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A short risk analysis of various criminal networks
Russian mafia
Depending on which sub group you are dealing with, they can turn out to be everything from apolitical Christian Russians to Islamist sympathising Chechen criminals. Use extreme caution and try to avoid the Chechens.
Can provide: depending on group, everything from low quality weapons to high tech weapons, armour penetrating rounds, chemicals used for chemical/biological weapons, TNT, dynamite, semtex, jet fuel, nitro even nuclear components.
Certain organisations of the Russian mafia may prove to be valuable allies especially in phase 2 when more complex cells and operations are required.
Biker gangs – 1%
The safest bet for acquiring weapons and certain components. A majority of biker gangs are nationalist orientated (right wing). Only certain individuals in a few European chapters (the largest ones) can provide quality weaponry and certain other components. However, they can be given contracts to rob component depots etc.
Albanian mafia
Although members of these groups are relatively apolitical it is generally advised that Justiciar Knights avoid dealing with any Muslims. Muslim Albanians are relatively ethnocentric/anti-European. They may try to rob you.
Muslim mafia (Pakistani, Turk, North Africa, Somalia etc.)
Although members of these groups are relatively apolitical it is generally advised that Justiciar Knights avoid dealing with any Muslims. Muslim criminals are usually quite ethnocentric/anti-kafr. A majority of them hate Europeans and they may try to rob you.
European criminal network hubs - Czech Republic and Hungary
Central Europe and especially the Czech Republic and Hungary, are used as centres for coordination, communication and conciliation between very powerful international crime syndicates, which have managed to install their HQs of their operations and gain access in the heart of the EU.
The Czech Republic is an economically and socially developed country in Central Europe that has been facing for years serious issues relating with the activities of organised crime. Local security authorities relay in their reports, that they are facing some 100 organised groups in the country with at least 3,000 members.
Alongside, other 5,000 people have auxiliary roles in these organisations which are also staffed by accounting, legal and other professional functions.
Of all these criminal groups, 30 are integrated and internationalised, reaching the gold standard of the "International Mafia" with diverse activities in many countries around the world.
Local leaders of criminal networks are nationals of the former Soviet Union and especially Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. Also Croats, Serbs, Albanians, Bulgarians, Romanians, Vietnamese and Chinese make up the majority of the groups.
Top 10 criminal organisations are as follows (bold font indicates European activity):
1. Solntsevskaya Bratva (Moscow, operates in Europe as well)
2. Yamaguchi-gumi (Japans largest yakuza organisation)
3. ‘Ndrangheta (Italy, Calabria)
4. D Company (India – ties to Islamists)
5. 14K (Hong Kong based Triad group but active intl, Europe included)
6. Sicilian Mafia (Italy)
7. Dai Huen Jai/Big Circle Boys (China - ex-nationalists)
8. Tijuana Cartel (Mexico)
9. United Bamboo (Taiwan Triad)
10. The US Mafia ‘The Five Families’ (US)
11. The Albanian Mafia (EU)
12. European biker gangs (1%)
1. Solntsevskaya Bratva/the Russian mafia (Russia, Europe)[1]
Moscow’s Solntsevskaya Bratva, known as the Brotherhood, have just been named the worst criminal gang in the world in a major survey. The Russian mafia is involved in everything from stolen art to smuggling of high tech weaponry and nuclear material. As of 1998, the Solntsevskaya gang contains around 5,000 members. The Brotherhood maintains relationships with many legitimate businesses, offering these groups ‘protection’ the gang also assist the businesses when it comes to not-so-legal matters.
Sub groups of the Russian mafia
Dolgoprudnenskaya (Долгопруденская) was a Russian mafia organisation and was considered one of the largest groups of organised crime operating in Moscow. It was really named after Dolgoprudniy, which is a Moscow suburb. It was founded in 1988 and was allegedly very influential.
The Izmaylovskaya gang (Russian: Измайловская группировка, from Izmaylovo District) was considered one of the country's most important and oldest Russian Mafia groups in Moscow and also had a presence in Tel Aviv, Berlin, Paris, Toronto, Miami and New York City.[17] It was founded during the 1980s under the leadership of Oleg Ivanov (Олег Иванов) and was estimated to consist of about 200 active members (according to other data of 300–500 people). In principle, the organisation was divided into two separate bodies—Izmailovskaya and Gol'yanovskaya (Гольяновская),[18] which utilised quasi-military ranks and strict internal discipline. It was involved extensively in murder-for-hire, extortions, and infiltration of legitimate businesses.
