NCJ Number
192200
Journal
Jane's Intelligence Review Volume: 13 Issue: 12 Dated: December 2001 Pages: 28-30
Date Published
December 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article examines changes in the tactics of Italy's criminal gangs.
Abstract
Despite a decline in mafia violence in Italy, the threat posed by organized crime remains strong and is showing a tendency towards increased flexibility and internationalization. Italian organized crime falls into three broad categories: illicit activities linked to territorial control, such as extortion, usury, and skimming of public works contracts; illicit trafficking, such as drugs, arms, and contraband cigarettes; and money laundering and the reinvestment of illicit profits. A consequence of increased pressure on organized crime in the southern regions in the early 1990's was the expansion of criminal activities elsewhere. While the territorial monopoly enjoyed in southern Italy by indigenous groups has not been seriously challenged, Russian, Albanian, Nigerian, and Chinese groups have a consolidated presence in north and central Italy. The threat posed by mafia-type organizations has been reshaped by a process of restructuring and the formation of new alliances in a criminal adaptation of globalization. The strategic reduction of violence should not be seen as a sign of defeat, but rather a preference for corruption and cohabitation over confrontation with state institutions. The article concludes that the mafia's continuing efforts to undermine administrative, economic, and political life in Italy should not be underestimated.