Criminal Syndicates Research Articles

PECULIARITIES OF LEGAL RELATIONS IN THE FIELD OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AGAINST MIGRANT SMUGGLING AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of legal relations in the field of international cooperation in combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking. It has been determined that smuggling of migrants and human trafficking have long been among the transnational crimes in terms of profitability. The article proves that this area is characterized by clearly structured and organized criminal syndicates, which direct their profits to the development of other even more dangerous activities. The article describes the main features of trafficking in human beings under the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which complements the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Research of influence of exogenous and endogenous factors on development of modern world trafficking. It is determined that international cooperation in criminal matters is one of the most important prerequisites for the organization of combating and preventing trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants. The article outlines the key elements of the implementation of trafficking in human beings in accordance with Article 3a of the Protocol to Prevent and Suppress Trafficking in Human Beings. A number of international normative and legal documents regulating the implementation of the state policy on combating human trafficking and smuggling of migrants have been proposed and paid attention to. It has been proven that, according to Europol, smuggling of migrants is carried out by criminal networks that provide various services: from forgery of documents to bribery of law enforcement officials. Various forms of international cooperation are superficially described: extradition of criminals, mutual legal assistance, transfer of criminal proceedings to another country, transfer of convicts, cooperation for confiscation, cooperation between law enforcement agencies, including information exchange and cooperation in investigations, joint investigation using special investigative methods.

DONETSK FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL GROUPS CONSOLIDATION AT THE TURN OF THE XXI CENTURY

The article investigates the processes of the powerful financial industrial groups emerging in the Donbass region throughout the 1990-ies. It is stated that Donbass regional significance drastically raised with Ukraine’s gaining independence due to fuel resources concentrated in the region and critically important for state fuel and energy supplies. The research specifically focuses upon the miner unions movement, its role in gaining Ukraine's independence, its further evolution and impact it had upon the regional elite formation. The first Donetsk elite’s representative to ever acquire a top position in Kyiv was Yuhym Zviahilskiy, the Zasiadko mine’s former director. What boosted his rapid promotion was his cooperation with the Ukraine’s President Leonid Kuchma seeking allies for his fight with the Dniepropetrovsk clan. The whole variety of the turn-of-the-century financial industrial groups is arguably divided into the following categories: 1) source-based groups (emerging mostly around coal mining and ore extraction industries typical for the Donbass region); 2) defense industry-based groups with former Komsomol and Party leaders in charge; 3) groups based on legal and secretive agencies (mostly known for Victor Medvedchuk and Surkis brothers’ activities); 4) Pavlo Lazarenko’s proto-agrarian clan. The establishment of System Capital Management, Donbass Industrial Union, Altcom corporations is described with direct reference to Rinat Akhmetov, Serhii Taruta, Vitalii Haiduk, Borys Kolesnikov's roles in this process. The genesis of the groups under consideration is specified through their key industrial assets, affiliated banks, legal status, transregional and international expansion. The "old elite" (mostly related to the criminal syndicates) to the "new elite" (based on income legalization through financial industrial groups and international business) generational shift is explored. Three basic stages of Donetsk clan establishment have been identified: 1) the "mafiosi wars" of the first half of the 1990-ies; 2) consolidation and driving the "old guards" out of regional political and economic field (1995 - 1999); 3) the ultimate establishment of financial industrial groups pursuing their own economical and political interests (early 2000-ies). The author argues that continuous fights between the regional mafiosi groups searching for a common spokesman was one of the reasons for “the Donetsk gang’s” belated engagement into struggle for political influence and Ukraine’s finance and economic markets reallocation.

Under a setting sun: the spatial displacement of the yakuza and their longing for visibility.

Spaces occupied by organised crime are usually kept secret, hidden, invisible. Japanese criminal syndicates, the yakuza, made instead visibility a key feature of the spaces they occupy through an overt display of their presence in the territory: in the past, a yakuza headquarter could have been instantly recognised by the crest and group name emblazoned on the front wall. However, recent changes in legislation have restrictively regulated these spaces, and the hygienisation of central neighbourhoods that used to be vital loci of yakuza activity has eroded the visibility of the groups. The intensification of the neoliberal drive took these processes to the extreme: political élites are urging to hide the yakuza from international scrutiny. Meanwhile, gentrification and temporary fortification of big cities have already changed the urban landscape and expelled elements of visual disturbance: marginal and dangerous ‘others’ such as the yakuza and the homeless. This article explores the relationship between organised crime and (in)visibility through the unusual case of a criminal group that ironically strives for visibility, and aims to investigate the socio-spatial consequences of the invisibilisation of the yakuza. Based on interviews and institutional documents, this article focuses on the wards of Kabukichō (Tokyo) and Nakasu (Fukuoka) – traditionally spaces of yakuza presence – examining how the increasing grip of the politics of surveillance over urbanscapes and the consequent spatial displacement of the yakuza induced a change in the yakuza’s relationship with their surroundings. As a result, it is argued, this is further contributing to the emergence of new forms of crime challenging the yakuza’s historical monopoly of the underworld.

