Posted on 20 Apr 2022
The Index is a podcast based around the Global Organized Crime Index, an online tool that ranks levels of criminality and resilience in 193 countries.
From drug trafficking and mafia-style crimes to criminal justice and security – In this series, we’ll take a deep dive into the Global Organized Crime Index with leading experts and look at some of the biggest organized crime threats facing countries and regions around the world.
Subscribe to the dedicated newsletter to get regular updates about the project and the launch event
In Canada, Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs, often referred to as a "1%" Club, include infamous names like the Hells Angels, The Outlaws, Bandidos.
The Hells Angels are reported to have over 450 chapters across almost 60 countries around the world – many of those are in Canada.
According to Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the RCMP, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, are involved in a range of illicit markets – fraud, counterfeiting, money laundering, extortion, corruption, drug trafficking, illicit firearms trafficking, violence and murder.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, Canada has very high levels of resilience to organized crime, with a score of 7.21 out of 10 – placing it 23rd globally.
On the other side of the coin, Canada has low levels of criminality – with 3.88 out of 10 – sitting 160th out of 193 countries.
The Criminal Actor score is 3.9 out of 10, BUT mafia style groups is the highest form of criminal actor at 5/10, and outlaw motorcycle gangs are the most widespread in Canada, with Nova Scotia of particular interest due to its port of entry for illegal drugs.
In this episode, Thin sits down with Conor King, from the Victoria Police Department to discuss the role of outlaw motorcycle clubs in the illicit economies of Canada.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speaker(s): Conor King, Detective Inspector, Victoria Police Department, Canada
Links
The Global Organized Crime Index
Washington Post - Iran turns to Hells Angels and other criminal gangs to target critics
In August police in Vietnam uncovered an infant trafficking ring which had purchased and resold at least 16 infants, ages ranging from just days to a few months old, leading to further investigations that uncovered 84 suspected trafficking cases across 32 provinces.
In this episode, we delve into the harrowing realities of human trafficking in Vietnam. For more than two decades the country has been a source, destination, and transit point, with a troubling score of 7 out of 10 on the Global Organized Crime Index. Criminal actors involved include local recruitment agencies, family members and acquaintances of victims, and foreign actors such as Chinese and Korean ‘bride recruitment’ brokers. Criminals are increasingly professional, and form closed interprovincial, transnational and international networks.
Vietnam's resilience to human trafficking, more specifically, Victim and Witness Support and especially Non-State Actors scores were critically low in the 2023 OC Index assessment.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speaker(s): Hai Thanh Luong, Research Fellow, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University
Links
The 'Marengo Trial' lasted years, finally resulting in multiple convictions of the so-called Mocro Mafia, including one of its most infamous leaders, Ridouan Taghi, who was convicted of murder among other things.
Who are the Mocro Mafia? They were born out of the Dutch-Moroccan community in the Netherlands during the 90s, starting with the smuggling of hashish before moving onto the much more profitable cocaine. Its estimated that they control up to a third of the cocaine market in Europe. But they have also left a trail of destruction in their wake, journalists and lawyers have been murdered, bombs have been detonated, many have been killed.
The Mocro Mafia have grown beyond the Netherlands and now operate transnationally, they are active in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, the UAE, Suriname, Colombia and Spain.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, there has been an increase in the 'Criminal Actor' and 'Criminal Markets' score in Western Europe. Criminal markets have increased from 4.06 to 4.48 out of 10. All criminal markets have increased over the last few years in this region, but the largest increase was in the Mocro Mafia's prime market, the cocaine trade, now at 5.77 out of 10 - that is the highest regional score in Europe.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speaker(s): Sarah Fares, Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime
OC Index Country profile(s):
Additional Links:
Violence without borders: Why is drug-related violence spilling over into Germany?
When we think about the global drugs trade – countries like Colombia and Mexico often come to mind. But according to the Global Organized Crime Index, the country that sits just behind those two is Paraguay. In fact, Paraguay sits 4th globally for levels of criminality, with 7.52 out of 10.
