The Landscape of Global Organized Crime
In all corners of the globe, organized crime has permeated societies,
growing to such an extent that its now treated as an international security
threat. This can be attributed to the decline in political order, deteriorating
economic conditions and expanding underground economies.(1) Organized crime
has created an international environment that encourages people to work
outside the legal framework. Further, difficulties in producing meaningful
and effective state-to-state cooperation are working to the advantage of
criminal organizations.(2) Also, newly emerging states in political transition,
particularly in central and eastern Europe, have provided breeding grounds
for criminal activities where legal principles are loosely enforced. These
factors have contributed to the rise of better organized criminal groups
that are internationally based, and have access to vast financial resources
and a network of other organized crime groups. From this perspective, organized
crime has become a new threat to the stability of the international system.
Over time there have been varying approaches to treating the plague
of organized crime, and because of this, what actually constitutes "organized
crime" has often been misunderstood and is sometimes a source of controversy.
However, a broad consensus has emerged on several conditions that are required
to be met before an illegal activity is defined as one of organized crime.
Defining Participants, Groups and Activities
Those that participate in organized crime are considered to be
involved for the purpose of engaging in criminal activities on a sustained
basis. Individuals are not acting alone, and the activities that they are
engaged in are not random. In addition, the economic behavior in mature
criminal organizations is intentional and the activities are usually directed
by identifiable leaders. In general, the criminal organizations that are
of the greatest concern have grown into substantial enterprises, often with
transnational connections that involve a large number of "employees"
that can range from several hundred to several thousand.
These crime groups operate within varying organizational structures
for a common purpose that is outside the bounds of legal activity. Although
organization is the key to these groups, there are no standardized patterns
of structure within groups.(3) A criminal organization may rely on various
features that are best designed to carry out its purposes. A common feature
is a hierarchical, vertically organized arrangement with fairly tight controls,
such as the Colombian cocaine cartels. Other types include regionally-structured
organizations, foundations that are quasi-religious or semi-political/military
based.
The objectives of the organization ultimately define its criminality.
The type of activities that they are engaged in normally fall under the
category of what is considered 
enterprise crime. This would include
the provision of illicit goods and services or goods that have been acquired
through illicit means, such as fraud or theft.(4) One way of looking at
the activities of organized crime would be to compare it to the fundamental
considerations that govern entrepreneurship in the legitimate market place,
namely a necessity to maintain and extend one's share of the market.(5)
The activities of criminal organizations are thus equivalent to many of
the efforts of legitimate businesses -- export-import, trade in various
articles, wholesale and retail sales, and services. However, the members
of criminal organizations seek to operate in areas outside legal guidelines
and will generally trade in items also defined as illegal (i.e. drugs and weapons).
The scope of criminal activities spans a wide range. Some groups
are highly specialized and only focus on one type of activity, such as prostitution
or drugs. But, the
recent trend is for groups to engage in a broad array
of illegal activities that include both the schemes that have been at the
forefront of traditional organized crime (i.e. racketeering) and more recent
financial scams that are complex in nature (i. e. stolenart). Whatever the activity, the underlying
purpose is to make a profit from the illegal "work" of a large
number of people that is coordinated over time.
Violence is a primary characteristic of organized crime groups,
which is used to promote and protect their interests. Criminal organizations
use violence deliberately by controlling its use and directing it in specific
ways to achieve certain goals.(6) Generally, violence is used strictly for
"business purposes," although there is sometimes a lack of discipline
or acts of individual cruelty inside organized crime networks.(7)
Another feature of organized crime and related to the use of violence
is the act of 
bribery. Since they are at odds with
police and other government organizations, organized crime groups will use
bribery in order to corrupt the legal system and evade prosecution.(8) Large
amounts of ready cash provide the incentive to use the power of money to
suborn government officials on a large scale, assisting organized crime
in achieving its objectives.
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