Regulating Vice: What the U.S. Marijuana Industry Can Learn From State Governance of Sports Gambling

The United States has long been a country of prohibitions, with the most memorable prohibition in American history being the ban on alcohol sales in 1920, which lasted until the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. While the federal ban on alcohol has long since been abolished, the United States has continued to maintain the rudiments of its federal bans on both marijuana and sports betting, even though the primary beneficiaries of both of these bans has been organized criminal syndicates that have garnered near monopolies over these industries. While somewhat different from the alcohol ban of the 1920s, there are many similarities between today’s bans of both marijuana and sports betting. For instance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, which allowed states to legalize and regulate sports betting, catapulted the regulation of sports betting into the national spotlight, alongside marijuana. At the same time, however, there are also a few important distinctions — most notably that the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) classifies marijuana as a prohibited substance, whereas federal law classifies sports betting somewhat less harshly. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s May 2018 Murphy decision, more than 35 states have introduced legislation to legalize sports betting, with 19 states successfully passing laws in the first 18 months since the Court’s Murphy decision. Likewise, medical marijuana is currently legal in 33 states, and recreational marijuana is permitted in 11 states. Nevertheless, in spite of the growing state-level legality of both marijuana and sports gambling, the exuberance for sports gambling by entities like banks and institutional investors has surpassed the marijuana industry despite the marijuana industry having a significant head start. This Article explores why sports gambling has been widely accepted and led banks and financial institutions to take risks that they have not been willing to take for the marijuana industry. It also explores best practices adopted by the sports gambling industry that the marijuana industry may be able to emulate to garner broader legal acceptance.

Yakuza Grey: The Shrinking of the Il/legal Nexus and its Repercussions on Japanese Organised Crime

ABSTRACT For decades Japanese criminal syndicates, collectively known as the yakuza, enjoyed a highly visible and semi-legal status that positioned them in a grey area. Accordingly, also much of the yakuza’s business lies in a grey zone: night-entertainment, different forms of gambling, front companies and (fake) social movements. However, following the introduction of new stricter regulations, the yakuza are struggling to keep operating in the legal and semi-legal areas of their business, and have been pushed to explore new modi operandi, using (semi)legal actors and loopholes. Based on fieldwork conducted in Japan with current and ex-yakuza members, this paper analyses the yakuza’s response to the reduced opportunities to engage in legal activities. It is argued that this determined an increased involvement with predatory crimes for low-ranking members, while the decreased power in controlling markets allowed for the emergence of novel forms of crime.

How Similar Are Modern Criminal Syndicates to Traditional Mafias?

Five organizations exemplify organized crime organizations, or “mafias”: the American and Sicilian Cosa Nostras, the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, Chinese triads, and Japanese yakuza. Newer syndicates have emerged that are often called organized crime organizations but most importantly differ from the exemplars. Drug trafficking syndicates in Colombia and Mexico are large, wealthy, and extraordinarily violent but have proven fragile in the face of aggressive law enforcement, do not have fully formalized internal structures or elaborate cultures, and only occasionally attempt to exercise political power or provide dispute settlement services in the criminal world. The Primeiro Comando da Capital in Sao Paulo, originally a prisoner self-protection group, comes closer. It has a formalized internal structure and an elaborate culture that permit it partly to control drug markets and provide an alternative justice system in parts of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro’s Commando Vermelho, also originally prison-based and now extensively involved in drug trafficking, has some mafia-like characteristics. Other criminal syndicates are better thought of as “candidate criminal organizations” because they are not fully consolidated (e.g., the Neapolitan camorra), are not fully criminalized (e.g., Hells Angels), or aim mainly at political subversion and have only subsidiary involvement in profit-making crimes (e.g., the Colombian FARC).

