Structure of Organized Crime: An Evolutionary Viewpoint

Abstract

Owing to tremendous advancements in communication, transportation, and technology, organized crime has become a worldwide issue. Moreover, it is clear that the globalization of organized crime has given rise to a wide range of intricate organizational structures inside these groups. This much is clear. Several factors working together have accelerated this transformation, hence it is imperative to create globally connected networks driven by market forces. Many research have shown how very dynamic and firmly based in basic complexity modern criminal organizations are. The fact that these companies use networks, groups, and clusters with different sizes and compositions defies common opinion. Moving between several local locations is not unusual for global criminal organizations. The tendency of criminal organizations to look for fresh opportunities on a global scale and the efficiency of such structures in sustaining a broad range of illicit activities may help to explain this trend. Preliminary survey results from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Criminal Justice in 2002 indicated that particular organized criminal groups in 16 countries fit into one of five typologies: the standard hierarchy, the regional hierarchy, the clustered hierarchy, the core group, or the criminal network. The five various typologies were these. Through identification of these categories and establishment of a link with the observable sets. The intricate network of connections amongst the several people who are part of Colombia's most well-known cartels is an excellent case study example. In that it is split up into several divisions, the corporation resembles a huge global conglomerate rather well. The president and vice president oversee all facet of the American drug trafficking organization, including raw material acquisition, completed product distribution, and financial administration. Foreign cells supervise the importing, storing, transiting, and money laundering of illicit substances. Experts have already noticed that "Russian" gangs in the US have unique organizational structures and an opportunity-oriented mentality. The researchers set the whole history of these criminal groups at their feet to show how flexible and changeable they are. These networks also had dispersed organization, with no one individual or group obviously in charge of the circumstances. They also used outside global resources and partners with the required knowledge to enable their activities.

Keywords: dispersed organization, rooted in fundamental complexity, clustered hierarchy.