It has really high scores for illicit markets like arms trafficking (9), counterfeit goods (9), Cocaine (8.5), and Cannabis (9). But then if we look at Criminal Actors within the OC Index, again, Paraguay scores incredibly highly across the board, for example state-embedded actors are at 9 out of 10, alongside foreign criminal actors. Overall, its Criminal Actor score is 8.3 out of 10.
Since 2021, Paraguay has seen an increase of 0.82 in levels of criminality, which means it climbed 12 places to 4th globally.
In addition to this, levels of resilience have remained relatively low, at 3.42 out of 10.
Only four other countries have seen a larger increase in the gap between criminality and resilience.
In this episode Thin discusses the situation in Paraguay.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers: Professor Alba Maria González Rolón, former Judge for the first and only court dealing with Organized Crime in Paraguay and member of the GI Network of Experts.
OC Index Country profile(s):
Additional Links:
Ivory poaching is a problem wherever we find elephants, and that is no different in India. The ivory taken from the Asian elephants has long been prized in both traditional Chinese medicine and also ivory artefacts.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, India has low score for Criminal Actors (4.8), but scores highly for Criminal Markets (6.7), where it sits 16th globally. Ivory poaching falls into the category of Fauna Crimes, here India scores 7.0 out of 10, that places the country 25th globally.
But India also has the highest levels of Resilience (5.42) to organized crime in South Asia.
In this episode we discuss an AI-driven technology developed specifically to help combat ivory poaching in India.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers: Sharada Balasubramanian, independent environmental journalist.
Links:
(Article) ‘Hawk-eyed: India is fighting its ivory poachers with a powerful tech weapon’
Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) - Kerala Forest & Wildlife Department takes official charge of ‘HAWK’ to Combat Wildlife Crime
OC Index Country profile(s):
Additional Links:
The Global Organized Crime Index
The Observatory of Illicit Economies in Central and South Asia (CSA-Obs)
Ukraine (9/10) and Russia (8.5/10), alongside the former Soviet states of Moldova and Belarus, have some of the highest scores for arms trafficking in the Global Organized Crime Index.
This is due to the significant levels of weapons and ammunition left over at the end of the Soviet period.
In addition to the high levels of arms trafficking across this part of Europe, Central and Eastern Europe has the highest scores for state-embedded actors on the European continent (Russia, 8.5/10; Ukraine, 8/10).
Since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western nations have sent weapons to Ukraine to aid in its struggle, but there are concerns that these weapons could leak out into the illicit markets of Europe and end up in the hands of organized crime.
Currently there is no evidence of this, the Ukrainian government has put in strict measures to prevent this from happening.
In this episode, we look at the war in Ukraine, and arms trafficking.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers: Daniel Brombacher, Director of the Europe Observatory, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Links:
(Paper) Smoke on the Horizon: Trends in arms trafficking from the conflict in Ukraine
OC Index Country profiles:
The Global Organized Crime Index
GITOC - The Observatory of Illicit Markets and the Conflict in Ukraine (UKR-Obs)
GITOC - The Observatory of Organized Crime in Europe (EUR-Obs)
The Netherlands is an important global trading hub, with Rotterdam being one of the worlds largest container ports in the world. The country's high quality infrastructure and the well known liberal approach to drugs makes the Netherlands attractive to organized criminal groups. And those originating in the Western Balkans have long been active in the Netherlands.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, the Netherlands has high levels of foreign criminal actors with 6 out of 10 - an increase of 1.50 in just two years – only Bangladesh and Afghanistan have seen larger increases.
Alongside that, the levels of cocaine and synthetic drugs are extremely high - for cocaine the Netherlands sits 21st globally with 7.5 out of 10, and for synthetic drugs it’s even higher at 8 out of 10 – which is 15th globally.
In today’s episode we’ll look at the impact of organized criminal groups from the Western Balkans on the Netherlands, and their involvement in the illicit drugs trade.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Ingrid Gercama, Investigative Journalist writing about the environment, politics, and conflict, mostly from the Balkans and Africa.
Links:
Article - Western Balkan criminal groups are important players in the Netherlands.