Role of money mules in money laundering and financial crimes a discussion through case studies

Purpose This paper aims to explain the role of money mules in money laundering and financial crimes through the discussion of case studies. The authors also explain the red flags of money mules and provide advice. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a case analysis approach. The paper mainly discusses ten cases about the use of money mules in financial crimes. Findings It has been found that money mules help criminal syndicates to remain anonymous while moving funds around the world. The unemployment, internet usage involvement of teenagers and youth in money laundering-related crime around the world are on a rising trend, and criminals are constantly looking for their victims by exploiting their mental and financial condition. Originality/value This paper provides case studies to understand the role of money mules in money laundering and financial crime.

The effect of hydrochloric acid (HCl) on permanent molars: A scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) study

It is well established that acid disposal is a potentially effective method used by criminal syndicates to hinder the identification of victims. This study documents the effects of continuous immersion in hydrochloric acid (HCl, 37%) on molars using macroscopic analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The goal of this study is to aid in distinguishing visually unrecognizable fragments of dental remains when drastic changes in morphology have occurred as a result of acid exposure. Macroscopic, SEM, and EDS analysis were conducted on seven maxillary molars before and after HCl treatment. Molars reduced in weight relative to the length of time immersed in HCl and the dissolution time was over 40 hours longer than reported in previous studies, at just over 66 hours. SEM and EDS analysis showed acid-treated teeth exhibited morphological patterns such as cracking and layering visible at high magnification. Calcium/phosphorous ratios fell within the expected range of 1.6-2.5, indicating that HCl-treated teeth are still identifiable as osseous or dental tissue even when not visually identifiable as teeth. This is the first study to present SEM images of molar cementum before and after immersion in HCl and to present EDS results. This information can assist researchers and investigators in determining the presence of dental tissue in a forensic context associated with acid disposal.

Exploiting the Wilderness: An Analysis of Wildlife Crime, Greg. L. Warchol

Reviewed by: Exploiting the Wilderness: An Analysis of Wildlife Crime by Greg L. Warchol Tariro Kamuti BOOK REVIEW of Warchol, Greg L. 2017. Exploiting the Wilderness: An Analysis of Wildlife Crime. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 208 pp. Illegal wildlife trade is one of today's foremost challenges, and it has caused heated debates in contemporary conservation narratives, especially concerning how to address it in the face of the risk of extinction of some species. The book offers an eagle's-eye view by parsing the broad spectrum of issues related to illegal wildlife trade from the local to the global scale, with a focus on the "activities of individuals, informal networks, and criminal syndicates that target a range of animals and plants for personal use and profit" (5). The content of this book is clear, simple, concise, and layperson-friendly while being useful as a quick reference guide for experts. The author speaks from experience to give an empirically based exposition of, for instance, the intricate networks of illegal wildlife trade syndicates in particular countries in eastern and southern Africa, where he traveled extensively for more than fourteen years. Getting to the core of the illegal wildlife trade requires some explanation of the crime and its causes. Warchol finds no "simple explanation of this offense," as it is "driven by a myriad of influences that are the product of historical developments, opportunities[,] and consumer trends" (77). There is no better way to present this conundrum, which refers to how these historical developments shifted human–nature relations in ownership of, access to, and ultimately benefits derived from natural resources. For example, the transition from traditional African systems of managing wildlife resources to the colonial system of protected areas and private property rights (at the expense of people as they were relocated, marginalized, and eventually alienated from wildlife) caused tension between colonial powers and the dispossessed. As if that were not enough, the slow rate of land reform and genuine effort to mainstream the marginalized, which has been witnessed in the aftermath of the transition to self-rule in some African states, has perpetuated this skewed relationship, mired in resentment and resulting in further marginalization. In the same vein, there is a need to understand the markets that fuel the illegal wildlife trade. Warchol's use of descriptive social science research and applied criminological theory is helpful in this regard. It is the story of the poacher who always hogs the limelight, while in fact, he is only part of a long distribution chain, which eventually feeds the silent but rich consumer far afield. For this reason, one would argue that inasmuch as Exploiting Wilderness defines the "trade in wildlife" from the onset by focusing on the "legal and illegal components" (2), there is a need to problematize poaching in conjunction with consumer demand, as these concerns are not mutually exclusive to the distribution chain of wildlife products. This is because local communities shoulder the blame as poachers, right at the beginning of the distribution chain. They bear the brunt of deprivation while living close [End Page 143] to wildlife, and they face a state that has to coordinate the safeguarding of wildlife resources. This is a tall order for developing nations (which constitute the major source of illegally traded wildlife products), burdened with numerous other primary challenges, which require huge financial resources and institutional capacity. The entrenchment of militarized approaches to conservation has become a bone of contention from a human rights perspective, despite efforts toward strengthening the justice delivery system. Exploiting the Wilderness is a welcome contribution for attempting to expose the complexities of the illegal wildlife trade. It ends by outlining potential scenarios to provide various points of departure for those with a passion for species survival, sustainable communities, and stable states through collectively nurturing and equitably harnessing their natural resources. Tariro Kamuti University of Cape Town Copyright © 2019 The Trustees of Indiana University

