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Russian Mafia
The Russian mafia was previously the flavour of the month, if for no other reason than the quarter million stolen cars per year they are responsible for. But of course there is much, much more to them than that. Membership figures vary widely from 100,000 to in excess of 300,000. Revenues from ‘shady businesses’ make up forty per cent of Russias gross domestic product, with nearly nine million citizens involved in these activities.
It is now clear that much of the criminal activity in Russia itself existed under, and was ‘tolerated’ by, the Soviet authorities. After the fall of communism the influence of organized crime in Russia was all pervasive, with estimates running as high as eighty per cent of all Russian businesses being mafia controlled. What has been staggering is the spread of Russian organized crime since the dismantling of communism.
Japanese Yakuza
The Yakuza are estimated as being responsible for almost half the bad debts held by Japanese banks. However, it has been suggested that the banks themselves courted Yakuza groups in the 1980s when large corporate borrowers defected to international markets. When the bubble burst the Yakuza borrowers were saddled with massive debts, but the banks were too scared to foreclose on them, fearing retribution. Estimates as to their membership hover around the 100,000 mark with a turnover of up to $90 billion per year. These estimates make them by far and away Japan’s biggest individual business. They have cornered the market in Japan for property and loan fraud together with prostitution, debt collection and extortion rackets.
Italian Mafia
Read the book, seen the films: membership of 20,000 but should not be underestimated or overlooked. To be strictly correct, as outlined below, the correct term is ‘mafias’ in the plural as there are at least four (possibly five) major groupings. They are still hugely influential in Italy where it is still estimated that they control about 20% of the country’s commercial activities, notwithstanding the ongoing governmental purges on their activities. The various groups have a heavy presence in arms, gambling, loan sharking, extortion, disposal of toxic waste, European Union frauds, animal trafficking, fraud centred on government tenders and increasing the infiltration of legitimate companies to launder funds. The Italian mafias have adapted and survived by entering new dynamic business areas and realizing when it is prudent and/or sensible to leave behind their more traditional activities.
Chinese Triads
This intricate network of Chinese criminals has its roots in the 19th century opium trade. The Triads now operate in every major centre of the world with a Chinese population, and have an estimated turnover of $200 billion per annum. Membership figures vary widely but a minimum figure is estimated as being 20,000 with a maximum exceeding 100,000. There are six main gangs (but over fifty in all) who are essentially rivals at a local level but cooperate globally.
Turkish and Kurdish gangs
These are very important in the drugs market in the United Kingdom where they supply 80% of the heroin smuggled into the country each year. The groups are extremely tight knit, very efficient and highly secretive. They are also moving into illegal immigrants and stolen cars, utilizing the supply and distribution channels they have established to such good effect in the drug trade.
Nigerians
Often underrated because of the pure volume of the infamous 419 letters (Dear Sir, We have stolen $400 million from the Nigerian Oil Company and would like to give some of it to you, etc), the Nigerians are a highly organized and effective criminal grouping. Bear in mind that the US Secret Service receives about one hundredtelephone calls per day from victims or interested recipients of these letters together with three hundred pieces of correspondence. In the United States alone it is estimated that Nigerian crime groups generate $100 million each year, solely from 419 letters. It is not uncommon for individual victims to lose more than £1 million through such frauds (this observation is not an exaggerated one, as I have dealt with various cases with losses of this level). The areas that they are involved with include drug trafficking, banking fraud, stolen and fraudulent financial instruments, housing and benefit fraud, shipping fraud, oil and gas fraud: you name it. Ignore this group at your peril.
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