Paper - Transnational Tentacles: Global Hotspots of Balkan Organized Crime
Paper - The cocaine pipeline to Europe
OC Index Country profiles:
Bosnia & Herzegovina country profile
North Macedonia country profile
The Global Organized Crime Index
The largely unregulated taxi industry in South Africa has long been associated with violence., as taxi associations clash with one another over control of lucrative routes. Taxi-related violence ranges from shoot-out at taxi ranks to targeted hits on influential players in the industry, often sparking retaliatory killings, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of taxi operators and innocent bystanders.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, mafia-style groups such as those operating in the taxi industry, are a prevalent criminal actor in South Africa - with a score of 7.5 out of 10, placing the country 5th out of 54 on the African continent.
South Africa also sits 6th in the world for extortion and protection racketeering, and the mafia-like taxi associations are major contributors to that, as they extort their drivers and attack rival modes of transport.
Overall, South Africa’s criminality score is very high at 7.18 out of 10, placing it 7th out of 193 countries.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Rumbidzai Matamba, Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime
Links:
The business of killing: Assassinations in South Africa
The Shadow Economy: Uncovering Cape Town's Extortion Networks
The politics of murder: Criminal governance and targeted killings in South Africa
OC Index Country profiles:
The Global Organized Crime Index
GITOC - The Observatory of Illicit Economies in East and Southern Africa (ESA-Obs)
In March this year, gangs of armed men on motorcycles descended on a school in north-western state of Kaduna in Nigeria, kidnapping over 280 children. In the same week a similar mass kidnapping took place in the north-eastern state of Borno.
Over the past few years, kidnappings have been a real issue in Nigeria, but have recently been in decline.
So, who is behind these kidnappings? And why are they targeting these communities?
Kidnappings have contributed to the rise in extortion and protection racketeering in Nigeria, according to the Global Organized Crime Index, it is the highest in West Africa at 8/10.
Overall, Nigeria has very high levels of criminality - on the African continent it sits 2nd and 6th globally, with a score of 7.28 out of 10.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Kingsley L. Madueke, Nigeria Research Coordinator, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Lawan Danjuma Adamu, Northern Nigeria Field Coordinator, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime
Links:
https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/mass-abductions-kidnappings-nigeria/
https://riskbulletins.globalinitiative.net/wea-obs-005/01-armed-bandits-extort-crop-farmers.html
https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/non-state-armed-groups-illicit-economies-west-africa/
OC Index Country profiles:
The Global Organized Crime Index
Brazil has long had a problem with mafia-style groups, according to the Global Organized Crime Index, with 8 out of 10, that places the country 3rd in South America.
One such group are the so-called militias, made up of former and serving members of military police or law enforcement. The militias groups have sought to profit from the housing market , with many residents facing the threat of violence, and even expulsion from their homes. Alongside this, militias have seeped into other markets, controlling access to utilities such as water, electricity and internet connectivity.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, levels of extortion and protection racketeering are high, at 7 out of 10. These numbers contribute to the high overall criminality score for Brazil at 6.77 out of 10, placing them 22nd globally.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Antonio Sampaio, Thematic Lead on Cities & Illicit Economies at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.
Nicholas Pope, Research fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London
Links:
Coercive brokers: Militias and urban governance in Rio de Janeiro
OC Index Country profiles:
Montenegrin organized crime groups have risen through the criminal underworld to become key components of the global cocaine trade. From Latin America to global shipping, and from ports to European markets, they control the entire chain.
But with such a lucrative trade comes violence. Over the last decade, several dozen Montenegrins and Serbians have been killed across Europe in a bloody feud between two criminal groups - the Škaljari clan and the Kavač Clan, both originating from the small Adriatic town of Kotor.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, Montenegro ranks 5th in terms of criminality out of 44 countries in Europe, with the cocaine trade being it’s most prevalent criminal market at a score of 7 out of 10.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Marko Vešović, Journalist & Editor of the daily newspaper DAN Montenegro, and member of the GI Network.
