Drugs and Organized Crime

Drugs and organized crime seem to be two separate things, but in all reality they are not. It is possibly safe to say that without drugs, there may not be a reason for organized crime to exist. We must first understand what organized crime is. For the purpose of this report, I will be explaining both organized criminal groups in the United States, and organized criminal groups in in Mexico. In the U.S "organized crime is composed of numerous ethnic and transitional groups operating together or apart or in conjunction with legitimate businesses and political entities." (Organized Crime, Lynn, Michael D.) But all in all it is more or less the same in Mexico expect for various ethnicities, in Mexico various ethnicities do not exist but when drugs must be passed along the borders that's when various ethnicities come in.

What defines an Organized Criminal Group?

According to NCIS (2005) all organized criminal groups have the following (1) they have at least three people (2) The criminal activity the group engages in is ongoing and indefinite in duration (3) The group is motivated by a desire for profit and power, and (4) The group commits serious criminal offenses. Generally organized criminals work together on a continuous basis in illegal enterprises. These groups have a structure going from their version of a CEO, being the boss, a commissioner, just about the same as a corporate board, capos being the middle men and last but not least the soldiers. These "soldiers" are the men and women actually carrying out the dirty work, or the illegal acts.

Who are the Victims of These Criminals?

Victims of organized criminals are many. Victims can range from the innocent business owners being forced to pay taxes because of supposed protection. They can be the soldier's family, because when one is caught he is threatened that if he speaks his family will be hurt or murdered if he talks. Another victim is the people hooked to the drugs these people sell and the innocent lives lost due to overdose or addiction. In addition the most obvious victim is the working citizen. Billions of dollars are of tax revenue from organized crime go uncollected (estimates of $37 billion a year) these results in higher tax rates for citizens who actually abide by the law. Lastly, the expenses related to criminal prosecution, law enforcement, and imprisonment make all tax payers victims of these criminals.

Illicit Services and Goods

Among many services such as murders for hire, prostitution, human trafficking, extortion, corruption reaching up to the highest political powers and pornography, the main source of income are illegal drug sales. This is the product primarily in demand on the black market. Illicit drugs such as Marijuana, cocaine, Crystal Methamphetamine