Russian Drug Use Rises

A lot of reasons lie behind the spike, according to analysts at Oxford Analytica . Young people in Russia tend to do drugs, smoke and drink much more than they used to. Farmers in nearby Afghanistan have produced a steady supply of poppies. The police are corrupt, inefficient and undermanned. But Russian crime groups, and the economic crisis, are also to blame. 

Russian organized crime has evolved in recent years, with increasing differentiation between the so-called "authorities," who moved away from violent street crime and toward white-collar and more "business-like" operations, and the unreconstructed "bandits." The financial crisis has had a serious impact on gangs that depend on protection racketeering as well as "authorities" whose activities had started to emerge from the shadow economy. In many cases, these groups are shifting back into more traditional criminal activities, especially drug trafficking, to make up the shortfall.

In other bad news from the neighborhood last week, the murder of a human rights activist in the Caucasusall three prominent people who’d been investigating goings-on in Chechnya are dead . Natalya Estemirova, who worked for the Moscow organization Memorial, was also the fourth adversary of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov to meet with foul play. Her colleagues believe that the pro-Moscow Kadyrov is to blame . Kadyrov’s lawyer announced that he will sue the head of Memorial for defamation . Memorial, meanwhile, has suspended operations in Chechnya.

Bulgaria Expects Negative EC Report means that

Bulgaria still hasn’t made inroads against organized crime or corruption , according to a possibly leaked version of the European Commission progress report on the country due out July 22.

Citing “Brussels sources,” Sofia news agency Novinite reported last week that Bulgaria has made some progress in judicial reform, but that

The European Commission points out that murders continue to be part of the everyday life in the country, while Bulgarian authorities are dragging their feet when putting alleged gangsters on trial.

Brussels recommends that the ruling authorities convince the society of its firm determination to clear up its act, since the current situation triggers insecurity in the administration, the police and the judicial system.

Czechs: Immunity Aids Corruption

Reducing the immunity from prosecution that members of parliament enjoy will also reduce organized crime in the Czech Republic , according to a study commissioned by the Czech justice ministry.

Organized crime has increasingly permeated Czech politics, the police and the judiciary, according to the study, in which the Czech Institute for Criminology and Social Prevention polled police detectives. The worst combination cited by the detectives was that of public tenders, corrupt politicians and organized crime groups. Besides limiting MPs’ immunity from prosecution, the study made further recommendations: 

"Also necessary is further legislative treatment of corruption, a tougher legislation addressing the conflict of interest, stricter punishments for organised extortion and murders, the introduction of the institution of a crown witness and also a restriction of deputies' immunity," the authors of the study recommend…

The study also recommends that tougher punishments be introduced for civil servants cooperating with organised crime.

Turkey: Internet Crime Soars

Turkish police have noted a record increase in Internet crimes since 2007 , reported Today’s Zaman last week.

Two years  ago, the number of Internet-crime arrests was just under 3,000. Last year, that number topped 4,300. Credit card fraud and bank fraud saw the largest increases, according to police. Frauds are also quickly gaining an international character, with a raid last year bringing in Turkish criminals working with Britons and Greeks in a UK-based network that fleeced banks and individuals by using copied credit cards.

Italy: Raids Net €50 million

In two separate operations, Italian police last week raided the properties of two Camorra clans, seized tens of millions of euros in assets and arrested dozens of people. Dawn raids outside Naples targeted businesses run by 30 alleged front men taking orders from jailed Camorra bosses. Police secured around €50 million worth of businesses, real estate, bank accounts and cars. Among the five arrested was Pasquale Setola, the brother of alleged mafia boss Guiseppe Setola, whom police believe was behind the murder of eight African immigrants last September. Police also arrested 56 alleged Camorra members last week on charges of mafia association, extortion of local businessmen and drug trafficking. All those arrested are believed to belong to the Camorra’s Sarno family, which runs the Naples suburb of Pontecelli.

Sicily: 49 Mobsters Jailed

An Italian judge last week also jailed 49 members of a Sicilian mob family for running protection rackets on the island. Some members received 20 years for their part in demanding and enforcing payments of “pizzo,” or protection, from local businesses. The good news, according to the BBC, is that the case marked the first time that Sicilian business groups worked with the police to help prosecute the protection peddlers. The bad news is that new information has come to light on the 1992 murders of anti-mafia magistrates – new links have been found to members of the security services who may have betrayed the judges to the crime groups that murdered them.

Israel Creates New Finance Unit

Israel’s finance ministry is setting up a new task force to target the finances of organized crime figures , reported the Jerusalem Post last week.

Money laundering and tax evasion will be the main focus of the special unit, which will operate under the auspices of the Israel Tax Authority (ITA) and cooperate with police and other agencies as needed. The ITA is currently recruiting to fill the 30-odd spots in the unit. Accountants, lawyers and veterans of Israeli Defense Forces special units are preferred, according to officials.

The new unit has been a long time coming. Last year when Israeli police proposed that the ITA cooperate with them on organized crime cases, ITA officials demanded risk bonuses in exchange for their cooperation.