{"id":54727,"date":"2020-02-01T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2020-02-01T13:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/?p=54727"},"modified":"2025-02-12T11:34:34","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T16:34:34","slug":"expanding-the-armory-against-organized-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/expanding-the-armory-against-organized-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"Expanding the Armory in the Fight Against Organized Crime"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\"><span class=\"Feature-Paragraph-Intro--first-5-words- CharOverride-89\">Historically, the general public has tended to view organized crime as it is portrayed in movies.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"CharOverride-89\">Those involved are envisioned as closely knit groups, composed of members of distinct families or social clusters, with a hierarchical structure that is rigidly enforced through murder or threats of violence. The profits amassed are seen as coming from activities like protection rackets, prostitution, illegal gambling, and drug dealing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\"><span class=\"CharOverride-89\">To an extent, some in the law enforcement community share such a view.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_54738\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-54738\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-54738\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1151246479-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1151246479-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1151246479-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1151246479-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1151246479-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-54738\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Police officers stand guard near cocaine seized from a cargo ship at a Philadelphia port, during a news conference at the U.S. Custom House on June 21, 2019, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At least 17.5 tons of cocaine with more than $1 billion in street value was seized at the Philadelphia seaport, being the largest cocaine seizure in the 230 year history of U.S Customs and Border protection. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\"><span class=\"CharOverride-89\">However, many of today\u2019s organized crime groups (OCGs), and often their activities, bear little resemblance to those of the past. If one wishes to target members of OCGs, little success will result from seeking out the Corleone family (<\/span><span class=\"Feature-Department-Text-italic CharOverride-89\">The Godfather<\/span><span class=\"CharOverride-89\">) look-alikes. In addition, the organized crime networks of today may be making considerably more from illicit trades involving counterfeit pharmaceuticals, pesticides, or aircraft parts; hazardous waste; illegal sales of tobacco; or\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"CharOverride-89\">the unlawful harvest of fish, timber, or wildlife. All too often,\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"CharOverride-89\">it is their customers who end up dead (albeit inadvertently), rather than rivals, especially if their clients are migrants\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"CharOverride-89\">purchasing transportation from Sub-Saharan Africa or East Asia. Human trafficking and migrant smuggling have, in recent years, resulted in the deaths of thousands of individ<\/span><span class=\"CharOverride-89\">uals, many of whom were attempting to escape from lives of extreme poverty or from home nations racked by war and civil unrest. Many who are trafficked end up trapped in years of sexual exploitation or other forms of what is often referred\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"CharOverride-89\">to as modern slavery.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_54737\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-54737\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-54737\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-477744692-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-477744692-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-477744692-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-477744692-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-477744692-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-54737\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service destroy ivory trinkets confiscated by law enforcement in Times Square on June 19, 2015, in New York City. The public event was a coordinated effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New York State&#8217;s Department of Environmental Conservation and The Wildlife Conservation Society. (Photo by Andrew Burton\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\"><span class=\"CharOverride-89\">OCGs are increasingly moving away from their traditional sources of ill-gotten gains and are, instead, attracted to those that bring a high profit but low risk. Bizarre as it may seem, there was a period recently where the black-market value of a kilogram of rhinoceros horn exceeded the equivalent weight in gold, diamonds, heroin, or cocaine. Illicit trade is low risk because it either regularly operates under the radar of the law enforcement community or is not identified as one of the\u00a0<\/span>priorities, such as narcotics trafficking, of agencies dedicated to combating organized crime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-10\">One study, now somewhat out of date, estimated (perhaps under-estimated) that the retail value of transnational crime had reached the equivalent of $2.2 trillion annually<sup>1<\/sup>. One of the most recent pieces of research calculates that illegal logging, fishing, and wildlife trade, on their own, can be valued at over $1 trillion per year.<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_54739\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-54739\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-54739\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-166323381-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-166323381-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-166323381-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-166323381-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-166323381-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-54739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A U.S. Border Patrol Agent inspects a load of marijuana seized from drug smugglers near the U.S.-Mexico border on April 10, 2013, in Hidalgo, Texas. The agents, guided by helicopter surveillance from the U.S. Office of Air and Marine, waited more than four hours in hiding before seizing more than 900 pounds of the drug. (Photo by John Moore\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-10\">What regularly appears to go unappreciated, however, is that, if the law enforcement community is to respond effectively to such crimes, interventions must be made in the countries where illicit goods are manufactured, harvested, or otherwise acquired or in the countries of transit through which the resulting contraband (in all forms, including human) must pass.