U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Current Situation of and Countermeasures Against Transnational Organized Crime

NCJ Number
195148
Date Published
November 2001
Length
57 pages
Annotation
This document describes the training course Current Situation of and Countermeasures against Transnational Organized Crime from September 10 to November 1, 2001.
Abstract
Transnational organized crime is a growing threat to the security of the international society and the stability of sovereign states. Illicit drug trafficking is accelerating at an unprecedented pace as a result of rapid globalization. A large variety of drugs are involved, the majority of which are cannabis, opiates, stimulants, and cocaine. Drug trafficking strategies in the countries of Cameroon, Honduras, Japan, Kyrgystan, and Pakistan are reviewed. Illegal firearm tracking is any form of transfer where firearms, parts, components, or ammunition move from one country to another without the approval of the countries concerned. The problem is mostly centered on the African, Asian, and Latin American continents. Trafficking in human beings is the illegal movement of people, usually women and children, from one country to another country in violation of existing national laws and procedures. The two main continents involved are Africa and Asia. These two kinds of trafficking can bring large sums of monetary benefit, both in cash and in kind to transnational crime organizations. National strategies are inadequate in responding to the challenges posed by drug, firearm, and human trafficking, and money laundering since they cross multiple borders, involve multiple jurisdictions and a multiplicity of laws. The use of investigative techniques such as controlled delivery, electronic surveillance, and undercover operations has been difficult and ineffective because of a lack of training, inadequate finances, and no existing legislation or international cooperation. Immunity refers to the process of exemption from prosecuting a person accused of a crime. The absence or existence of an immunity system depends on a country’s culture, history, national sentiment, and their domestic laws. New techniques and tools for money laundering include wiretapping, and undercover operations. There should also be provisions in domestic laws of each country for prosecution of the “gatekeepers,” the legal professionals who provide expertise to organized criminal groups to invest money without getting detected.