Different Types of Organized Crime in Canada
Organized crime in Canada has many faces. The people who engage in organized crime are as varied as the types of organized crimes they engage in. There are essentially four categories of organized crime in Canada. These four categories are: (A) Aboriginal organized crime groups, (B) Outlaw motorcycle gangs, (C) Traditional Italian Mafia crime groups, ethnic groups such as Asian Triads and Vietnamese gangs, (D) Colombian cartels and emerging crime groups from Russia and Nigeria (Beare 1996: 75). Any of these groups could potentially be linked to such illegal activity as: the trafficking of narcotics, extortion, loan-sharking, various types of frauds, smuggling of cigarettes, alcohol,
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Many Aboriginal groups have begun to make ties with Asian criminal groups and the more traditional organized crime groups (Mafia). One example of this is within the Vietnamese community in Edmonton cocaine traffickers were using smuggled cigarettes as a medium of exchange for cocaine. 200,000 dollars worth of cigarettes was worth 1.1 kilograms of cocaine (Linquist 1994: 34). Aboriginal crimes tend to be crimes of opportunity. That is to say that Aboriginal groups do not go out and look for illegal ways to make money, they just sort of stumble into them. However once a successful smuggling route is established, this route is quickly taken advantage of by other criminal groups. One good or perhaps it should be considered a bad example of this is a gun smuggling operation. The operation was originally begun as a way to support the military activities of a small number of Mohawk communities. This operation's clients now include a Jamaican street gang, the Montreal West Gang, and motorcycle gangs (Beare 1996: 77).
The next group of interest to us is outlaw motorcycle gangs. In the old days members of this type of organized crime group were used mainly as hit men by the more sophisticated groups. Over the years however these groups have begun to take part in the more sophisticated dealings of the groups they had previously worked for. It has gotten to the point where now these motorcycle gangs are the ones hiring people to do the work that the Mafia used to hire them to
White-collar criminals are hardly prosecuted due to the difficulty of identifying this crime. Typically, white-collar crime is less likely to be tracked, less likely to be reported, and less likely to be prosecuted. Therefore, Bill C-21, the Standing Up For Victims of White Collar Crime Act, aims to have tougher sentences for fraud which will help combat white-collar crime. Noting the devastating impact of white-collar crime in many Canadian communities, this legislation ensures that white-collar criminals face sentences that reflect the severity of their crimes. The legislation includes a mandatory minimum penalty of at least two years for fraud over $1 million. It also toughens sentences by adding aggravating factors that courts can
Organized crime; is a group of individuals that work together to illicit profit through illegal and sometimes often violent methods1 and two of the most famous groups are the Mafia and the Irish Mob. The two groups can be traced as far back as the 1800’s and had originally formed together for their financial gain to improve their lives and to protect themselves against the corrupt police officers. However over the years they have developed this infamous reputation tying both groups together, when there are substantial differences between the two. For instance one is based in the country of Sicily and the other was formed right here in the United States. Both groups have different origins, histories, systems and traditions thus making both
Organized crime in Canada can be identified as a multi-layered issue throughout the country. Posing a significant threat to the safety of Canadian citizens, it would prove beneficial to seek further information on crime networks in relation to how and why organized crime networks occur and how they can be/are being controlled. Illegal acts such as human trafficking, drug trafficking, prostitution and theft undoubtedly catalyze adverse effects on the communities in which they operate in and around, and should therefore be analyzed more in depth in an effort to keep Canadians safe. This paper will be discussing the description and function of organized crime networks in Canada, as well as how these networks relate to street gangs, drug trafficking
3. Characterize the initiation ritual. How do you think it compares to the “real” ritual – if such a ritual exists?
To understand Russian organized crime it is essential to understand the historical and cultural influences on the citizens, government, and organized crime members. An undercover law enforcement officer of Russian descent cited two major cultural differences of the former Soviet Union which may contribute to the current organized crime groups. First, many people from the former Soviet Union did not view stealing form their place of
In this paper it was asked of us as a team to give an in-depth historical analysis of an organized crime group. With this class being about organized crime one would think to write about mobsters, but we decided to think outside the box. Even though when thinking of organized crime the first thought is The Italian Mafia and groups of that sort, one has to remember that organized crime comes in many different forms of organizations. From this class we were able to understand more on organized crime and who can be classified as an organized crime organization. Organizations that one would never really think of as having ties to organized crime may have some
We may not see this group but the mafia was big back in the day. The mafia was the leading group in criminal activity in the 1960’s(Darity). The mafia was a group that would make tons and tons of money off of drugs, robberies and murders. They would sometimes pay off cops to look the other way and if they didn’t get what they wanted they would use their firearms. With stronger and more enforced laws, many lives could have been saved.
As many prominent scholars have postulated, there is very little research addressing the multifaceted dynamics with respect to Aboriginal gang involvement from a Canadian perspective. This paper intends to advance the understanding of the pathways involved in Aboriginal gang formation, recruitment and participation by critically examining the historical and institutional impediments, which have contributed to the facilitation of this phenomenon. In the process, this paper will apply the foremost tenets of social control theory in order to provide a holistic account of the context that enables the proliferation of Aboriginal gangs within Canada. Correspondingly, the formulation of these results will subsequently be useful for policy-makers
Violent crime in Canada isn’t too big of a problem in comparison to other countries. In Canada citizens are generally happy to see the police. Rates of corruption are nowhere near what they are in other countries. It is reasonable to say violent crime isn’t as prevalent as it is in America because of the strict gun laws Canada imposes. Also, United States of America has a serious gang problem in comparison to Canada, part of the reason being the shipment of drugs from the southern border. Some examples of violent crimes are assault, aggravated assault, sexual based offences, murder (first and second degree), kidnapping, and robbery. In recent years violent offences has been on the rise in Canada. The types of individuals who commit violent crimes range from gang members to substance abusers. A lot
The fact that prison gangs are not visible to the public makes them seem unknown to the public eye, however the pose the same threats to the United States as all other gangs. Prison gangs are also often written off and forgotten about by authorities due to fact that they are incarcerated. “Due to their seclusion from the public and their minimal visibility, prison gangs are difficult to target and are thus frequently overlooked as threat actors, which enables them to commit various crimes without detection while covertly impacting every level of law enforcement” (FBI 2013 National Gang Report). This oversight allows prison gangs to conduct even more criminal activity. Some of the most well-known prison gangs are the Aryan Brotherhood, Mexican Mafia and the Prison Brotherhood of Bikers (FBI 2013 National Gang Report). One of the most powerful and prevalent prison gangs is the Mexican Mafia due to their influence on local street gangs by taxing all their illegal sales and ordering Surenos type gangs to help accelerate their cause by collecting gang ordered taxes, assaults, and murders (FBI 2013 National Gang Report). Many members of the Sureno gang could be controlled by comparatively few Mexican Mafia members. In exchange for working as the Mexican Mafia’s foot soldiers, they received protection should they ever become incarcerated.
By the late 20th century the Mafia's role in U.S. organized crime seemed to be diminishing. Convictions of top officials, defections by members who became government witnesses, and murderous internal disputes thinned the ranks. In addition, the gradual breakup of insulated
Present Day Gangs - Many American gangs began, and still exist, in urban areas. In many cases, national street gangs originated in major cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Miami, and they later migrated to other American cities such as Atlanta, Cleveland, Nashville, Dallas, Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, Detroit and Houston. (Wikipedia) There are some 33,000 violent street gangs, motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs and about 1.4 million members are criminally active in the United States today. Many of these gangs are sophisticated and very well organized. They all use violence to control their neighborhoods and to support their illegal activities. Their activities include robbery, gun and drug trafficking, fraud, extortion, and some prostitution rings. Gangs are responsible for 48 percent of the violent crimes in some areas and up to 90 percent in other areas. There are many prison gangs that are very racially motivated. Some gangs such as the Folk Nation and People Nation originated in the
The primary challenge for law enforcement is infiltrating the mafia as it is virtually impossible without prior associations. As of yet, no Canadian police agent has been able to conduct undercover work of major organized crime groups in Canada to the same level of success as the FBI in the United States. As a result, it is challenging to know how criminal organizations operate, who they are connected with, and where their proceeds of crime are stored.
The topic of this paper is gangsters in organized crime can either work alone or work with other gangsters. When people commit crimes with other criminals, their personal ties to each other become strong when there is especially trust or there could be no trust, however, those ties can become strong at some point.
Social Institutions are groups of people who have come together for a common purpose. These institutions have formed a common bond. They have done research and have concluded by joining they can achieve more. Some of the social institutions in the local community are the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Cub Scouts, the Girl Scouts. There are generally five different types of social institutions. They are political, educational, religious, economic, and family. Each is filled with members of a common goal. Organized crime organizations have adopted the philosophy of social institutions. They