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-10\">Unfortunately, many of those nations are under-resourced or inadequately equipped and trained when it comes to combating organized crime. There are relatively simple ways, though, to bolster responses and increase the effectiveness of investigations.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"Features_Feature-Subhead ParaOverride-24\"><span class=\"CharOverride-134\" style=\"color: #000080;\">Innovative and Effective Use of Legislation<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">If a country does not have an agency dedicated to tackling OCGs, such as the United States\u2019 Federal Bureau of Investigation, Italy\u2019s Carabinieri, and the Uni-ted Kingdom\u2019s National Crime Agency, or an existing agency is overwhelmed or responds only to particular forms of crime, there is no reason why criminal investigators in other policing bodies cannot play their part. However, to do so, they should make full use of all relevant laws, even if they have not historically enforced them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">First, it is important to acknowledge that many of OCGs\u2019 illicit activities, such as those listed previously, while they may be offenses against specific trade-related legislation and regulations, invariably include the violation of criminal law statutes too. This is particularly true in the case of transnational organized crime. For instance, moving any contraband across borders will involve crimes such as smuggling; forgery of permits; misdeclaration at the time of export or import; fraudulent invoicing; avoidance of human or animal health quarantine or other transportation requirements; illegal immigration and use of false passports or identity documents; or the bribery and corruption of border control officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">It is essential to investigate these behaviors as\u00a0<span class=\"Feature-Department-Text-italic\">crimes<\/span>, not mere violations or misdemeanors. This approach immediately provides law enforcement with access to the investigatory powers and techniques provided by criminal statutes that are seldom present in trade-related regulations. For example, an investigation into counterfeiting, forgery, or fraud can make use of tools like test-purchases and controlled deliveries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">However, there are other criminal laws and statutes that are seldom enforced that can be equally effectively employed.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"Features_Feature-Subhead-2\"><span class=\"CharOverride-135\" style=\"color: #008000;\">Anti-Corruption Legislation<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">Anti-bribery and corruption legislation often contain very extensive investigatory provisions, ranging from surveillance and the interception of communications to the accessing of bank and other financial records. For many countries around the world, combating and investigating corruption is allocated to specific and dedicated commissions, departments, or units, and it is not a routine issue for police officers. Nonetheless, the majority of anti-corruption law is open to enforcement by police officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-28\">Often, police agencies investigate corruption only when it applies to one of their own\u2014for example, an officer who has accepted a bribe not to write a speeding ticket or has taken money to tip off a criminal gang of a planned search warrant execution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">However, police agencies, arguably, contain the most experienced criminal investigators, while the dedicated anti-corruption body might well be composed of officials who have come from careers in civil service or a similar field.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_54740\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-54740\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-54740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-150404442-1024x667.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-150404442-1024x667.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-150404442-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-150404442-768x500.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-54740\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Elizabeth Ortega displays counterfeit Louboutin pumps and high heels featuring the distinctive red sole of French designer Christian Louboutin at Price Transfer Warehouse on August 16, 2012, in Long Beach, California. Between July 27 and Aug. 14, import specialists and officers assigned to the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaport have seized a total of five shipments from China containing more than 20,000 pairs in violation of the French designer\u2019s trademark with a potential retail value of $18 million. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">As noted earlier, many forms of illicit trade are conducted and facilitated by the corruption of border control officers, regulatory inspectors, and government administrators responsible for the issuance of licenses and permits. The payment of bribes to or corruptly influencing a vast range of officials is an everyday element in the acquisition, transportation, delivery, and sale of an equally large range of contraband. All too often, though, investigations focus upon the latter aspects and not the corruption itself\u2014ignoring the assortment of tools, authorities, and techniques available to bring both the corrupt and the corrupters before the courts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">Successes can be achieved by investigating the activities of OCGs as being crimes of corruption, in and of themselves. Criminal investigators should not hesitate to seek out the evidence of corruption alongside proof of the associated crimes. For example, it may be easier to show that an individual accepted a bribe from an OCG member than to gather evidence illustrating that the OCG arranged the physical smuggling of contraband or manufacture of narcotics. Additionally, the individual who accepted the bribe may very well be a more effective witness against the OCG, to establish its reach across a chain of criminality, than be worthy of prosecution him- or herself. The important factor is that anti-<br \/>\ncorruption legislation will have been used effectively to target the OCG.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"Features_Feature-Subhead-2\"><span class=\"CharOverride-135\" style=\"color: #008000;\">Customs Legislation<\/span><\/h4>\n<table class=\" alignright\" style=\"width: 460px; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #46554f; border-style: none;\" cellspacing=\"7\" cellpadding=\"7\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-54741\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634246-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634246-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634246-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634246-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634246-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-54742\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634226-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634226-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634226-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634226-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634226-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><small>Border Force staff