Standing Group on Organised Crime blog

Call for papers

2012-02-11T13:37:00.001Z

Invitation to contribute to a special issue on ?Women and Transnational Crime? (Journal: Trends in Organized Crime)Special Issue Editors: Dr. Jana Arsovska, John Jay College of Criminal JusticeUntil recent years, the criminality of women had a long history of neglect. Criminology has treated women?s role in crime with a large measure of indifference. Women have been misrepresented in conventional

Massive methamphetamine seizure in Mexico

2012-02-11T13:33:00.001Z

15 tonnes seized in Jalisco, near Guadalajara. Sinaloa cartel making it and smuggling it into the US.

Nearly 160 held as Met police crack down on gangs

2012-02-08T16:13:00.002Z

Yesterday, "organised crime". Today "gangs". Tomorrow, sho knows?figures given for how many gangs there are in London [250, 4,800 individuals] and how many are "high harm" [eh? wazzat?] [62]Hogan Howe keeps his political master and mistress happy

Netherlands National drug Monitor 2010

2012-02-07T18:12:00.001Z

English language text of the Annual Report. The National Drug Monitor (NDM), which has been drawn up since 1999 by the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction [Trimbos-instituut] in collaboration with the WODC, is a descriptive report that provides an annual overview of substance use (drugs, alcohol and tobacco) and, since 2002, of recorded drug-related criminality and the criminal

Merseyside Police chief constable Jon Murphy declares war on Liverpool gangsters

2012-02-06T18:55:00.001Z

More on organised crime in Liverpool. The third page gives us a summary of the story so far

Gang-Busting Cop is one for the History Books in China

2012-02-04T10:24:00.001Z

the story of a story. Mafia-busting in China..and political protection for mafias. Article hung up on the fact there may be a film

Camorra imposes a curfew in Scampia

2012-02-02T09:59:00.003Z

Camorra has imposed a sort of curfew in the neapolitan suburb of Scampia. Camorra wants to avoid new murders related to drug trafficking because those would attract the attention of media and politicians. However, local population is trying to react with a spontaneous movement ("OccupyScampia") originated through social networks.

interactive map of the drug war in mexico

2012-02-01T16:31:00.001Z

From the blog of Diego Valle

Extreme close-up: German film brings the spread of neo-Nazi gangs into focus

2012-01-30T10:01:00.001Z

background to the recent discovery of an unpleasant neo-Nazi "terrorist" group in Germany. Partly reviews a film, partly discusses realities in former East Germany. Maybe Merkel has stuff nearer home to sort out, as well as Greece?

Mexico's drug war has brought terrifying violence to the streets and taken a dreadful toll of lives

2012-01-29T12:50:00.002Z

Cautionary tale for West Africa as Kofi Annan calls for Western intervention [see previous post]. "Mexico's drug war is inextricably linked to the democratic transition". Extract from Ioao Grillo's book "El Narco: the Bloody Rise of Mexican drug cartels.

Save West Africa from the drugs barons

2012-01-29T11:32:00.002Z

Article in Observer by Kofi Annan. 3 dangers: corruption; Drug gangs linking with existing organised crime and even terrorists; health of locals. To the point.

Fascination with the 'Dutch godfather'

2012-01-27T19:05:00.000Z

Rare piece in English discussing at least one player in Dutch organised crime.

Five arrested in Milan during a police operation against the 'Ndrangheta

2012-01-27T13:00:00.002Z

Five men - three of which corrupted members of the Finance Guards - were arrested in Milan during a police operation coordinated by the prosecutor Ilda Boccassini.

New date for Rome conference

2012-01-25T09:22:00.001Z

CALL FOR PAPERSTransnational Organized Crime: Italian ConnectionsBilingual Conference (English and Italian)The American University of RomeDepartment of International Relations23-24 November, 2012Keynote Speakers:Professor Nando Dalla Chiesa, University of MilanProfessor Diego Gambetta, European University InstituteThe American University of Rome's Department of International Relations will be

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The Black Market But Were Afraid To Ask

2012-01-24T20:19:00.002Z

The shadow economy from the point of view of "Business Insider"

After 19 years, Asil Nadir's day in court arrives in £150m fraud saga

2012-01-24T20:13:00.000Z

he will probably be found not guilty. Others accused already have been.

Kazakhstan stirs terror nests

2012-01-21T14:47:00.001Z

JaK - the Army of the Caliphate. A nascent terrorist group in Kazakhstan.

New battle lines drawn in cyberspace

2012-01-21T14:44:00.001Z

Is there such a thing as cybercrime? or is it simply used to justify government censorship. A discussion of Crimes of the Cyberpowerful in the Asia Times.

assets for 25 million of euros seized from a fugitive boss of Cosa Nostra

2012-01-19T10:52:00.004Z

Matteo Messina Denaro, considered one of the most wanted criminals in the world, is one of the leaders of Cosa Nostra and is on the run since 1993. Police seized assets for 25 million of euros during an operation started from an investigation concerning Antonio d'Alì, an italian politician (under-secetary od the Minister of the Interior during the previous government).

LAPD's science fiction solution to real crime

2012-01-11T14:43:00.001Z

More algorithms! Pretending to make crime prevention "scientific"!

£10m Wirral drugs gang led by Matthew ‘Matty’ Maguire jailed after police swoop Read More http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news//t

2012-01-11T14:28:00.001Z

Another Mersyside drugs business processed by the courts. This time from "over the water" in the Wirral.

Mafia is Italy's Biggest Business

2012-01-11T09:30:00.001Z

It would be good to find the report. This summary article tells us very little we didnt already know.

"Così fan tutti". The 'Ndrangheta in Lombardy

2012-01-09T13:39:00.001Z

An interesting inquiry on the 'Ndrangheta in Lombardy

CALL FOR PAPERS Transnational Organized Crime: Italian Connections

2012-01-07T15:56:00.000Z

CHANGE OF DATE FOR ROME MARCH 2012 CALL FOR PAPERS Transnational Organized Crime: Italian Connections Bilingual Conference (English and Italian) The American University of Rome Department of International Relations 23-24March, 2012 Keynote Speakers: Professor Nando Dalla Chiesa, University of Milan Professor Diego Gambetta, European University Institute The American University of Rome's

Nigeria Christians hit by fresh Islamist attacks

2012-01-07T12:43:00.001Z

More on Boko Haram, which article says means "Western education is forbidden". Its attacks seem to be spreading.

Yakuza gangs face fight for survival as Japan cracks down on organised crime

2012-01-06T13:07:00.002Z

New laws don't seem to be aimed at Yakuza but at everybody else! Yakuza themselves are still not illegal. Interesting article on the state of play in Japanese organised crime.

Police station thefts 'astonishing'

2012-01-02T10:52:00.001Z

I wonder if part of the problem is the privatisation or civilianisation of security. Who is responsible for the security of police premises?

China's tomb raiders laying waste to thousands of years of history

2012-01-01T16:49:00.001Z

So who's buying the looted artefacts? "Wealthy collectors"...would that be those evil bankers yet again? Another reason for taxing them properly.

Militants create haven in southern Yemen

2012-01-01T15:18:00.002Z

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula take advantage of the disorder in Yemen to take over most of Abyan province and parts of neighbouring provinces. Ansar al sharia is their present nom de guerre.

Anonymous exposes 75,000 credit card numbers

2011-12-31T20:48:00.002Z

Anonymous versus Stratfor. "Project Mayhem". Tonight, New Year eve, Anonymous says there will be a new attack. Target is law enforcement agencies, but part of the game appears to be to demonstrate how insecure web passwords and companies are, which is a tradition of these groups.

Game Changers 2011

2011-12-31T18:01:00.002Z

An oversight of the "Kingpin Strategy"...the killing or capturing of leading figures in organised crime in the Americas...and the bloody consequences: turf wars, displacement and neo-imperialism. there's a report to download as a .pdfI havent had a chance to read the whole report, but sharing it seems rather important.

Escalating wars over lucrative drug dealing ‘turfs’ are being blamed for a rise in shootings on Merseyside this year

2011-12-31T15:11:00.002Z

Still keeping an eye on my home city. Consequences of police success against the Whitney family in Anfield and Walton were always predictable. Growth of cannabis production not so predictable and must surely also reflect a growing market? The detective in the piece argues that production is small scale and controlled at arms length to keep the big guys from being imprisoned. He also says that

Under Obama, an emerging global apparatus for drone killing

2011-12-28T10:57:00.002Z

Anything used for counter-terrorism ends up being used against organised crime, now that the latter is a matter of national security, not a matter of due process...so these will be used against drug cartels in Mexico, Colombia etc. Metropolitan Police already buying them for surveillance purposes, apparently [well a couple of UK newspapers say so.] Legal framework for use? Murky, to say the least

"Anonymous" hackers hit US security firm Stratfor

2011-12-26T11:51:00.001Z

If it's ture that they used credit card details to make donations to various charities, could take some time to untangle. BBC cautiously pointing out that it's only a claim.