Shadow Digital Economy

The article is devoted to the shadow digital economy as part of the shadow economy. The authors believe that, unlike the traditional shadow economy, the digital shadow economy is aimed not only at making a profit, but also at getting access to valuable digital, financial resources and/or databases. This topic is poorly studied in Russia, while foreign research centers have already started a serious analysis of statistical data on the digital shadow economy for commercial purposes. Most of the sources of this study are foreign publications, which indicates the international nature of the analyzed phenomenon. The lack of consensus of the world community on the shadow markets and cryptocurrency as products of the shadow digital economy leads to the lack of joint and more effective international cooperation in combatting financial cyber-crime, as well as international criminal syndicates engaged in the sale of illegal products. The authors give arguments about the relevance of this phenomenon to the realities of the Russian Federation, offer their own scientific definition of the shadow digital economy and give appropriate recommendations to combat this phenomenon.

Shadow Digital Economy

The article is devoted to the shadow digital economy as part of the shadow economy. The authors believe that, unlike the traditional shadow economy, the digital shadow economy is aimed not only at making a profit, but also at getting access to valuable digital, financial resources and/or databases. This topic is poorly studied in Russia, while foreign research centers have already started a serious analysis of statistical data on the digital shadow economy for commercial purposes. Most of the sources of this study are foreign publications, which indicates the international nature of the analyzed phenomenon. The lack of consensus of the world community on the shadow markets and cryptocurrency as products of the shadow digital economy leads to the lack of joint and more effective international cooperation in combatting financial cyber-crime, as well as international criminal syndicates engaged in the sale of illegal products. The authors give arguments about the relevance of this phenomenon to the realities of the Russian Federation, offer their own scientific definition of the shadow digital economy and give appropriate recommendations to combat this phenomenon.

Criminal state: understanding narcotics trafficking networks in North Korea

PurposeIn North Korea, illicit activities directly or implicitly supported by the North Korean Government are an integral part of the nation’s survival strategies. This study aims to discuss how North Korea directs its national power and resources to facilitate narcotics trafficking activities and how the role of North Korean State in the narcotics trafficking network has changed over time since the 1970s.Design/methodology/approachAnalysis of narcotics trafficking in North Korea has primarily involved a review of secondary data, including previous academic research in this field, news articles, circumstantial and forensic evidence, seizure data and defector testimony.FindingsThis paper argues that prior to 2000, North Korea was systematically and directly engaged in narcotics production and distribution. The nation state could be regarded as a form of “criminal sovereignty”, because the sovereign state is itself criminal. However, in the post-2000s, North Korea’s Government began to gradually withdraw from narcotics trafficking, creating space for various non-state actors – such as criminal syndicates, private traders and local officials – to enter the once-monopolistic network. De-centralisation of narcotics trafficking network in North Korea suggests that the state’s criminal sovereignty may be gradually eroding and the pattern of state criminalisation in North Korea may be transforming.Originality/valueThis paper draws on theories concerning state criminalisation to understand the changing dynamics of narcotics trafficking network in North Korea.

The roles and actions of sex traffickers in Cyprus: an overview

While the preponderance of delineation, exploration, and analysis of human trafficking concentrates on the victimization of trafficked people, the offenders’ criminal partaking is often left unexplored. That said, this study aims to examine the conundrum of human trafficking by exploring the traffickers’ demographics, tactics, connections, and collaborations. In order to accomplish this, data are drawn from the content analysis of 102 police interviews (Cyprus Police) with victims of trafficking and the study of police files of 18 persons convicted for human trafficking and sexual exploitation. In short (and contrary to widely held beliefs), the findings point out that human trafficking in Cyprus is not premised on well-established criminal syndicates with deep roots and solid networking, nor is dominated by cruel tactics actuated by meticulous crooks, linked to corrupt officials.

Transnational links in rhino poaching and the black‐market price of rhino horns

Rhino poaching in South Africa and India's major range states have been remarkably similar over time. Organised criminal syndicates manage an illegal supply chain of rhino horns from poachers, middlemen and corrupt authorities to East Asian black‐markets. In this paper, we use rhino poaching data from South Africa and India to examine the plausibility of transnational links and coordination in their supplies of rhino horns. We develop an innovative model of oligopolistic collusion in supply and find empirical evidence to support the theory, while controlling for rhino horn demand features, corruption, governance quality, and conservation policy. Furthermore, we propose an inventory management model of a criminal syndicate that controls the horn supply chain. The method retraces and forecasts black‐market prices and has potential applicability in estimating supply or demand elasticities. This paper is the first to suggest an oligopolistic feature of the poaching industry. It highlights the need to reorient conservation policy to account for possible coordination of rhino horn supplies between range states.

“Ghost Battleships” of the Pacific: Metal Pirates, WWII Heritage, and Environmental Protection

The recovery of historic, sunken military vessels raises several legal issues, including those of ownership, state immunity, environmental protection and the in situ preservation of underwater cultural heritage. In recent times, the remains of World War II (WWII) warships have increasingly vanished from the Pacific seafloor causing a serious dilemma in underwater heritage preservation and environmental protection. The illicit removal of the wrecks illustrates the jurisdictional difficulties maritime powers face in preventing unauthorised interference with their sunken military property. It is alleged that the remnants of American, Australian, British, Dutch and Japanese warships have largely been the victim of ‘metal pirates’. This paper highlights the threat posed to sunken WWII ships from metal pirates, who, unlike traditional treasure hunters, have specifically targeted ships’ fixtures and fittings, bronze propellers and metal hulls, and in some cases, even unexploded ordnance. Besides the impact on heritage conservation and integrity, the actions of metal pirates are posing a significant threat to the marine environment, particularly given that many WWII wrecks to this day still contain considerable quantities of oil, ammunition, and unexploded. The illicit salvaging of WWII wrecks has the potential to cause the release of oil and toxic chemicals into the surrounding marine water resulting in the contamination of fishing grounds, therefore threatening the wider environmental security of the Asia–Pacific region. Indeed, as the legacy of the Pacific conflict is represented by the number of warships that rest on the seafloor, there is the potential for serious environmental harm occurring unless states cooperate with one another to prevent piracy and related maritime crime. Many WWII wrecks are historically significant, such as the USS Indianapolis, sunk in 1945 after delivering components of the atomic bombs to Tinian; while others, such as Australia’s HMAS Perth, serve as war graves to their crew. As such, this paper considers the challenges states face in protecting sunken battleships from criminal syndicates who prey on the remnants of war.

Daders van arbeidsuitbuiting

Human traffickers are usually depicted in public discourse as evil villains: the creme de la cremeof organized crime. Although this image has also been dominant among scholars for a long time, it has become increasingly controversial. On the one hand, this debate is fueled by discussions amongst criminologists on criminal networks, on the other hand by the expansion of the legal definition of the crime since 2005. Apart from exploitation in the prostitution sector, various other forms of human trafficking are distinguished now, including labor exploitation. This article explores the question of which organizational forms play a role in labor exploitation. Through a review of the empirical research literature on labor exploitation, the authors show that in the field of labor exploitation, there is probably less involvement in criminal syndicates or criminal networks that maintain contacts with other criminal networks. In many cases, labor exploitation is committed by individuals or family businesses, or smaller loosely organized networks that are not necessarily embedded in other criminal networks. For researchers and policy makers alike, it is therefore advisable not to approach labor exploitation exclusively from the perspective of transnational organized crime.

A INTEGRAÇÃO VERTICAL DO CRIME ORGANIZADO RELACIONADA À CORRUPÇÃO POLÍTICA: ANÁLISE JURÍDICO-ECONOMÉTRICA DO CONFISCO DE BENS E DIREITOS HUMANOS

A análise apresentada neste estudo demostra que níveis elevados de integração vertical de organizações criminosas no âmbito jurídico-econômico – no qual, por exemplo, uma rede criminosa transnacional desenvolve a capacidade de licitamente gerar suas próprias matérias-primas, produzindo, transportando e distribuindo os bens ou serviços que posteriormente serão traficados, bem como controlando seu comércio atacadista ou varejista – estão sempre relacionados à corrupção política no financiamento de campanhas eleitorais e em contratações públicas, nos países em que falhas estatais mais agudas impedem o desmantelamento legal e judicial de redes criminosas por meio do confisco de ativos. Nesse contexto, esta análise amplia conclusões anteriores, fornecendo bases conceituais e empíricas para explicar a maior diversificação dos crimes econômicos organizados e sua relação com um maior grau de integração vertical em negócios jurídicos politicamente resguardados por financiamentos ilícitos de campanhas eleitorais e envolvimentos ilegais em licitações de contratos públicos. Com base nas estruturas teóricas de Williamson, observa-se que a integração vertical das atividades econômicas pelas organizações criminosas tem por objetivo reduzir os custos de transação ligados à frequência, especificidade, incerteza, racionalidade limitada e comportamento oportunista nas transações de mercado em ambientes econômicos, nos quais outras organizações criminosas também competem com violência e corrupção para conquistar mercados lícitos e apoiar atividades criminosas das mais variadas naturezas. Além disso, os conceitos e dados empíricos ora apresentados demonstrarão que uma maior integração vertical das atividades econômicas de uma rede criminosa em um ambiente em que existem falhas estatais na prestação de serviços públicos (tais como a garantia de transparência e higidez nas eleições políticas e na tomada de decisões judiciais) também será acompanhada do maior fornecimento pelo crime organizado de bens e serviços quase-públicos (como, por exemplo, mecanismos alternativos de resolução de conflitos), voltados a atender aos segmentos economicamente mais vulneráveis da população, localizados nas áreas geográficas de atuação de tais organizações criminosas. Nesse cenário, a violação sistemática dos direitos políticos e civis, tais como a violação do direito humano de acesso à justiça ou à forma transparente e hígida de eleger mandatários de cargos públicos, funciona como um pré-requisito para o fortalecimento social do crime organizado. Em suma, há uma reação em cadeia em que as falhas do sistema judicial incentivam recursos mais frequentes a mecanismos alternativos de resolução de conflitos fornecidos pelo crime organizado e por grupos armados, os quais por sua vez estão ligados a uma maior diversificação de mercados ilícitos e a uma maior integração vertical a mercados lícitos que sustentam tais mercados ilícitos. Uma das principais conclusões deste trabalho é que uma atuação judicial mais eficiente no confisco de ativos provenientes de crimes reforça o direito humano de acesso à justiça para os segmentos mais vulneráveis da população, além de impactar positivamente o direito de eleger, com menor interferência do crime organizado, mandatários de cargos públicos. Por conseguinte, uma atuação judicial mais eficiente no desmantelamento de redes criminosas não só reforçará a dissuasão/punição dessas organizações, como também evitará o crescimento de bolhas de proteção sociopolítica, nas quais o crime organizado prospera.

Environmental Asset Management: Risk Management Systems

AbstractEnvironmental Asset Management (EAM) includes Environmental Asset Protection (EAP). Rare, important, and valuable natural assets need protection from vandalism and criminal syndicates determined to exploit these assets, for commercial gain or other purposes until the assets are exhausted. This paper addresses elements of environmental crime and the risk management strategies as part of EAP, including risk management system functions. A unique implemented risk management system in the Kruger National Park (KNP) is presented. Aspects of implementation are discussed including; challenges, lessons learnt, and initial measurable effects obtained.

Rhinoceros horns in trade on the Myanmar–China border

AbstractThe illegal trade in rhinoceros horn, driven largely by the demand from East and South-east Asia, is a major impediment to the conservation of rhinoceroses globally. We surveyed the town of Mong La, in eastern Myanmar on the border with China, for the presence of rhinoceros horn. No rhinoceros horn was observed in 2006 or 2009, and other African wildlife was rare or absent. During visits in 2014 and 2015 we observed two horns, presumed to be of the white rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum, and one horn tip, small discs from the horn core, horn powder and horn bangles. Shops selling rhinoceros horn all specialized in high-end and high-value wildlife, mostly for decorative purposes, including whole elephant tusks, carved elephant ivory, carved hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius canines, and tiger Panthera tigris skins. Organized criminal syndicates are involved in the wildlife trade between Myanmar and Africa, possibly via China. Mong La's geographical position on the border with China, limited control by the central Myanmar Government, and the presence of the Chinese entertainment industry provide ideal conditions for a global wildlife trade hub catering for the Chinese market. Solutions require more intense collaboration between the Myanmar and Chinese authorities to curb the trade in African rhinoceros horn in this part of Asia.

