 INTRODUCTION

CRIMINOLOGY

 Lecture 6

 Transnational
Organized crime

 Prof: mmmatan
 Introduction
 The Mafia: It was in the south of Italy, where the state
remained relatively weak, and family ties remained biggest,
that the Mafia a emerged and flourished. The term was
unknown before the 1800s.
 Triads: Originating in the Fujian province in China, the
Triads were originally a secret society organisation. It was
later that such groups became involved in protection,
extortion and corruption.
 The Yakuza: With origins 17th -century Japanese gambling
gangs, the Yakuza had moved into gambling, and protection
by the late 19th century. by the 1980s ‘the Yakuza enjoyed a
position of wealth, security and acceptance for organised
crime groups in other advanced liberal democracies’
 Definition of Organized crime
 Organized crime is the unlawful activities of a highly
organized, disciplined association of Criminal activity
with a structured process.
 Transnational organized crime groups are self-
perpetuating associations of individuals who operate by
illegal means and irrespective of geography.
 Organized crime is a continuing criminal enterprise that
rationally works to profit from illicit activities that are
often in great public demand.
 Sometimes criminal organizations force people to do
business with them, such as when a gang extorts money
for "protection.
 Activities
 TOC groups’ primary goal is economic gain and they
will employ an array of lawful and illicit schemes to
generate profit.
 Crimes such as drug trafficking, smuggling, human
trafficking, money laundering, firearms trafficking,
illegal gambling, extortion, counterfeit goods, wildlife
and cultural property smuggling, and cyber crime are
keystones within TOC enterprises.
 The sums of money involved can compromise legitimate
economies and have a direct impact on governments
through the corruption of public officials.
 Types of organized crimes
1. Human trafficking is the trade of humans, most
commonly for the purpose of sexual slavery, forced
labour, or commercial sexual exploitation for the
trafficker or others.
 Traffickers deceive women, men and children from
all corners of the world and force them into
exploitative situations every day.
 While the best-known form of human trafficking is
for the purpose of sexual exploitation, hundreds of
thousands of victims are trafficked for the purposes of
forced labour, domestic servitude, child begging or
the removal of their organs.
 Cont..
2. The smuggling of migrants is a truly global concern,
with a large number of countries affected by it as origin,
transit or destination points. Profit-seeking criminals
smuggle migrants across borders and between continents.
Smugglers take advantage of the large number of
migrants willing to take risks in search of a better life
when they cannot access legal channels of migration.
Smuggled migrants are vulnerable to abuse and
exploitation. As the crime is a clandestine one, accurate
global figures are difficult to come by. Nevertheless, it is
estimated about $6.75 billion a year for criminals.
 Cont…
3. Weapons trafficking also known as gun-running, is the
illegal trafficking or smuggling of contraband weapons or
ammunition. Criminal networks and illicit arms dealers also
play important roles in the black markets from which
terrorists and drug traffickers procure some of their
weapons.
4. Illegal wildlife trade is another profitable business for
organized criminal groups, with poachers (thief) targeting
skins and body parts for export to foreign markets.
Trafficking in elephant ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts
from Africa and South-East, Asia to Asia produces $75
million in criminal profits each year and threatens the
existence of some species
 Cybercrime
5. Cybercrime, or computer crime, is crime which The
computer is used in the commission of a crime.
Cybercrime is committed against individuals with a
criminal motive to intentionally harm the reputation of the
victim or cause physical or mental harm. Cyber attacks
target both public and private sector networks, threatening
critical infrastructure supporting the energy, health,
transportation, and financial services.
 Seeking data ranging from personal information to
corporate data and trade secrets, cyber criminals target
individuals, companies, schools and universities, and
government agencies.
 Kinds of cybercrime
a. Hacking is the act of gaining unauthorized access to
data in a computer or network. Exploiting weaknesses
in these systems, hackers steal data ranging from
personal information and corporate secrets to
government intelligence.
 They use hacking activities directed towards
individuals, families, organized by groups within
networks, tending to cause fear among people,
demonstrate power, collecting information relevant
for ruining peoples' lives, robberies, blackmailing
 Cont..
b. identity theft occurs when someone “unlawfully obtains
another individual's personal information and uses it to
commit theft or fraud”. Not all identity thefts are a result
of cyber attacks, but malware such as spyware are often
used to steal personal information.
 A common method for identity theft, phishing refers to a
method used by cyber criminals to obtain confidential
information using emails or texts. Scammers pose as a
trusted source (bank or company) and trick recipients
into providing personal information, such as account
passwords and social security numbers.
 Cont..
c. Social engineering is the psychological manipulation of
people into performing actions or divulging confidential
information. Cyber criminals use social engineering to
commit fraud online. Platforms such as online dating sites
provide opportunities to initiate conversations with
potential victims.
 Once the criminal establishes a relationship with the target
and gains their trust, the criminal asks for money or
information. Social engineering techniques are often
combined with technology elements. For example,
phishing attempts often make use of deceptive and
manipulative messaging in addition to malware and fake
websites.