Comment is free Stop looking for the next al-Qaida

2011-12-26T10:29:00.002Z

I dont think he's right, in that new threats really do exist. though of a different type. Where he is correct is in saying that the academic pursuit of grants can be seen as part of a new counter-terrorism industry, and is allied to rather unpleasant people who wish to maintain draconian anti-civil rights legislation in place while makking money out of dubious technological "solutions".But then,

Why can't Nigeria defeat Boko Haram?

2011-12-25T15:18:00.002Z

BBC piece on the origins and development of the group behind the Church blasts and other explosions. Also the wrong reaction from the government: a mixture of incompetence and intransigence, apparently.

Cyber Cold War rhetoric haunts the US and China

2011-12-25T12:20:00.002Z

Nice piece from al Jazeera. Warns against the interests of "security contractors" exaggerating events in order to drum up business. Also points out the dangers of using metaphors from a previous era. finally points out that the US isn't an innocent party in all of this curious manouvring on the world Wide web.

Colombian crime boss turns himself in - along with 283 members of his militia

2011-12-24T10:09:00.001Z

I think there was talk about mass surrenders a week ago. FARC members may watch with interest...or not!

Plymouth Drugs Trial

2011-12-23T20:28:00.001Z

Details of a network linking Plymouth and Manchester. 30 people have been on trial and convicted.

Private firm wins £200m police deal

2011-12-21T23:25:00.001Z

Lincolnshire privatises back office functions...and custody suites...Here we go!

* HomeITALY: 11 ARRESTED AS NET CLOSES IN ON MAFIA BOSS MESSINA DENARO

2011-12-16T09:44:00.000Z

11 people have been arrested by the anti-Mafia squad in a dawn raid, as part of the hunt for Matteo Messina Denaro. Those arrested are thought to have links to the recently dismantled Campobello di Mazara Mafia clan. These include the Mayor, Ciro' Carava', who has been in office since 2006 and began a new term last June. News in Italian here on La Repubblica

Inside Syria: the rebel call for arms and ammunition

2011-12-11T15:38:00.001Z

Smugglers sense a business opportunity...But it doesnt sound too well organised yet

Gomorrah boss arrested

2011-12-07T11:46:00.002Z

Camorra boss Michele Zagaria was arrested last night while hiding in an underground bunker. He has been a fugitive since 1995.

Camorra and Politics

2011-12-06T14:57:00.003Z

The Court of Naples has executed orders of pre-trial custody for 55 Camorra mobsters - included PDL party member Nicola Cosentino.

Schwab, suspect in crime spree, was on downward spiral, family and friends say

2011-12-06T11:21:00.002Z

Odd and sad little story which will probably be made into a film. Former MS-13 member who allegedly suddenly went on a crime spree.

Revealed: how police lost control of summer riots in first crucial 48 hours

2011-12-04T08:25:00.001Z

Police Federation report into riots points finger at new communications system and shortage of riot equipment

Did Conficker help sabotage Iran nuclear programme?

2011-12-03T18:28:00.002Z

More on Stuxnet, its predecessor [or was it?] "Conficker" by Bumgarner of the US Cyber Consequences Unit. there are different stories circulating...Its up to you to decide which bit is disinformation...and why? Cui bono still remains the best test.

Judge, politician and policeman targeted in Italy mafia arrests

2011-12-02T12:41:00.000Z

Prosecutors say an Italian judge, politician and police official are among 10 people detained in a crackdown on the 'ndrangheta crime syndicate. A statement from Milan prosecutors today said the investigation was conducted jointly by anti-mafia authorities in Milan and southern Reggio Calabria, home of the 'ndrangheta.

Exposing Russia's murky trade in exploit hack packs

2011-11-25T09:40:00.001Z

Automated hacking software available on licence, with updates etc. Ah, the advantages of capitalism!

Shadow of Mafia returns to Italy

2011-11-24T09:47:00.000Z

Resurgence of Magliana Gang in Rome

110 'Ndrangheta members convicted in a trial in Milan

2011-11-22T20:36:00.002Z

110 members of the ‘Ndrangheta were convicted last Sunday following a trial in Milan after a major long-term operation against the Calabrian mafia operating in Northern Italy.

How Liverpool's nappy bag drug baron family ruled the streets of Anfield

2011-11-22T10:18:00.001Z

More tales of Liverpool crime families

License plate readers: A useful tool for police comes with privacy concerns

2011-11-20T12:21:00.001Z

Interesting piece on police use of licence plate reading cameras. Unfortunate ending...if you're not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about....

Reading the Riots

2011-11-19T09:36:00.000Z

Guardian and LSE team up to publish research on the UK riots.

Weekly Piracy Report

2011-11-18T19:23:00.001Z

All courtesy of Monty, including the following codicil to the website linked aboveThe instructive case of the MV BlidaThe case of the recently released MV Blida has caused a fair bit of fallout among pirates, and according to our publisher Robert Young Pelton, it once again shows the business model of the pirates is under real strain.The ransom has created a major rift among the group of pirates

Balkans: Organ trafficking investigation begins amid mixed expectations

2011-11-18T12:15:00.001Z

The investigation into Council of Europe allegations that the Albanian KLA extracted and traded human organs began amid hopes for justice to be served, but many Serbs are doubtful. The EU Task Force -- led by US prosecutor Clint Williamson -- launched its investigation last week into allegations made by CoE rapporteur Dick Marty's report that the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) extracted and traded

The Rule Of Law In Kosovo: Mission Impossible? – Analysis

2011-11-18T12:12:00.000Z

EULEX, the European Union’s rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, is unique in both scale and ambition; greater in size than all other EU operations put together. Mandated to not only assist Kosovo’s own legal institutions in the fair and proper application of the law, EULEX has the power – on paper – to also independently investigate and prosecute serious cases of organised crime, corruption and war

Japan Probes Possible Olympus Organized Crime Links

2011-11-18T12:09:00.000Z

A unit from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s organized crime division has joined an investigation into an accounting scam at Japan’s disgraced Olympus Corp, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday, in a sign that the scandal could widen.

'Were security officials, politicians and society blind in the right eye?'

2011-11-15T20:32:00.001Z

Reactions in Germany to the discovery of the "slow-motion" terrorist group

Colombian president calls for global rethink on drugs

2011-11-15T19:26:00.001Z

Take away the "violent profit", even if that means legalising...and think about the environmental impact of your drug consumption.

Seizures of drugs in England and Wales, 2010/11

2011-11-15T19:13:00.001Z

Oops...your blogger had the figure all along and knew that seizures were 5% down year on year....but he hadnt opened the emailMea Culpa maxima!

Home Office used 'highly selective' drug figures to make UKBA look good

2011-11-15T19:09:00.001Z

That's handy. Here is the criticism of the presentation of the statistics, by the Chair of the UK Statistics AuthorityLies, damn lies and statistics, eh??

Graphic: Britain's drug habit

2011-11-15T18:59:00.000Z

Very high rate of drug siezures in City of London....

Rise in use of cocaine has peaked, says EU drug agency report

2011-11-15T18:51:00.001Z

ECDDA Report published later this week. UK still biggest cocaine user, but levels not increasing. May need reading in association with the criticisms for the Statistics Agency of recent imaginative presentation of figures by the Home Office!

Silent victims: Iraqi women trafficked for sex,into countries including Jordan - report says

2011-11-14T13:08:00.002Z

A report released by the London-based non-governmental group Social Change for Education in the Middle East (SCEME) Wednesday hopes to change that. Entitled Karamatuna, or Our Dignity, the study highlights the plight of girls as young as 10 or 12 who have been trafficked from post-war Iraq into countries including Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for sexual

German government fears new far-Right terrorism after neo-Nazi killing spree

2011-11-14T13:03:00.001Z

More coming out on the far-right terrorism story. Europol will have to rewrite its statistics. there will turn out to have been more terrorism by the far right than by jihadists at this rate.

Brazil police target drug gangs in Rio's biggest slum

2011-11-14T11:42:00.000Z

I suppose the major question is "why havent they done it before"?

German prosecutors formally arrest far-right terror group suspect

2011-11-14T11:40:00.000Z

Article includes summary of activities of far-right German terrorist group

Conference: call for papers

2011-11-10T11:48:00.000Z

CALL FOR PAPERS Transnational Organized Crime: Italian Connections Bilingual Conference (English and Italian) The American University of RomeDepartment of International Relations 30-31 March 2012 Keynote Speaker: Professor Nando Dalla Chiesa, University of Milan The American University of Rome's Department of International Relations will be hosting a two-day international conference focusing on

WANTED 'NDRANGHETA CRIMINAL SEBASTIANO PELLE ARRESTED AFTER 16 YEARS

2011-11-10T09:20:00.000Z

AGI) Reggio Calabria- Last night, 57-year-old fugitive Sebastiano Pelle, who had been wanted for 16 years, was arrested. He had been entered into the special program for wanted, highly dangerous criminals led by the Interior Ministry and executed by local law enforcement, under the coordination of DDA reggina. The arrest was made in the port area in Reggio Calabria. Mr Pelle was wanted on charges

Report Blames Mexican Security Forces For Abuse

2011-11-09T11:18:00.000Z

MEXICO CITY–Mexico's police and soldiers have committed widespread human rights abuses in the government's fight against organized crime, according to a report published on Wednesday.

Australia: Change of police tactics disrupt organised crime gangs

2011-11-07T16:44:00.002Z

Australian POLICE have identified a gap in their organised crime strategy and are plugging it with back to basics, "in your face" tactics. Victoria Police crime department chief Graham Ashton said it could take years of investigative

Far right on rise in Europe, says report

2011-11-06T18:51:00.002Z

Demos used Facebook to get supporters of the right to complete questionnaires. unsurprisingly it discovered a new younger web-based generation...Well you would if you used Facebook wouldnt you??? Allowing for the idiocy of Guardian sub-editors, the research has at least been done and there is a link to the report proper.

Deadly fog on the Mekong

2011-11-06T10:45:00.001Z

A rare glimpse into the Golden Triangle. It's all still going on down the Mekong, and quietly growing even more complicated.

The August riots in England

2011-11-06T10:32:00.001Z

Lin to the full National Centre for Social research report available on this site.

Official: 'Moment of madness' was the cause of riots

2011-11-06T10:29:00.001Z

Report to the Cabinet Office on motives for taking part in the riots: they did it for the buzz. Probably need to look at the full report, rather than this breathless summary.

At least 65 die in Nigerian terrorist attacks

2011-11-06T10:24:00.000Z

Another area of conflict opens up in Nigeria/

Trafficking in Britain: 'For five months I asked when I would get a job, but all I did was clean their home'

2011-11-06T10:21:00.002Z

Opening of what appears to be a new front in "trafficking"...I'm not sure that's the right term for what is described here. Exploitation of the vulnerable for criminal purposes might be a better description.

the dark side of the Internet

2011-11-04T21:39:00.002Z

A quick journey through the deep web (in Italian)

Anonymous abandons plan to expose Mexican drug cartel collaborators

2011-11-04T20:30:00.002Z

Bizarre Guardian article, They let the kidnapped person go...Why would you continue the assault?Win win situation, surely? Who is the editor for the sake of Astarte?

UN agencies join forces to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling

2011-11-01T13:15:00.002Z

The United Nations agencies that deal with helping refugees and with fighting crime signed a joint agreement today to work together more closely to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling. The memorandum of understanding, signed by the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yury Fedotov and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres, aims to

Organized crime may be moving bioweapons

2011-11-01T13:01:00.002Z

Officials with the United Nations Security Council's Counterterrorism Committee have expressed concern about the close connection between terrorists and transnational organized criminals, including cooperation in the illegal movement of biological weapons of mass destruction.

Anonymous hackers threaten Mexican drug cartel

2011-10-31T14:41:00.002Z

Apparently the Zetas have kidnapped one of their members, so Anonymous will post all sorts of information about them if said individual not released by Friday.

Sliding towards terrorism

2011-10-29T08:14:00.001Z

Left wingers in the Berlin area carry out arson attack on the railway. Group called Hekla claims responsibility. Opening shots in a new conflict?

Hells Angels feud leaves trail of death and destruction

2011-10-28T11:02:00.000Z

"Only in Santa Cruz would you have biker wars over who's going to control pumpkin spice lattes."

The Hidden Wiki: an internet underworld of child abuse

2011-10-27T14:12:00.002Z

Within the Tor network, sites that cant be accessed through Google, a "darknet" market in all sorts of things, but amongst them paedophilia. Anonymous have launched an attack on LolitaCity, a site for paedophiles. Problem is that the darknet is also for opponents of authoritarian regimes.

Global Burden of armed violence reports 2008 and 2011

2011-10-27T12:19:00.001Z

Crime not war main source of armed violence: study from Genevadeclaration.org

European Union Should Do More To Stop Organised Crime From Accessing The Legal Economy Say MEPs

2011-10-27T08:39:00.000Z

The EU needs stricter rules to prevent mafia-style organisations from accessing legal economic circuits and infiltrating political circles, says a resolution adopted on Tuesday 25th October by Parliament. MEPs also suggest setting up a special committee to investigate the negative social and economic impact of organised crime in Europe.

UN highlights economic cost of organised crime in Italy

2011-10-27T08:35:00.002Z

The study by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna out on Tuesday (25 October) estimates that organised crime in Italy - mostly illegal waste disposal, drugs and people trafficking - is worth €116 billion a year, equivalent to 7.7 percent of the country's GDP. The scale of the problem is far larger than in other industrialised nations - organised crime accounts for 1.3 percent of the

In-Dia-gnados and cuts protets in Rome

2011-10-26T18:47:00.004Z

Because of budget cuts, after recent several protests by Law Enforcement officials also the