Organized Crime: A trafficking Empire

by Elia Razouk

"The Camorra doesn't simply traffic in drugs or arms; it trades in everything, in life itself." expressed Roberto Saviano in his book Gomorrah. Globalization has certainly spurred economic growth, profiting businesses and individuals worldwide. However, it has also provided criminals with numerous opportunities to engage in illegal activities such as counterfeiting, trafficking in illicit medicines, wildlife, narcotics, humans, etc. When we think of the mafia, terms like crime, theft, drugs, guns, and prostitution often come to mind. Nevertheless, addressing illegal global trade is essential to understand the depth of these issues and their impact on society.

Drug Trafficking

The mafia is a form of organized crime based on a hierarchical system, only recurring people from specific backgrounds or based on special needs. When the mafia expanded beyond the Italian borders and became infamous in the U.S., they switched from gambling, and smuggling alcohol during Prohibition to capitalizing on drug trafficking, especially in New York. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, drug trafficking can be defined as « a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, and sale of substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. ». The Italian-American mafia ran the U.S. drug trade by forming alliances with international suppliers and domestic groups including motorcycle gangs and local drug dealers, with the ultimate goal of smuggling drugs across borders and distributing them afterward.

Over time, Mexican cartels took over the U.S. drug market, becoming the greatest drug trafficking threat in the country. They developed innovative communication methods, maintained close ties with local gangs, and employed various smuggling techniques and transportation routes.

The cocaine route from the Andean region to the U.S. (approximately 140 metric tons) is one of the top five drug trafficking routes. Furthermore, the Andean region also supplies the European market with cocaine (around 60 metric tons). However, South America is not the only major producer of narcotics. Afghanistan also plays a significant role, with three major trafficking routes: « The Southern Route », « The Balkan Route » and « The Northern Route ». Of the 380 tons of heroin produced annually in Afghanistan, about 375 tons are trafficked globally. The Balkan route, valued at approximately $20 billion annually, passes through Iran, Turkey, and Southeastern Europe to reach Western European markets. The northern route, generating around $13 billion yearly, moves through Central Asia, to supply the Russian Federation. The Southern Route transports around 150 metric tons of heroin from Afghanistan through Pakistan to Southeast Asia. These routes connect Afghanistan to some of the world's largest heroin markets.

The mafia has historically been heavily involved in the drug trade. For example, in the 1970s and 1980s, the Sicilian Mafia and American mafia were involved in a large-scale heroin trafficking and money laundering operation known as « The Pizza Connection ». It mostly consisted of smuggling drugs from the Middle East to the U.S., where it was distributed through Mafia-controlled pizzerias such as « Al Dente », a pizzeria in Queens. They used legitimate businesses to cover illegal actions such as drug trade and money laundering, also using them as a way to reinvest profits and expand influence. The ’Ndrangheta, a powerful Italian mafia, has done just that. The organization became a leading cocaine trafficker in Europe, smuggling the products from Latin America by collaborating with Colombia’s Medellín and Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel.

Human and Sex Trafficking

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime refers to human trafficking as « the recruitment, movement or harboring of people for the purpose of exploitation - such as sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery or organ removal ». Human trafficking can take various forms. For example, the United States recognizes « two primary forms of trafficking in persons »: forced labor and sex trafficking. Forced labor, or labor trafficking, involves exploiting someone's labor through force, fraud, or coercion. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), around 20.9 million people have been victims of forced labor in recent years, generating approximately $150 billion in annual profits. This crime can occur in any industry, legal or illegal, including agriculture, factories, homes, and illicit organizations such as the mafia.

Sex trafficking involves using force, fraud, or coercion to compel someone to engage in a commercial sex act. It can take different forms, such as prostitution or pornography, including child trafficking. Traffickers manipulate their victims by promising false financial opportunities or demanding payment for real or fabricated debts. They may also use threats, intimidation, brainwashing, or kidnapping. Methods of control can include withholding identification, work authorization, or travel documents, as well as resorting to violence. According to the ILO (2017), 3.8 million adults are subjected to trafficking for forced sexual exploitation, while 1 million children are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. Human trafficking can also consist of migrant smuggling and organ trafficking, in which individuals are exploited for organs. Traffickers, often operating within organized criminal networks, profit by selling these organs to individuals who cannot or do not want to wait for legal transplants.

