta ̶ dictates that family members never cooperate with government officials
Vendetta ̶ the code of retribution against anyone who attacked or insulted a member of the family

Giuseppe Esposito is credited as the founder in 1878 after arriving in New York and relocating to New Orleans
Gained power during Prohibition
Began the Mafia Commission in the 1930s

The Mafia and the Drug Trade

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Mafia used France as a stopping point for the distribution of heroin ̶ known as the French Connection
By the 1980s, the Mafia’s biggest money maker was heroin
Large money-laundering schemes developed as well, the most noteworthy called the Pizza Connection

Drug Smuggling by the Mafia

Wearing body packs of two to three kilograms of heroin and flying by plane
Heroin secreted in toys, statues, wheels of provolone cheese, film canisters, coffee machines, dry cell batteries, cans of baby powder, electronic appliances, mail, and clothing

The Mafia Wars

During the 1920s, in Italy, Italian leader Mussolini attempted to “purge” the Mafia
The result…..a mass influx of Mafioso fleeing to the U.S and establishing criminal enterprises in New York City and along the east coast
However, there is much controversy over “if” the Mafia is real, or a fabricated story developed by law enforcement and the media

Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) are organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises
Highly structured and engage in a series of criminal activities
Well represented throughout the United States

Groups Include

Youth Street Gangs

There are many difficulties from a law enforcement standpoint with youth gangs:

They are hard to define

They are hard to infiltrate because of the age of the group members

They are hard to prosecute because of the age of the group members

Gangs

Membership in youth gangs is difficult to track as well. There aren’t commercials or drives to attract members.
Most youth gangs are filled by low-income and poorly educated youth who retreat to the gang for a sense of belonging (refer to the theories mentioned in Chapter 1)

Prison Gangs

Prison gangs are criminal organizations that originated within the penal system, and they have continued to operate within correctional facilities throughout the United States
Many prison gangs operate in and outside of prison
Prison gangs are highly involved with narcotics and work closely with OMGs and street-level gangs as well

Prison Gangs

Aryan Brotherhood – Although race is a factor with this group, they have paired with other non-white gangs to transport drugs across the United States

Black Guerrilla Family – Operation in the southwest U.S. and involved with cocaine and marijuana
Mexican Mafia
Nuestra Familia
Texas Syndicate
Others