Links:
(GI Video) Montenegro's Cocaine War: Rival Clans, Illicit Markets, and Assassinations
(GI Paper) Spot Prices: Analyzing flows of people, drugs and money in the Western Balkans
(GI Paper) The cocaine pipeline to Europe
OC Index Country profiles:
The gold mining sector in West Africa has increased significantly in recent years. But this is also a region bereft by political instability following several recent coups, extremist groups, foreign criminal actors and organized crime networks all operate here, artisanal and small-scale miners are often targeted by such groups.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, there are high levels of criminality across the region in non-renewable resource crimes, the category which illegal gold mining falls under. Burkina Faso reaches 8.5 out of 10; Mali, 8 out of 10.
Whereas Resilience levels across the region are low, but particularly in Mali, at just 2.38 out of 10.
In this episode Thin will discuss the differences between informal and illegal gold mining, and the role criminal groups play in exploiting miners across West Africa, and the possibility of formalising the informal gold mining sector.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Gideon Ofosu-Peasah, Analyst, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Marcena Hunter, Thematic Lead on Extractives and Illicit Flows, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Links:
(GI Paper) Learnings from West Africa’s regional experiences in the gold sector
OC Index Country profiles:
Papua New Guinea, the island nation in Oceania, is rich in biodiversity. But the rainforests that cover the country are also sought after by logging companies, sometimes illegally. PNG is the largest exporter of timber to China, where it is then distributed around the world.
There are a number of criminal markets that are particularly prevalent in PNG - financial crimes, human trafficking, non-renewable resource crime. But in this episode, we will focus on illegal logging, because Papua New Guinea sits second globally for flora crimes at 8.5 out of 10.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Guest: Eddie Tanago Paine from ACT NOW! For A Better Papua New Guinea
Links:
OC Index - Papua New Guinea country profile.
The Global Organized Crime Index
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Additional Links:
Mongabay - Logging, road construction continue to fuel forest loss in Papua New Guinea
The Guardian - From a forest in Papua New Guinea to a floor in Sydney: how China is getting rich off Pacific timber
Global Witness - In a historic win, Papua New Guinea acts against logging tax cheats. What happens next?
Al Jazeera - Papua New Guinea’s forests are being destroyed
The Guardian - Papua New Guinea landowners fight against logging
The small Caribbean nation of Haiti has seen a surge in gang violence over the past few years. According to the Global Organized Crime Index, there is a high level of mafia-style groups (8.5 out of 10). These gangs have captured large swathes of the economy.
With names like G-Pep, 400 Mawozo, Baz Pilate, and G9, these gangs compete for control, leading this conflict to be described as the "world’s most dangerous gang war".
Haiti has the highest levels of criminality in the Caribbean. Arms trafficking, human trafficking, cocaine trafficking, and financial crimes are all over 7.5 out of 10. More troubling still is that its resilience score is very low - at 2.46 out of 10, which places Haiti at 174 out of 193 countries.
In this episode we will discuss the criminal governance of the gangs, and how difficult it is for civil society to operate in the country.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Guest: A civil society member in Haiti.
Links:
(Podcast) UN & Organized Crime Podcast - Gang violence and the human rights and security crisis in Haiti
(GI Paper) Gangs of Haiti: Expansion, power and an escalating crisis
(GI paper) Gang control and security vacuums: Assessing gender-based violence in Cité Soleil, Haiti
(GI Blog) New sanctions target Haiti gangsters
The Global Organized Crime Index
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Additional Links
https://haitiantimes.com/gangs-in-haiti-a-deeper-look/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/28/haiti-gangs-food-access-farming
The Global Organized Crime Index features two new indicators - Cybercrime and Financial Crimes.
In this episode Thin sits down with the Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Chainalysis, Jacqueline Koven, to discuss a topic that straddles both of these indicators, money laundering through cryptocurrency.
According to Chainalysis, nearly $23.8 billion dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency was laundered in 2022, a 68% increase on the previous year.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Guest: Jacqueline Koven, the Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Chainalysis.