check inside the front and back of a lorry as it arrives at the UK border after leaving a cross-channel ferry on August 13, 2014, in Portsmouth, England. Border Force is the law enforcement command within the Home Office responsible for the security of the UK border by enforcing immigration and customs controls on people and goods entering the UK. Border Force officers work at 140 sea and airports across the United Kingdom and overseas. (Photo by Matt Cardy\/Getty Images)<\/small><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">Across the globe, customs law is routinely the legislation containing some of the most extensive enforcement and investigatory powers and authorities. Customs officials have far-reaching capabilities with regard to stopping, inspecting, searching, detaining, and seizing persons, vehicles (of all types), cargo, luggage, cross-border mail, and courier packages, as well as accessing documents and trade-related records. They have the right of entry to an array of premises, particularly those associated with business and commerce, often without a warrant and at any time of day or night. Customs officials can be regularly found at all manner of ports and at land, sea, and air borders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">Customs officers are authorized to demand the presentation of a range of documents, particularly trade-related papers, and can require individuals to account for their possession of goods, demonstrate legal origin, prove that activities are licensed or otherwise lawful, and provide evidence that taxes or other duties have been paid. Customs officers can also require the presentation of passports and other travel-related papers and can access records relating to movement of passengers, cargo, and so forth. Of particular relevance to money laundering and moving the proceeds of crime, customs officials also enforce currency controls.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">Relatively few police officers seem to appreciate that they, too, are usually entitled to enforce customs law. Indeed, in some countries, customs law requires the presence of a police officer with regard to certain enforcement activities, such as the entry to premises at night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">Any investigator combating OCGs ought to be fully conversant with the country\u2019s customs law and should not hesitate to make use of its provisions. Ideally, of course, the investigator should be working hand-in-hand with the country\u2019s customs officials. But it is important to recognize that, particularly in developing countries or countries with economies in transition, customs agencies are often revenue-gathering agencies, rather than an arm of the wider law enforcement community.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"Features_Feature-Subhead-2\"><span class=\"CharOverride-135\" style=\"color: #008000;\">Money-Laundering Legislation<\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">As with anti-corruption efforts, the prevention, detection, and investigation of money laundering and associated activities are often allocated to specialized agencies or financial crime intelligence units. It may be viewed as a realm inhabited solely by expert bean-counters or spreadsheet nerds. Here too, though, is an area that is a highly useful addition to a criminal investigator\u2019s toolbox for combating OCGs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">The majority of police officers may have had little exposure to such law, but they are likely empowered to enforce it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">One regularly hears calls these days to \u201cfollow the money,\u201d and it is a call that the law enforcement community needs to respond to more often. However, those offering such encouragement seldom stop to consider \u201cwhich\u201d money or \u201cwhose\u201d money. Regularly, the money referred to is the proceeds of crime, and some OCGs have, literally, generated such massive profits that they struggle to know what to do with them or identify efficient ways in which to \u201cwash\u201d them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">One must not overlook, however, the reality that OCGs have to spend money in order to subsequently accumulate it. It is disbursed in almost countless ways: the payment of bribes; arranging the transportation of contraband (e.g., purchasing a drug mule\u2019s air ticket); the establishment of \u201cfront\u201d companies to engage in illicit trade; the setting up of narcotics labs; and the equipping of gangs to engage in illegal logging, fishing, and animal poaching. These are just a few of the money routes that can (and should) be followed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-28\">But it is the recent development and enactment of some specific anti-money laundering provisions that offer perhaps the greatest potential in hitting OCGs where it hurts them most\u2014in their pockets and bank accounts. Around the globe, including in developing countries, legislation has been introduced to address illegal enrichment or \u201cunexplained wealth.\u201d<sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-28\">Every police agency and law enforcement body can identify individuals who are active members of OCGs, but they might struggle to obtain sufficient evidence to prosecute them. These amendments to money-laundering laws place an onus upon people and corporations to demonstrate that their funds, assets, or property have been acquired legally. If they are unable to do so, courts can order confiscation. Remarkably, the introduction of these powerful obligations has, in some instances, gone unnoticed by policing agencies. Even worse, there are countries where they have yet to be deployed even by anti-money laundering departments. All investigators should identify whether their country has such measures, clarify the scope of the law, and use its provisions wherever and whenever appropriate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-28\">The Financial Action Task Force, the international body with oversight of anti-money-laundering matters, has a number of publications that provide insights that criminal investigators will find helpful.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"Features_Feature-Subhead-2\"><span class=\"CharOverride-135\" style=\"color: #008000;\">International Law<\/span><\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_54743\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-54743\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-54743 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634194-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634194-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634194-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634194-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-453634194-272x182.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-54743\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Border Force detector dog checks inside a shipping container at Southampton docks on August 13, 2014 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Matt Cardy\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">Since it is acknowledged that the most profitable OCG activities are transnational in nature, involving sourcing the contraband in one country and moving it to where the demand or final use exists, perhaps thousands of miles from its place of origin, it follows that investigations will be required to be cross-border too. Thus, a variety of jurisdictional and legal hurdles are bound to be encountered. One important piece of international law, often underappreciated by investigators, exists to help them overcome barriers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-10\">The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) had, by mid-2018, been ratified or otherwise agreed to by 190 nations around the globe; in other words, close to every country in the world.