Snatched from the World: The Phenomenology of Captivity in Italian Ransom Kidnapping

Snatched from the World:The Phenomenology of Captivity in Italian Ransom Kidnapping Alessandra Montalbano When we think about kidnapping in Italy, the first abduction that comes to mind is that of former prime minister Aldo Moro, who was kidnapped and murdered in 1978 by the Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization the Red Brigades. Yet that same year, forty-three private citizens were kidnapped for ransom by criminal organizations identified by the media under the general name of anonima sequestri (anonymous kidnapping), whose roots were Sardinian banditry, the Sicilian mafia, and the Calabrian ’ndrangheta. Unlike terrorists, these criminal syndicates never publicly claimed responsibility for their kidnappings. In 1977, before Moro’s abduction, the number of ransom kidnappings reached its peak: seventy-five in a single year.1 Political kidnapping was predominately linked to the Red Brigades, who between 1972 and 1982 abducted symbolic public figures in order to destabilize democratic institutions, the economic élite, and the media, and to “attack the heart of the state.”2 This group was responsible for eighteen total abductions.3 In roughly the same period (1975–1984), the Sardinian banditry, the mafia, and the ’ndrangheta abducted 489 [End Page 204] people—seventy percent of the ransom kidnapping victims in the history of the Italian Republic. If during the so-called Years of Lead (the years of political violence in Italy) the state was under attack by left-wing political terrorism, civil society was also threatened by the country’s underworld and its terrifying crimes. In the wider period of 1969–1998, nearly 700 people were abducted for ransom in Italy. The targets of the abductions came primarily (but not exclusively) from the ranks of upper and middle-class men and, less frequently, women and children. Their imprisonment lasted anywhere from twenty days to several years, during which time they were held in caves, abandoned houses, and holes in the ground. The conditions of captivity were deeply traumatic, with sudden physical attacks, chained and restricted movements, sensory deprivation, possible mutilation, and a constant threat of death. Victims found no easy path back to normality when rescued or released. When later recounting what had happened to them, some exhibited seemingly incomprehensible behavior, such as denying what they suffered, defending their captors, or wanting to see those men again. Some avoided sharing their stories publically, others did interviews with television shows or newspapers and magazines, and still others printed their memoirs with both prominent and smaller-scale publishing houses. Despite its vast dimensions, ransom kidnapping—unlike political kidnapping—has been relatively understudied. There are no scholarly analyses of the victims’ accounts, a fact that illustrates the lack of attention paid to the abducted as testifiers of an otherwise unimaginable reality. In this article, I explore captivity from a phenomenological perspective through an examination of memoirs written by Luigi Rossi di Montelera, Donatella Tesi Mosca, and Giuseppe Soffiantini. Luigi Rossi di Montelera, from the well-known family that owned the liquor brand Martini&Rossi, was among the victims of the ‘70s crime wave and the second target of the Sicilian Mafia in Northern Italy. Kidnapped at the age of 27 in Piedmont and freed by the police after four hard months of captivity spent practically buried alive, he wrote a memoir entitled Account of a Kidnapping.4 Nine years after Rossi, Donatella Tesi Mosca published her memoir Kidnapping Syndrome.5 She was abducted in 1981 while driving just outside of Florence. Her grueling captivity lasted fifty-four days, which she spent hidden in a hole in the ground in a Tuscan forest. Tesi’s persecutors were amateurs, two criminals who [End Page 205] had come into contact in prison with Sardinian bandits sentenced for ransom kidnapping whom they decided to emulate. Giuseppe Soffiantini, owner of a successful clothing industry in Lombardy, was 62 when two Sardinian bandits kidnapped and held him for 237 days in 1997. He too was hidden in a Tuscan forest, usually in a tent or a ground shelter under the trees. He was released after his family paid a five-billion lire ransom, and in 1999 he published his memoir, My Kidnapping.6 This article is less a literary than a phenomenological analysis of the victims’ accounts...