Links:
The Global Organized Crime Index
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
The Chainalysis 2023 Crypto Crime Report
Russian Cybercriminals Drive Significant Ransomware and Cryptocurrency-based Money Laundering Activity - https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/2022-crypto-crime-report-preview-russia-ransomware-money-laundering/
OFAC Sanctions Russian National Ekaterina Zhdanova for Using Cryptocurrency to Launder Money on Behalf of Russian Elites and Ransomware Groups - https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/ofac-russia-crypto-money-laundering-sanctions-2023/
Privacy Coins 101: Anonymity-Enhanced Cryptocurrencies - https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/privacy-coins-anonymity-enhanced-cryptocurrencies/
Crypto Mixer Usage Reaches All-time Highs in 2022, With Nation State Actors and Cybercriminals Contributing Significant Volume - https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/crypto-mixer-criminal-volume-2022/
Crypto Needs Comprehensive Policies to Protect Economies and Investors - https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2023/07/18/crypto-needs-comprehensive-policies-to-protect-economies-and-investors
The assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio in August this year made international headlines. A campaigner who railed against organized crime and corruption, his murder in Quito was one act in a downward spiral of violence in Ecuador. Local gangs and international criminal organisations have increased their influence in politics, worsening already low-public trust in state institutions.
Over the course of two years, according to the Global Organized Crime Index, Ecuador’s criminality score has risen sharply, and globally it now sits 11th, levels of resilience fared no better and have dipped significantly.
In this episode, Thin will delve into these Index scores and discuss organized crime, politics, and the increase in violence in Ecuador.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Guest: Renato Rivera, Coordinador Observatorio Ecuatoriano de Crimen Organizado
Links:
Observatorio Ecuatoriano de Crimen Organizado
The Global Organized Crime Index
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
BBC News: Candidate in Ecuador's presidential election Fernando Villavicencio shot dead
El País: Mexican cartels linked to Ecuador violence: ‘Criminals have an incentive to say they belong to a renowned group’
The Guardian: ‘We should treat it as a war’: Ecuador’s descent into drug gang violence
Al Jazeera: Ecuador gang boss who threatened Villavicencio moved to high-security jail
Myanmar in Southeast Asia topped the global list for levels of criminality (8.15/10) in the latest Global Organized Crime Index. From arms trafficking (9/10) to the synthetic drugs trade(10/10), and mafia-style groups (9.5/10) to state-embedded actors (9/10), Myanmar has high levels almost across the board for criminal markets and actors.
The country is also resource rich - gold, jade, precious stones, and rare earth minerals, essential to the technologies driving the green transition around the world. But, this mining industry is controlled by armed groups, the ruling military government, and predatory companies, who exploit workers, poison the environment, violently crack down on civil society, and horde illicit wealth.
In this episode Thin Lei Win discusses illegal rare earth mineral mining in Myanmar with Clare Hammond, Investigative Journalist and Senior Campaigner at Global Witness, and author of the report ‘Myanmar’s poisoned mountains: The toxic rare earth mining industry at the heart of the global green energy transition’.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Guest: Clare Hammond, Global Witness.
Links:
The Global Organized Crime Index
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Global Witness - Myanmar’s poisoned mountains: The toxic rare earth mining industry at the heart of the global green energy transition.
Radio Free Asia - Illegal mining of rare earth metals surges in northern Myanmar
The Telegraph - Increase in rare-earth mining in Myanmar may be funding junta
The category of 'Financial Crime' is to be added to the upcoming version of the Global Organized Crime Index. In this bonus episode Thin sits down with Nick Lewis, the Global Head of Integrated Intelligence and Investigations at Standard Charter Bank, to discuss the difficulties of financial crime investigations and what is needed to improve the situation.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Nick Lewis (OBE), Global Head at Integrated Intelligence and Investigations at Standard Chartered Bank and also the Managing Director for its High Risk Client Unit for conduct, financial crime and compliance. Nick has extensive experience in law enforcement, first joining the North Wales Police in 1982 and has since been involved in numerous organisations and law enforcement divisions, including the Serious Organised Crime Agency, leading operations around the world in countering transnational organised crime.
Additional Links:
What are financial crimes? Once called 'White Collar Crimes', the term 'financial crimes' covers a broad range of forms of criminality - from financial fraud to tax evasion, and from illicit financial flows to money laundering. It is so often considered a victimless crime, but in reality that could not be further from the truth. Whether its a corrupt politician siphoning public money away and into tax havens, or unscrupulous financial institutions aiding the laundering of vast sums of illicit money - financial crimes cost the global economy trillions of dollars.