Thus, with their networks and resources, organized crime groups take an active part in managing, and profiting from human trafficking, often taking over sex trafficking rings. Namely, in 2014, Italian police arrested 16 individuals in Italy and 10 others across EU countries. This group allegedly operated a Mafia-style organization involved in prostitution, extortion, and theft. Police reports indicate that over 100 women were victimized by the gang, with Romanian women recruited from rural areas through psychological manipulation, according to Carabinieri Captain Sergio Agostini. Similarly, in 2019, Italian authorities dismantled two Nigerian mafia networks involved in trafficking migrants both within Italy and internationally. Investigators revealed that they forced women into prostitution. Moreover, smuggling operations often transition into trafficking, particularly on routes from Central to North America. Traffickers may also exploit their victims, especially migrants, by coercing them into drug smuggling through body packing.

Weapon Trafficking

Arms trafficking, also known as gunrunning, refers to the illegal trade of small arms, explosives, and ammunition. For many years, the weapon trade has been one of the most profitable illicit businesses globally, with steady growth observed annually. While weapons trafficking is not typically the main revenue stream for the criminal organizations involved, it often serves as a supplementary source of income. Many of these groups entered the arms trade through other criminal activities, which allowed them access to valuable networks, and information about pre-existing smuggling routes and infrastructure. Weapons are often trafficked through hidden routes, such as shipping containers, usually diverted under the cover of legitimate businesses (shipping companies, security firms), using forged documents and counterfeit customs paperwork.

Organized crime, always pursuing profitable ventures, even illicit ones, is massively involved in this kind of trafficking. The mafia benefits from the high profitability of weapons trafficking, often controlling key smuggling routes or networks that traffic both drugs and arms. These networks often rely on bribery and corruption to facilitate the trades across borders, especially in regions with weak law enforcement. Some mafia groups collaborate with terrorist organizations, or radical factions, selling weapons to fuel conflicts or for political gain. For instance, a study (Makarenko, 2012) revealed numerous connections between organized crime and terrorist groups. The Camorra has been linked to organizations like Al-Qaeda and ETA. A 2005 FBI report detailed interactions between Italian organized crime and Islamic extremist groups, demonstrating how these criminal networks provide terrorists with funding and logistical support. The Camorra has supplied firearms, forged documents, and safe houses to Al-Qaeda in exchange for narcotics smuggled into Italy. It has also delivered weapons, including missiles, to ETA in return for large quantities of drugs. Such alliances illustrate the increasingly blurred lines between organized crime and terrorism.

Weapons trafficking is largely dominated by organized criminal groups from the Western Balkans and the former Soviet Union. Motorcycle gangs also hold a key position in this trade, establishing chapters in the Western Balkans to expand their operations. These groups typically rely on pre-existing smuggling routes to transport weapons illicitly. According to the GI-TOC's 2021 Global Organized Crime Index, arms trafficking is the third-largest criminal market globally, with significant activity in Africa, America, and Asia. Weapon trafficking fuels other criminal activities such as human trafficking, resource smuggling, drug trade, and violent crime, posing a serious threat to community stability and democratic institutions.

Bibliography:

• Concept of Organized Crime and the Mafia (From Gangland: Drug Traf icking by Organized Criminals, P 15-33, 1989, Michael D Lyman -- See NCJ-120419) | Office of Justice Programs.

• « Drug Traf icking ». United Nations : Office on Drugs and Crime

• « Narcotic Superhighways: The Top 5 Routes for Drug Traf icking ». OCCRP

• « From One Mafia To The Next: Tracking The Path Of The Global Drug Trade ». La Stampa

• « About Human Traf icking ». United States Department of State

• « Human Trafficking Statistics & Facts ». Safe Horizon

• « Italy: 26 Arrested in Romanian Sex Trafficking Ring ». OCCRP

• « Illicit Firearms Trafficking ». Europol

• « Arms Trafficking and Organized Crime ». Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime