NCJ Number
190051
Journal
Transnational Organized Crime Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 2001 Pages: 31-54
Date Published
1998
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article examines whether transnational criminal enterprises existed on a substantial scale prior to World War II, and it identifies their characteristics.
Abstract
Given that narcotics trafficking is one of the pillars of contemporary transnational organized crime, this article presents four case studies of drug trafficking that occurred immediately before and after the passage of the 1914 Harrison Act in the United States, which effectively criminalized many forms of drug use in the United States. The case studies were drawn from a geographic region known for drug trafficking today, i.e., the international border between the Mexican State of Baja, California, and the American State of California. The source material for these case studies was primarily records of the San Diego, Los Angeles, and Calexico field offices of the U.S. Customs Service. All of the case studies showed that transnational organized criminal enterprises were involved in drug smuggling on a substantial scale before World War II. For the time, it was neither rudimentary nor unsophisticated. Further, the case studies showed that transnational organized crime was a multi-ethnic endeavor that involved actors with various national origins. Of primary importance was access to markets and the ability to execute assignments successfully. Transnational organized crime was an equal opportunity employer, despite the adverse pressures generated by the broader social context concerning race relations and national allegiances. The case studies also illustrated that the success of a transnational criminal enterprise depended on access to an extensive social network that encompasses corrupt politicians, law enforcement agents, customs brokers, civil servants, and businessmen, as well as other professional criminals. 69 notes