Crime without BordersAs gangs growincreasinglyglobalized,organizedcrimeisbecoming a proble

Crime without Borders

As gangs grow increasingly globalized, organized crime is becoming a problem hindering international economic development.

Gang Arrested

The Colombian police arrest 27 suspects who were allegedly involved in printing forged notesin Medellin last April.

In late 2005, Dutch police raided (搜捕) Hells Angels clubhouses around the country. In a coordinated sweep that followed a yearlong investigation, police carried out predawn searches in six towns and cities in the Netherlands, arresting 45 members of the motorcycle club, laying scores of charges and seizing an assortment of weapons.

Such large-scale raids were rare in Dutch history, and they showed that even in such a developed country without major social conflicts and with good social order, the influence of criminal organizations and the attempt to demolish them are taken very seriously.

In today's world, the economy is globalized, international communities are coexistent and worldwide interrelations grow ever closer. Meanwhile, gangs in different countries seek more profit and living space. To avoid crackdowns by law enforcement on the home front, some continuously develop their structures and go global. They are stepping out of an individual country, thus becoming cancers that influence international progress and development.

For example, when the Hells Angels club was established in 1948, its members were mainly World War II veterans who failed to get used to a peaceful life and continued to look for adventures. Decades later, this club became an influential and populous organization in North American, Australia and most countries in West Europe.

It was, 'and in many places still is, involved in criminal activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, terrorist moves and murders. In Canada, Hells Angels and members of rival motorcycle gangs carried out killings when fighting for drug trafficking businesses, resulting in 160 dead or missing. Due to this, Canadian police dispatched 2,000 police officers and launched raids in Ontario, Quebec and other provinces.

Major Activities

The Israeli police search the site of an explosion launched by underworld(黑社会) gangs in Tel Aviv (特拉维夫) on December 11, 2005.

Since the 1980s, drug trafficking (不法交易) has been the major business of international gangs. At present, the amount of drugs trafficked annually worldwide is valued at more than $ 550 billion, with 85 percent handled by underworld organizations.

Due to the potential for significant profit, gangs strengthen cooperation and form. a global chain of drug plantation, processing, transportation and sales. For example, according to Colombian officials, the biggest drug trafficking organization in the country has a very detailed work division, covering developed overseas drug trafficking network, as well as cocaine planting farms and processing plants. Its strength is centered in the country's capital, Bogota (波哥大), and spreads to provinces in west Colombia and the North Caribbean coast.

As well, the organization owns secret airbases in the country's north province and tropical bushes in the south. Traffickers deliver drugs through these bases by small planes to Mexico, Central America and the Florida coast in the United States. After being airdropped at a scheduled spot, the drugs will be transported to other places by mosquito crafts(快艇), which helps drug dealers avoid police supervision.

In this way, about 10 tons of cocaine can be trafficked every month. The Italian Mafia(黑手党) also barefacedly(公然地) transports drugs with boats, and the value of heroin delivered is estimated to reach more than $ 40 billion every year, or about 10 percent of Italy's entire GDP. Underworld organizations in the United States and Russia have also b

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C．NG