NCJ Number
161609
Date Published
1995
Length
447 pages
Annotation
This book documents the prevalence of organized crime in Europe and proposes a strategy for addressing it.
Abstract
This book shows that the European Union is gripped by organized crime, as each of its member nations is strongly influenced by syndicates based in the uncontrolled mafias of the East and West. Documented operations of organized crime include Common Market fraud; right-wing terrorism; and trades in drugs, sex, immigrants, armaments, nuclear materials, art, antiques, and even human organs. The profits from the crimes are vast, and the countermeasures are generally ineffectual. Experts believe that within 2 years the grip of organized crime in Europe will be unbreakable. If the growth of organized crime is to be reversed, all law-abiding citizens must accept certain curtailments of their civil liberties. The degree of curtailment is the choice of the people. Further, governments must accept that they are part of a European federation of countries and that they must therefore create a federated legal system capable of dealing with a pan-European organized crime problem. The legal and emotional hurdles that divide Europe must be overcome, and Europol must be made operational. One policy change that can reduce the influence of organized crime is to decriminalize the use of drugs. The pursuit of illegal money needs federally compatible seizure laws and federally compatible data legislation, as well as a federated European police agency to enforce those laws. A 17-item bibliography and a subject index