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The 14 most dangerous criminal organizations and an analysis of the Albanian mafia

2022-08-23 18:49:39Fokus SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
The 14 most dangerous criminal organizations and an analysis of the Albanian
Mafia

Mafia is a very widespread term in the world to define criminal organizations. Mafia has a long tradition and history.

Some researchers point out that the word mafia comes from the Arabic word "mahias" which means courage or brave person. Likewise, some other authors think that the word mafia comes from the other Arabic word "muafas" which means to take care of, to protect the members of the family, of the clan, to discipline, to have under control, etc. In the Sicilian-Italian dictionary of 1868, the word mafia is explained as a neologism which means manifestation of bravery and courage, while in the dictionary published in 1876 this is presented as a synonym for the word gang-organization or secret group organized for purposes certain.

From Mafia to Cosa Nostra

According to some mafiosi, the real name of the mafia is "Cosa Nostra" (Our Cause). Some have said, as the repentant mafia Tommaso Buscetta said, that the name "mafia" is nothing more than a literary creation.

For the "men of honor" who belonged to the organization, there was no need to name it. The mobsters introduced themselves to each other as members of Cosa Nostra or "La stessa cosa" (The same thing), which means a mobster like you. Only the outside world needs a name of its own, a sophisticated form of "Cosa Nostra".

Cosa Nostra was first used in the 1960s in the United States by Joseph Valachi, a mafioso turned state witness during the McClellan Commission trial. At the time, it was understood to be a special name set up by the police and spread by the media. At that time, the designation of the name gained widespread fame and almost replaced the term mafia.

The FBI even wrote a special article on the matter, calling it "La cosa nostra".

In Italy, in fact, the term "la" is never used to refer to the mafia. The Mafia has used many other names to describe itself throughout its history such as The Honored Society. Mafiosi are known to each other as "Men of Honor".

But what are the biggest criminal groups in the world and where do they get their money from? The income of organized crime groups is difficult to estimate as they constantly spend large sums to hide wealth.

Mafia trafficking starts from weapons to drugs, from robberies to human trafficking. Nothing is taboo for the worldwide mafia and organized crime syndicates. They are already known for their cruelties in managing profitable operations.

Here are the 14 most dangerous mafia groups in the world.

1- American "COSA NOSTRA".

It was founded at the beginning of the last century and prospered in the first two decades. It was born for two reasons: the emigration to the USA of a large number of Italians among whom there were those who were involved in crimes, and because many Mafiosi from Sicily to escape the law in Italy were forced to go to the USA . There are 5 families in America that had close contacts with the leaders in Italy: the Bonano family, Lukese, Colombo, Genovese and Gambino, where the last two receive the largest part of the profits. Her influence was indisputable. Each of the 5 families of New York built their empire by dealing with illegal activities such as blackmail, money laundering, murder, narcotics, gambling, robbery, waste management, etc.

2- Italian "COSA NOSTRA".

It was founded at the beginning of the 16th century in Sicily, however, the birth of this organization is attributed to the years of the Second World War, when the Americans helped the revival of the mafia in Sicily.

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The first cell is composed of the "family", a territorially based structure that controls an area of ​​the city or an entire residential center, from which it gets its name. The family is composed of coordinated "men of honor" or "soldiers" and is led by an elected chief also called the "representative", who is followed by a "deputy chief" and by one or more "advisors". If random events make the normal election of the chief by family members impossible, the "commission" organizes the appointment of "council members" to temporarily administer the family until the time of normal elections.

The activity of families is coordinated by a collegial body called "commission" or "dome", which includes representatives of three or more close families. The committee is headed by one of the representatives of the families.

The commission has a wide range of action, as well as the duty to ensure compliance with the rules of "Cosa Nostra" within each family, and above all, to resolve conflicts between families.

The historical leaders of the Sicilian "Cosa Nostra" have been Vito Kashio Ferro, Kaloxhero Vicini, Mikele Navarra, Luciano Lixhio, Mikele Greko, Gaetano Badalamenti, Stefano Bontade, Salvatore Riina, Bendeto Santapaola, Bernardo Provenzano.

3- "Ndrangheta"

This organization has its headquarters in Calabria. It consists of 144 organizations with 5,600 members. It realizes its control in the Calabrian territory thanks to mafia connections called "Ndrine". There is a clear horizontal structure, there are close links between different groups, but there is no regional or provincial leadership center.

The mafia organization Ndrageta (Ndrangheta) has long eclipsed its more famous neighbor the Sicilian Cosa Nostra.

