Organized Crime as Global Social Problem

Abstract

The most famous organized crime groups (hencefort OCGs) are the Italian mafias that originated in the Mezzogiorno in the nineteenth century and soon evolved into a global problem. Today, they exist on all continents. They do not necessarily depend on Italian organizations. However, they have often borrowed their organizational form and criminal method from the latter.

The core criminal business still consists of drug and arms trafficking, usury and extortion rackets, and the exploitation of prostitution. In addition, they support some terrorist groups, trafficking in organs and human beings, management of illegal gambling, trade in counterfeit goods, illicit trade in non-renewable resources, and trafficking in urban and industrial waste. They also use new digital channels, which enable them to launder illicit proceeds by infiltrating the legal economy.

During the COVID pandemic, OCGs increased their business through massive investments of illicit economic capital. There are also several instances of infiltration of OCGs into public tenders for the supply of medical and protective equipment.

The recent conflict in Ukraine and the ensuing economic crisis are fertile ground for OCGs, which can thus continue to traffic arms, manage the black market in goods, and exploit the trafficking of people fleeing war.

International cooperation of police forces and innovative regulations together with the role of social anti-mafia, free journalism, and legality education programs in schools and universities are decisive for decapitating the top leadership and raising awareness of the social danger of OCGs.

Although the chapter is the result of collaborative work between the two authors, Fabio Massimo Lo Verde is the writer of the introduction and Umberto Di Maggio of the remaining parts.