In the new iteration of the Global Organized Crime Index, financial crimes, are defined as "organized crime that results in a financial loss to the state, entity and/or private individuals". That is the topic of this episode of The Index.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Sangeeta Goswami – Policy Advocacy Adviser at Human Security Collective, a nonprofit foundation based in The Netherlands.
Kristina Amerhauser – Programme manager at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, conducting research and analysis in the Asia-Pacific Observatory.
Additional Links:
Do you ever think about where the chair you are sitting on came from? Or perhaps the electronic device you are using to listen to this podcast, where does the metals come from?
The illegal extraction of non-renewable resources, like gold, timber, and rare earth minerals, has become a very lucrative and widespread criminal sector across the world – but it is particularly prevalent in natural-resource rich South America, which scores highest for non-renewable resource crimes.
Organized criminal groups with their origins in drug trafficking have become part of this illicit market, and as a result the situation is only getting worse - and it affects all of us.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Flávia do Amaral Vieira, Senior Researcher at Plataforma Cipó in Brazil.
Bram Ebus, criminologist, investigative journalist, and consultant at the International Crisis Group. Bram is also a member of the GI Network of Experts.
Additional Links:
For a long time the relationship between Africa and illicit drugs was little explored in comparison to other parts of the world – often seen as little more than a transit region for drugs going to other places – usually Europe.
But our understanding has grown over recent years, as have the domestic markets for illicit drugs.
In this episode we study the markets of East and Southern Africa, answering questions like: Are drugs limited to coastal regions? Do they penetrate the interior of this huge continent? Where does this region fit into the global drugs trade?
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Caryn Dolley, journalist and author of the book 'Clash of cartels: unmasking the global drug kingpins stalking South Africa.
Bernice Apondi, policy manager at Voices for Community Action and Leadership in Kenya and a consultant in research and drug policy.
Jason Eligh, Senior expert and Thematic Lead for Drugs at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Additional Links:
Mexico has long had a relationship with organized crime. The cartels and the war on drugs have been the subject of countless documentaries and popular dramatized television series. The images of extreme violence have been broadcast all over the world and the journalists that report on these events are often targeted for the work they do.
But there is a counter balance to the violence and that's the brave and courageous civil society actors that battle extreme odds in an attempt to make life better. Sinaloa in Mexico was the birthplace of The Resilience Fund, which identifies civil society actors that do important work in their communities and helps them with building their capacity and financial support.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Siria Gastelum Félix, Director of Resilience at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Griselda Triana, journalist, activist and human-rights defender. She is the founder of the Javier Valdez library in Mexico City and host of the radio programme Siempre Vivas, in which she interviews female journalists. She works to strengthen support networks for victims of violence against journalists in Mexico, and in 2019 she was a grantee of the GI-TOC’s Resilience Fund.
Vania Pigeonutt, the co-founder of AMAPOLA PERIODISMO, an organisation that works to prevent extortion and also offers support to victims. 2021 Resilience Fund Grantee.
Marlene León, Director of Iniciativa Sinaloa, a civil society group who managed to develop, campaign for and finally get an approval on a law for the protection of human rights defenders and journalists in Sinaloa.
Additional Links:
Griselda Triana - The forgotten ones, Relatives of murdered and disappeared journalists in Mexico (paper available in English and Spanish)
The small country of Tunisia was the origin of the Arab String, a wave of protests swept across North Africa and the Middle East in 2011. Over the proceeding decade Tunisia was hailed as one of the few that was able to make a peaceful transition. But over the last few years things have taken a turn for the worse, exemplified by an 11% turnout for the latest elections.
According to Organized Crime Index, Tunisia has low levels of criminality but the current political situation has rang alarm bells and according to recent research from the GI-TOC migration from and through Tunisia rose to levels not seen since the months following the 2011 revolution.
