The use of illegal activities to gain capital had its origins in the early development of capitalism and can be traced to the leading capitalistic countries of the world, Northern Europe and the United States. In the past few decades of the 20th century, growth of the multiplant firm has resulted in oligopolies and monopolies that dominate the national economy. In this kind of economy, most wealth is organizationally based and simple property-holding is thus no longer sufficient to make a life of crime "legitimate." It is argued that the development of large criminal organizations coincides with the onset of modern corporatism. During imperfect competition, capital loses pre-eminance and market control through oligopolies and monopolies becomes the sine qua non. Thus, the form of buccaneer capitalism has changed with the new economy. Whereas the use of large volumes of capital may have been sufficient to grant legitimacy during perfect competition, it is now the organizational structure which helps to provide legitimacy and stabilized wealth. The ultimate goal of ethnic-based crime is the same as that of the buccaneer capitalists of earlier centuries, legitimization into the upper strata. Minorities, however, must establish large-scale organizations if they are to maximize their upward mobility. Because it is apparently easier to begin in a less legitimate than in a more legitimate business, problems faced by law enforcement are exacerbated by the realization that less legitimate minority enterprises are positioned along a continuum approximating and sometimes including respectable enterprises. 24 references.