In this way, the Italian crime syndicate has become one of the largest mafia organizations in the world. Its profits from the importation of cocaine and other businesses are estimated at tens of billions of dollars a year.

Unlike Cosa Nostra, it is less exposed to politicians and secret services.

4- "Camorra"

While the Italian-American mafia has been weakened in recent decades by the tightening of the law, the Italian mafia in its country of origin continues to remain strong. Despite several years of efforts by citizens, journalists and government officials, local governments in Italy remain linked to mafia groups. According to a Catholic University study, it is estimated that mafia activity generates 33 billion dollars in revenue, most of which is shared between the four largest mafia groups in Italy. The Camorra is the most successful, with an estimated $4.9 billion in annual income from sexual exploitation, firearms trafficking, drugs, counterfeiting, gambling and extortion. Based in Naples, the group has been active since the 19th century, when it was originally formed by a prison gang.

This organization was founded in the middle of the XVI century in Naples. The word "Camorra" once had the meaning of a tax paid by the owners of the premises to ensure protection. These records belong to the Kingdom of Naples and date back to 1735. "La Camorra" currently operates in 111 countries (including cities and provinces). Its structure is similar to that of "Cosa Nostra", where each family owns a certain area.

5- "Yakutsa" (Yakuza)

Every mafia gang in Japan is called "Yakutsa", but it is led by different leaders. In its tradition, very old rituals stand out, like long before the 90s. The rite of Sakazukishiki is the initiation ceremony of each new member, who swears loyalty and piety by drinking sake from the headman's cup. The Irezumi rite or tattoo, which is different for each gang, proves the affiliation of the gang members.

With more than 10,000 members, they deal in drug, arms, gambling, robbery and prostitution.

What impresses you most about the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia, is that the kapos and many of its members roam free. This criminal group, one of the most feared and richest in the world, is unique: it invests in both illegal and legal activities.

The origins of the Yakuza are a little unclear. According to legend, it was formed by a group of Ronin, masterless samurai, who offered protection to villages from bandits.

6- Russian mafia

Russian mafia groups unlike Yakuza have a different structure according to Frederico Vares, professor of criminology at the University of Oxford and expert on international criminal groups.

The concept "Russian Mafia" describes a series of criminal gangs, or criminal fraternities. The largest of them is located in Solntsevo district in the southern districts of Moscow.

The group is known to have ties to Semyon Mogilevich, the most powerful criminal in Europe, perhaps even in the world.

Solntsevskaya Bratva is a decentralized group and the group is composed of 10 quasi-autonomous "brigades" and operate independently of each other. The group's income is overseen by a 12-person council that "meets regularly in different parts of the world." The group is estimated to have around 9 thousand members and their bread and cheese is drugs and human trafficking. The Russian mafia is involved in the trafficking of heroin originating from Afghanistan.

The primary rule is "never cooperate with the police". If one of the members of the Russian mafia is caught by the police, they kill him before he can be released, since they consider these cases as a potential danger to the organization.

7- "TRIAD"

In Albanian it means three, it is the most powerful mafia organization for drug trafficking. The Chinese "Triad" has been taken as an example of competition for the Russian-Asian mafia. Members of this organization have installed operational bases for heroin trafficking in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. The beginnings of this organization can be said to be the oldest compared to all other mafias, they date back to 1760. It is very similar in rites to the Japanese Yakuza and the Italian Cosa Nostra.

8- Turkish mafia

It has been called a very powerful criminal organization. The Turkish mafia has controlled a large part of the heroin traffic around the world. The Turkish mafia has collaborated with the Russian mafia several times, and a little with the Italian mafia. Like its sister organizations, the Turkish mafia operated mostly in the trafficking of narcotics, but also of "white meat", as it is known in the language of the mafia.

9- "Sacra Corona Unita"

It is not the only mafia organization in Puglia, Italy, but it is without a doubt the most important and the largest. It has its headquarters in Apulia. Its beginnings were in the 80s and today it is the most powerful organization. It consists of 7 organizations and 47 families and about 1755 members, mainly in the province of Brindisi, Lecce and Toronto. It is a new organization compared to previous mafia organizations.

10- The Sinaloa Cartel

The Sinaloa cartel is considered the most powerful drug organization in Latin America, and its bloody wars are thought to be responsible for the murder of more than 10,000 people from 2008-2012, earning the city the title of "murder capital of the world". ".