In this episode we're talking about Tunisia and human smuggling.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Tasnim Abderrahim, Analyst, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime - Link
Matt Herbert, Senior Expert at the North Africa and Sahel Observatory, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime - Link
Additional Links:
(Paper) Losing hope: Why Tunisians are leading the surge in irregular migration to Europe
China's 'One Child Policy' was designed to curb an exploding population in 1980 with little thought given to the demographic impact this would have in the future. There have been many knock-on effects, including a huge gender imbalance. This in turn has made some Chinese men look to neighbouring countries, like Cambodia, in an effort to find a wife, fuelling an illicit market in what is known as 'bride trafficking'.
The organized criminal networks that run these trafficking routes often trick women and girls with promises, but trap them, restrict their movements, threaten them with violence, forcing them to marry men they have never met or can even communicate with.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Vireak Chhun, Independent Consultant and Researcher on Human Trafficking
Sean Sok Phay, Executive Director of Child Helpline Cambodia.
Thi Hoang, Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime and Managing Editor of Journal of Illicit Economies and Development.
Additional Links:
Cambodia’s trafficked brides: The escalating phenomenon of forced marriage in China
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, IUU Fishing, is a multi-billion dollar industry with links to modern slavery, corruption, environmental destruction, weak governance, complex corporate structures, illicit financial flows, tax abuse and financial secrecy - which makes it a perfect environment for transnational organized criminal networks to operate.
In this episode Thin is joined by two experts to discuss the impact of IUU fishing in the region of Oceania, which covers Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islanders - a region that relies in the fisheries industry.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Ian Urbina, Investigative journalist, Author and Director of The Outlaw Ocean Project - Twitter.
Dr. Jade Lindley, Specialist in Transnational Organised Crime at the University Of Western Australia Law School and a member of the GI Network of Experts - Twitter.
Additional Links:
Over the past three years, Insight Crime have been investigating the relationship between the cocaine trade and Venezuela. Part of this investigation focuses in on the role of the state – some state actors who are actively involved, other senior state actors who allow and enable the cocaine to flow.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index – Venezuela sits 18th out of 193 countries around the world for levels of criminality. And is one of only 16 countries that scored NINE or higher out of ten when it comes to state-embedded actors playing a role in illegal activities.
In this episode Thin sits down with Jeremy McDermott, co-founder and co-director of Insight Crime to talk about their investigation and about the link between criminal actors and officials within the Venezuelan government.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Jeremy McDermott, Co-founder and Co-director of Insight Crime and member of the GI Network of Experts - Twitter
Mariana Botero Restrepo, Analyst, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime - Twitter
Additional Links:
Insight Crime investigation - "Venezuela’s Move to Cocaine Production: Crops, Chemists and Criminal Evolution"
How has organized crime changed between 2019 and 2021 on the African Continent?
This huge continent boasts a wealth of natural resources, biodiversity and a young population. But Africa is also a key source and transit hub for illicit goods and behaviour - from human trafficking to arms smuggling and from the illegal wildlife trade to environmental crimes.
In this episode Thin talks with Julian Rademeyer, the Director of the Civil Society Observatory of Illicit Economies in East and Southern Africa at the GI-TOC.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Julian Rademeyer, Director of the Civil Society Observatory of Illicit Economies in East and Southern Africa and author of 'Killing for Profit – Exposing the Illegal Rhino Horn Trade'.
Additional Links:
(Paper) Evolution of Crime in a Covid World: A comparative analysis of organised crime in Africa, 2019–2021
Ukraine has long been considered one of the largest arms trafficking markets in Europe, even before the current conflict. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, large stockpiles were left and fell into the hands of ordinary citizens, some were trafficked from Ukraine to the rest of Europe and beyond.
In this episode Thin will be asking the questions - how has the conflict affected the smuggling of weapons? And how will it continue to do so in the future?
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Prof. Mark Galeotti, Principal Director of Mayak Intelligence, Honorary Professor at UCL and member of the GI Network of Experts.
Kathi Lynn Austin, former United Nations arms trafficking expert, founder and executive director of the non-profit Conflict Awareness Project and member of the GI Network of Experts.
Prof. Viatcheslav Avioutskii, ESSCA School of Management in France.