The Tambov Gang (Тамбовская банда) of Saint Petersburg.
The Obshina (Община, "community" in Russian), or Chechen mafia, was a formidable organised crime and paramilitary group. According to experts, ethnic Chechen criminal gangs once formed the most dominant minority criminal group in Russia. It is believed some gangs may have ties to Chechen militant factions
11. The Albanian Mafia[2]
The Albanian Mafia (AM) or Albanian Organised Crime (AOC) are the general terms used for various criminal organisations based in Albania or composed of ethnic Albanians. Albanian criminals are significantly active in the European Union (EU) countries, participating in a diverse range of criminal enterprises including drug and arms trafficking. Although the term "mafia" is often used as a description, it does not imply that all Albanian criminal activities are coordinated or regulated by an overarching governing body headquartered in Albania proper, Kosovo, Republic of Macedonia or elsewhere.
Albanian organised crime has its roots in traditional family-based clans called Fis. It heavily valued loyalty to one's clan and trust, or besa. Each clan ruled over and controlled a certain area. It is these principles of kanun that gave rise to Albanian organised crime today, and make it more difficult for Albanian gangs to be infiltrated by law enforcement. Albanian criminals are said by police to be involved in everything from arms-smuggling to counterfeiting. But it is drug trafficking that has gained Albanian organised crime the most notoriety. Some Albanians are key traders in the "Balkan connection," the Istanbul-to-Belgrade heroin route and is therefore challenging the Russian mafia.
A very limited number of studies have tackled certain aspects of ethnic Albanian criminally in a methodical manner. In the latest report of the United Nations, it is said that the "Balkans are safer than Western Europe" and that "At present, the levels of crime against people and property are lower in the Balkans than elsewhere in Europe". The phrase; don’t **** in your own back yard, comes to mind.
The ethnic Albanian mafia is very powerful and extremely violent. If you compare them to the Italian Mafia, the Albanians are stronger and not afraid of killing.
Activity in the UK
Albanian mafia gangs are believed to be largely behind sex trafficking, immigrants smuggling, as well as working with Turkish gangs who control the heroin trade in the United Kingdom.
Vice squad officers estimate that "Albanians now control more than 75 per cent of the country’s brothels and their operations in London’s Soho alone are worth more than £15 million a year." They are said to be present in every big city in Britain as well as many smaller ones including Telford and Lancaster, after having fought off rival criminals in turf wars.
Activity in Scandinavia
Albanian mafia clans in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark are suspected of being involved in arms smuggling, prostitution, heroin smuggling and armed robberies.
Ties to Islamists
It is a well known fact that the Muslim Albanian mafia facilitated the Muslims in the resistance against the Christian Serbs.
A Justiciar Knight should only deal with Albanian Mafia as a last option. Although most of them are Muslims, they are generally apolitical. However, if they identify you as being a nationalist or a Crusader they may kill you.
12. European biker gangs (1%)
Some motorcycle gangs engage in criminal activity known as the one percenters. Besides their connection with motorcycles, criminal motorcycle gangs are "unique among crime groups in that they maintain websites; identify themselves through patches and tattoos; have written constitutions and bylaws; trademark their club names and logos; and have publicity campaigns aimed at cleaning up their public image. What makes a gang like them different from the Mafia is that crime and violence are not used as a expedients in pursuit of profit, but that the priorities are reversed. Mayhem and lawlessness are inherent in living "The Life," and the money they obtain by illegal means is only wanted as a way to perpetuate that lifestyle.
The typical internal organisation of a motorcycle club consists of a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, road captain, and sergeant-at-arms. Localised groups of a single, large MC are called chapters, and the first chapter established for an MC is referred to as the mother chapter. The president of the mother chapter serves as the president of the entire MC, and sets club policy on a variety of issues. Larger motorcycle clubs often acquire real estate for use as a clubhouse or private compound. These clubs often have security features such as closed-circuit television monitors, motion detector lights, and barbed wire-topped fences.
Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs are typically racially homogeneous, and can be racially exclusive. For example, membership in the Hells Angels is not open to African-Americans or Hispanics, which has led to creation of rival clubs such as the Bandidos and the Mongols Motorcycle Club. MC members are not usually referred to by their given names, but instead refer to each other by nicknames, or "road names", sometimes even displaying their road name on the club vest. Pagans, Hells Angels, Outlaws MC, and Bandidos are known as the "Big Four”. The main characteristic of OMGs being "amoral individualism" in contrast to the hierarchical orders and bonds of "amoral familism" of other criminal organisations such as the Mafia.
Hells Angels, Bandidos, Outlaws, Warlocks - Europe
Criminal activities include drug trafficking, arms trafficking, conspiracy, extortion, murder, money laundering, trafficking in stolen property, witness tampering.
Hells Angels
Ethnicity: white
Allies: AK81, Aryan Brotherhood, Cali Cartel, Indian Posse, Iron Horsemen and Warlocks
Territory: 230 chapters (90+ chapters in Europe), 27 countries, 6 continents.
Bandidos
Ethnicity: white, Hispanic and Asian
Allies: Outlaws
Bandidos are estimated to have 2,400 members in 210 chapters (90 in Europe), located in 16 countries. Like the Hell's Angels, the Bandidos also have a number of puppet, or so-called "support," clubs, who are used as proxies for both legal and illegal activities.
European chapters in Belgium, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.
Outlaws
Ethnicity: white
Allies: Bandidos, Black Pistons, Mongols, Pagans and the Chicago Outfit
European chapters in Belgium, England, France, Germany, Italy, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Ireland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Wales.
Warlocks MC
Ethnicity: white
Allies: Hells Angels
European chapters in England and Germany
General info about the UK criminal networks
UK dominated by British families despite influx of foreigners
An intelligence map drawn up by the leading police expert on organised crime identifies more than 1,000 active criminal networks and shows that gangland is still controlled by British families, despite the influx of crime syndicates from Eastern Europe and South-East Asia over the past decade. British gangs are quite unlike the Italian Mafia model or the Turkish groups. There are no set ranks, rules and structures. They are more fluid, flexible and opportunist. The intelligence picture was built up by Acpo working with the 43 police forces in England and Wales and other bodies. More than 15,000 individuals are said to have been identified as involved in organised crime. London has more than 170 gangs. Some have sophisticated hierarchies; others are little more than street-level groups.
In Liverpool, criminal networks are deeply embedded and run by a number of families whose tentacles spread well beyond the city. Merseyside criminals control the drug trade on the South Coast.
Manchester has established gangs such as the Longsight Crew and the Gooch Close Gang, while Birmingham has been dealing for years with the rivalry between the Johnson Crew and the Burger Bar Boys. Bradford is a centre for money laundering and a major distribution point for heroin by British-Pakistani gangs.
Serious crime in Nottingham has been dominated by the Gunn family. Glasgow is the hub for the distribution of firearms in Scotland and the starting point for much of the heroin trade, which spreads as far north as Shetland.
Many foreign gangs active in Britain are based overseas and exploit the 11,000-mile coastline and security weaknesses at sea ports to smuggle drugs, guns and counterfeit goods into the country. Much of the media coverage of gangs has concentrated on turf wars and feuds, but serious criminal activity is focused on making money.
Career criminals prefer to work together when they have common interests. They will form loose coalitions, sharing their specialist skills in pursuit of the highest profit with the least risk.
Organised crime is driven by profit. Some 60 per cent of criminal groups are involved in drug trafficking, but many are multi-commodity organisations. If they can traffic drugs they can also smuggle counterfeit goods or weapons. They often form loose, amorphous coalitions - coming together for a particular venture, perhaps one group needs a skill which another specialises in.
A recent investigation in London uncovered an arms deal in which a Lithuanian gang had been trading handguns in return for an introduction to Colombian cocaine contacts. Another inquiry broke up a sex trafficking ring run jointly by Lithuanian, Albanian and Chinese criminals.
There are Mr Bigs, but the person you start out thinking of as the Mr Big is quite often not. These are people who are flying below the radar and you may not realise who they are for a long time. Significant criminal activity is being driven from within prisons.
All criminal groups are prepared to resort to violence when necessary to commit robberies, enforce protection rackets or secure drug deals. Firearms, which are seen as a tool and a statement of intent, are a priority. Some networks, notably newly arrived groups from Lithuania, have been established to service that demand.