<sup>5<\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-10\">The countries that have become signatories to UNTOC are obliged to undertake or implement a range of actions, including<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">criminalize participation in an organized crime group (Article 5);<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">criminalize the laundering of proceeds of crime (Article 6);<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">adopt measures to combat money laundering (Article 7);<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">criminalize corruption and adopt measures against corruption (Articles 8 and 9);<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">adopt provisions for prosecution and for confiscation and seizure (Articles 11 and 12);<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">protect witnesses (Article 24);<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">adopt measures to enhance cooperation with law enforcement authorities (Article 26);<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">collect, exchange, and analyze information on the nature of organized crime (Article 28); and<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">provide training and technical assistance (Article 29).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-58\">A review mechanism for UNTOC has recently been agreed upon, which will seek to determine whether countries have complied with these commitments. It is important that law enforcement agencies in the 190 countries are aware of what their individual governments are obliged to do and hold them to account if they have failed in those undertakings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-10\">However, whether or not a country has enacted national legislation to implement the measures listed in UNTOC, by simply ratifying the convention, nations have the legal basis to engage in a number of highly relevant activities for investigators pursuing transnational criminals:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">International cooperation for purposes of confiscation and the disposal of confiscated proceeds of crime and property (Articles 13 and 14)<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">Extradition (Article 16)<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">Mutual legal assistance (Article 18)<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">Joint investigations (Article 19)<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">Special investigative techniques (Article 20)<\/li>\n<li class=\"Features_Feature-Bullet\">Law enforcement cooperation (Article 27)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-45\">It is essential that all investigators are aware of these provisions. Regularly, officers in one country may be reluctant or wary of interacting with their counterparts in another because of the absence of a specific bilateral agreement between the two nations. However, if both countries are signatories to UNTOC, the convention establishes a legal basis for them to cooperate and coordinate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph ParaOverride-45\">For example, Article 18 provides for activities such as the taking of evidence and statements, identifying proceeds of crime, serving judicial documents, and transmitting information to assist in undertaking inquiries and criminal proceedings\u2014all issues regularly essential to cross-border investigations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">Agencies should also be aware that the UN Office on Drugs and Crime has developed a range of tools and publications, including online training courses, databases, and manuals, that can help them in combating OCGs and employing UNTOC to its fullest potential.<sup>6<\/sup><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"Features_Feature-Subhead ParaOverride-50\"><span class=\"CharOverride-134\" style=\"color: #000080;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n<table class=\"alignright\" style=\"width: 40%; border-collapse: collapse; border-style: none; background-color: #46554f;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%;\">\n<h4><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>IACP RESOURCES<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 <a style=\"color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theiacp.org\/resources\/resolution-to-promote-transnational-crime-information-sharing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"broken_link\">Resolution to Promote Transnational Crime Information Sharing<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theiacp.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>theIACP.org<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 \u201c<a style=\"color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/hidden-impact-transnational-organized-crime-front-line-law-enforcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Hidden Impact of Transnational Organized Crime on Front-Line Law Enforcement<\/a>\u201d (article)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.2in;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">\u25a0 \u201c<a style=\"color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/serious-organized-crime-threat-european-union\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Serious and Organized Crime Threat in the European Union<\/a>\u201d (article)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">The tentacles of OCGs reach across borders, infesting and corrupting governments, communities, and societies. Their impact is now so widespread that countering their negative impacts cannot be left to specialized agencies alone. Every police officer and criminal investigator has the potential to combat these groups and bring their members to justice. The presence of organized crime can be detected, to a greater or lesser extent, within the jurisdiction of each and every police agency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">Innovative use of the available laws, enforceable by police officers, can greatly facilitate the law enforcement community\u2019s response to organized crime. It is incumbent upon every law enforcement leader to raise awareness among their staff of the investigatory powers and provisions which, currently, may be underutilized.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Notes:<\/strong><br \/>\n<sup>1<\/sup> <span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW131489042\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW131489042\">Channing May,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink BCX0 SCXW131489042\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gfintegrity.