Additional Links:
The Mekong Region spans six countries - China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. This fertile land is rich in biodiversity, home to rare, threatened, and endemic species of animals and plants as well as pristine forests - but its also a global epicentre for environmental crimes and its having a devastating impact on local on local ecosystems.
How has the Mekong region become such a hub of environmental crimes? What is fuelling them? And how can we effectively fight them?
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Trang Nguyen, founder and executive director of Vietnam-based non-governmental organisation, WildAct.
Simone Haysom, Senior Analyst and Thematic Lead on Environmental Crime at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Julian Newman, Campaigns Director at the Environmental Investigation Agency.
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In 1992, Giovanni Falcone, a prominent anti-mafia judge was assassinated by the Cosa Nostra in Sicily. His death galvanised the country who demanded more action against mafia groups.
Over the years since Falcone's murder, Italy has developed a strong legislative framework against organised crime. Now there are multiple agencies who deal with this phenomenon and a strong and thriving civil society.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, Italy is just one of nine countries around the world that has very high levels of criminality, but also has very high levels of resilience.
In Part 2 of our focus on Italy, we will focus on anti-mafia resilience.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Anna Sergi, Professor of Criminology & Organised Crime at the University of Essex and an expert on ‘Ndrangheta.
Luca Storti, Associate Professor of Economic Sociology at the University Of Torino, Italy; and visiting research fellow at King’s College in London.
Monica Usai, International Program Coordinator at Libera, a network of associations that is fighting organised crime and corruption.
Additional Links:
The interesting case of Italy.
Our view of the mafia has been distorted over the years by countless Hollywood movies. The reality is very different. Today, Italian mafia groups are entrenched in both the legal and illegal economy of the country. You may have heard of some of them, like the Camorra, ‘Ndrangheta or Cosa Nostra – but there are others like the Sacra Corona Unita or the Familia Basiliski, not to mention the Nigerian mafia or the Western Balkans criminal syndicates.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, Italy has very high levels of criminality, but unusually also has very high levels of resilience.
And so over the next two podcasts we’re going to talk about Italy.
Part 1 will focus on criminality and mafia-style groups.
Presenter: Thin Lei Win
Speakers:
Anna Sergi, Professor of Criminology & Organised Crime at the University of Essex and an expert on ‘Ndrangheta.
Luca Storti, Associate Professor of Economic Sociology at the University Of Torino, Italy; and visiting research fellow at King’s College in London.
Monica Usai, International Program Coordinator at Libera, a network of associations that is fighting organised crime and corruption.
Additional Links:
For millennia Syria was at the heart of empires, but today the country has become synonymous with war.
Since the Arab Spring of 2011, the country has been in a state of civil war with competing armed actors with different aims and allegiances battling one another leaving staggering human misery in their wake.
The Syrian civil war has also created a perfect brewing pot for illicit activities, from the production of synthetic drugs to trafficking of both humans and arms. And state-backed actors are deeply involved in these activities and there is little oversight.
How did the war change the organised crime landscape in Syria? Who are the criminal actors today and how are they profiting from the conflict? And why do some people call Syria a “narco-state”?
Speaker:
Laura Adal, Head of Western Asia Programme, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Laura also leads the development of the Organized Crime Index.
Presenter:
Additional Links:
(website) The Global Organized Crime Index
(paper) The Global Organized Crime Index
In early 2022, a small peaceful protest over rising fuel prices began in the large Central Asian country of Kazakhstan. In under a week the protest had spread across the country and turned violent. President Tokayev ordered the national forces to "shoot to kill, without warning” - at the end of the day at least 180 people were killed and thousands were injured.
How did the peaceful protest over fuel price rises escalate so quickly? And what does it have to do with organized crime? That is the question we are asking in this episode.
Speaker:
Dr Erica Marat, who is an associate professor at the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defence University in Washington, DC. Where she specialises in security and military institutions in Eurasia, social mobilisation, and organised crime. She is also a member of the GI Network of Experts.
Presenter:
Additional Links:
(website) The Global Organized Crime Index
(paper) The Global Organized Crime Index
