Intro
Organized crime by definition is “illegal behavior that is planned and carried out by groups of people in a very systematic fashion”. In that regard, it has been and probably will continue to be a something that law enforcement will have to battle on every possible front. Organized crime is nothing new to the American criminal justice system, as it has been fighting with all aspects of organized crime for many years. While many may only think of the American Mafia, or mob, as many call it, organized crime reaches far more people, in vastly diverse ways than one may realize. Organized crime is as much an American staple as the hotdog or baseball. However, the American Mafia opened the doors of truly organized, ruthless, and powerful …show more content…
The American Mafia is well known for being involved in criminal activities such as drug trafficking, prostitution, theft, murder, assassination, assault, gambling and many more. The structure of the Italian Mafia was of good intent. “This chapter will attempt to explain how the major Italian crime groups, especially the Sicilian Mafia, grew in power due to the long-term weaknesses of the Italian government. All three groups share similar characteristics which include a culture of secrecy, close family ties, racial exclusiveness, intense hatred and disrespect for any government officials, the systematic use of intimidation and vengeance as a matter of policy, and the regular recourse to murder as a means to an end. There are two different ways Italian organized crime can be viewed: as a protective group which originated to defend their homeland from foreign invaders or as a group that assisted their local citizenry with problems of law and order when the national Italian government was ineffectual” (Hagan, …show more content…
The American Mafia drug business operates outside and within the United States. Most drugs originate from outside of the United States. Come from Mexico and South America. The Mafia runs a drug smuggling trade from countries like Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. These countries supply the largest drug markets in the world. There are many ways to distribute drugs from these countries most common is by plane. There are also drug routes that are shipped by vehicles or boats. The most common route for the Mafia is from these countries is through Texas. Drug runners run the drugs through Mexico and up through Texas. From there the drugs are distributed throughout the United States. Another popular drug route that is used is going through Canada. Canadian border gives easy access to the United States as well (Kelley, 2012). The Great lakes play a role because smugglers can easily transport drugs via boat through the Great Lakes. For an example the Detroit River is well known for drug trafficking up and down the river. In some section of the river it is less than a mile to travel on boat from Canada to The United
Organized crime by definition is “illegal behavior that is planned and carried out by groups of people in a very systematic fashion”. In that regard, it has been and probably will continue to be a something that law enforcement will have to battle on every possible front. Organized crime is nothing new to the American criminal justice system, as it has been fighting with all aspects of organized crime for many years. While many may only think of the American Mafia, or mob, as many call it, organized crime reaches far more people, in vastly diverse ways than one may realize. Organized crime is as much an American staple as the hotdog or baseball. However, the American Mafia opened the doors of truly organized, ruthless, and powerful …show more content…
The American Mafia is well known for being involved in criminal activities such as drug trafficking, prostitution, theft, murder, assassination, assault, gambling and many more. The structure of the Italian Mafia was of good intent. “This chapter will attempt to explain how the major Italian crime groups, especially the Sicilian Mafia, grew in power due to the long-term weaknesses of the Italian government. All three groups share similar characteristics which include a culture of secrecy, close family ties, racial exclusiveness, intense hatred and disrespect for any government officials, the systematic use of intimidation and vengeance as a matter of policy, and the regular recourse to murder as a means to an end. There are two different ways Italian organized crime can be viewed: as a protective group which originated to defend their homeland from foreign invaders or as a group that assisted their local citizenry with problems of law and order when the national Italian government was ineffectual” (Hagan, …show more content…
The American Mafia drug business operates outside and within the United States. Most drugs originate from outside of the United States. Come from Mexico and South America. The Mafia runs a drug smuggling trade from countries like Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. These countries supply the largest drug markets in the world. There are many ways to distribute drugs from these countries most common is by plane. There are also drug routes that are shipped by vehicles or boats. The most common route for the Mafia is from these countries is through Texas. Drug runners run the drugs through Mexico and up through Texas. From there the drugs are distributed throughout the United States. Another popular drug route that is used is going through Canada. Canadian border gives easy access to the United States as well (Kelley, 2012). The Great lakes play a role because smugglers can easily transport drugs via boat through the Great Lakes. For an example the Detroit River is well known for drug trafficking up and down the river. In some section of the river it is less than a mile to travel on boat from Canada to The United