Under Guzman's leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the world's best-organized international corporations, with annual revenues of $3 billion, is responsible for 25% of illegal drugs entering the United States from Mexico. These numbers are not expected to change now that Guzman is behind bars.

11- Colombian cartels

Otherwise known as the "Colombian drug cartel", it is known in the world for its monopoly on drug trafficking, especially cocaine, which is transported halfway around the world through various methods, including submarines. It operates all over the world, thanks to deep infiltration in the politics of some corrupt countries. The three most famous Colombian mafia groups are "Cartello di Cali", "Cartello Medellin" and that of "Norte Valle". These groups are not only involved in drug trafficking, but also in kidnappings and terrorist acts.

12- The Israeli mafia

Although it is less well-known compared to other gangs, the Israeli mafia controls the drug and prostitution trade in many countries. Known for her cruelty, she doesn't think twice about killing anyone who tries to get in her way. Aided by the Russian mafia, the Israeli mafia has penetrated so deeply into the American political structure that it is quite difficult to eradicate it from there.

13 – Serbian mafia

The Serbian mafia, also widespread in Europe and the USA, is involved in various illegal activities, such as drug trafficking, contract killings, blackmail, gambling and robbery. Within the criminal organizations that make up the Serbian mafia there are also powerful clans. Within them are smaller organizations. The Serbian mafia was particularly active during the former Yugoslavia's wars, during which it gained government support through an extensive campaign of corruption.

14 – Albanian mafia

The Albanian mafia is a group of criminal organizations based in Albania, active in Europe and the USA, especially in the sex trade and drug trafficking. It is one of the most violent mafias, especially if they are motivated by revenge. Not always these criminal groups are organized among themselves. In fact, they often tend to compete with each other, or cause real internal wars.

Albanians have always had connections with the most underrated Italian criminal groups such as 'Ndrageta, Cosa Nostra, Camorra and Sacra Corona Unita.

The structure of the Albanian mafia

The operations carried out by the police have allowed them to study the phenomenology of Albanian criminal organizations in their progressive escalations, from which some characteristic elements of Albanian crime have been discovered.

Some analysts have pointed out that the Albanian mafia has a similar sociological profile to Ndrangeta: with collaborators who belong to the same family, the same city or even the same neighborhood.

Albanian gangs also have a feature reminiscent of the Calabrian clan, with a generally horizontal structure (in Cosa Nostra, the organization is vertical), within which only the supreme leader is recognized, given that other persons, members of the gang can be replaced, writes Tirana Observer .

As with the Ndrangeta, also with the Albanian mafia, each family has complete control over the territory it operates, and a monopoly of every activity, legal and illegal.

The Albanian mafia gang relies mainly on blood and family ties. The ties between different families are further strengthened through marriages. Since they are very close to each other, it is difficult for them to repent (family members testifying against the family).

What stands out is how the Albanians have occupied the territories they keep under strict surveillance and there they develop a series of illegal activities that have made Albania a crossroads of drug trafficking and human trafficking.

These organizations are like a kind of clan, family-based, yet quick to grasp the opportunities offered by the globalization of markets and to seek different forms of interaction.

Albanian clans, although not all of them are well organized, have their internal rules, with methods of subjugation, with Omerta (code of silence), etc., quite similar to the main mafia organizations.

The Albanian mafia is similar to other mafias not only in the real "mafiogenic" characteristics but also in the forms of urban gangsterism, banditry and multi-ethnic character.

This is reminiscent of the Calabrian Ndrageta, as an organization that operates on the basis of very close ethnic or family ties. They used the most violent and brutal methods to ensure dominance over other groups.

The organization also includes a certain structure in different areas of Europe, consisting of people who live permanently on the move, the so-called traffickers, responsible for transporting drugs. Finally, there are the couriers, who are materially responsible for drug distribution, but who have a lower profile. And after them come the merchants who are very rarely Albanians.

Leaders almost always stay in the home country, where they provide guidance.

The continuity of the structure is then ensured by a series of operational cells that have managed over the years to obtain residence permits in the various national territories in which they operate and which constitute the basic convenient point for traffickers.

Police point out that the organizations appear to be very established, made up of violent individuals who rarely show remorse and closely linked to resident groups in Albania.

What is interesting in the criminal report of the Italian Ministry of the Interior, is the fact that in Albanian criminal organizations, an increase in the participation of women, even in leadership positions, has been seen.

Unlike in the past where Albanians were widely known to be associated with prostitution, now they are very active in armed robbery, drug trafficking and other crimes.


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