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Transnational_Crime-final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW131489042\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW131489042\">Transnational Crime and the Developing World<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW131489042\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW131489042\">\u00a0(<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW131489042\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW131489042\">Global\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW131489042\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW131489042\">Financial Integrity, 2017).\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><sup>2<\/sup><span class=\"TextRun SCXW131481647 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW131481647 BCX0\">Juan Jose et al.,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW131481647 BCX0\" href=\"http:\/\/pubdocs.worldbank.org\/en\/482771571323560234\/WBGReport1017Digital.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined SCXW131481647 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW131481647 BCX0\">Illegal Logging, Fishing, and Wildlife Trade: The Costs and How to Combat It<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW131481647 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW131481647 BCX0\">\u00a0(World Bank Group, 2019).\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW131481647 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559740&quot;:480}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><sup>3<\/sup><span class=\"TextRun SCXW218746807 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW218746807 BCX0\">National Crime Agency,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW218746807 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW218746807 BCX0\">\u201c<\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW218746807 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk\/news\/nca-secures-unexplained-wealth-orders-for-prime-london-property-worth-tens-of-millions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined SCXW218746807 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW218746807 BCX0\">NCA Secures Unexplained Wealth Orders for Prime London Property Worth Tens of Millions<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW218746807 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW218746807 BCX0\">,\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW218746807 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW218746807 BCX0\">news release, May 29, 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW218746807 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559740&quot;:480}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><sup>4<\/sup><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW164140014\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW164140014\">Financial Action Task Force<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW164140014\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW164140014\">,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW164140014\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW164140014\">\u201c<\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink BCX0 SCXW164140014\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fatf-gafi.org\/publications\/?hf=10&amp;b=0&amp;s=desc(fatf_releasedate)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW164140014\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW164140014\">Publications<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW164140014\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW164140014\">.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><sup>5<\/sup><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\">United Nations<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\">\u00a0(UN) Office on Drugs and Crime,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink BCX0 SCXW118800514\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unodc.org\/documents\/treaties\/UNTOC\/Publications\/TOC%20Convention\/TOCebook-e.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW118800514\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\">United Nations Conve<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW118800514\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\">n<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW118800514\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\">tion Against Transnational Organized Crime and the\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW118800514\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\">P<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW118800514\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\">rotocols Thereto<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\">\u00a0(New York NY: UN, 2004)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW118800514\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><sup>6<\/sup> <span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW14640678\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW14640678\">UN Office on Drugs and Crime,\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW14640678\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW14640678\">\u201c<\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink BCX0 SCXW14640678\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unodc.org\/unodc\/en\/organized-crime\/tools-and-publications.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined BCX0 SCXW14640678\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW14640678\">Tools and Publications<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW14640678\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW14640678\">.<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun BCX0 SCXW14640678\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun BCX0 SCXW14640678\">\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Please cite as<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">John M. Sellar, \u201cExpanding the Armory in the Fight Against Organized Crime,\u201d <em>Police Chief<\/em>\u00a087, no. 2 (February 2020): 34\u201340.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">The tentacles of OCGs reach across borders, infesting and corrupting governments, communities, and societies. Their impact is now so widespread that countering their negative impacts cannot be left to specialized agencies alone. Every police officer and criminal investigator has the potential to combat these groups and bring their members to justice. The presence of organized crime can be detected, to a greater or lesser extent, within the jurisdiction of each and every police agency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Features_Feature-Paragraph\">Innovative use of the available laws, enforceable by police officers, can greatly facilitate the law enforcement community\u2019s response to organized crime. It is incumbent upon every law enforcement leader to raise awareness among their staff of the investigatory powers and provisions which, currently, may be underutilized.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":54736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[128,134,136,138],"tags":[1345,459,839,181],"class_list":["post-54727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-violence","category-global-policing","category-investigations","category-legal","tag-corruption","tag-money-laundering","tag-organized-crime","tag-transnational-crime"],"acf":{"post_author":"John M. Sellar, OBE, Chief of Enforcement, United Nations","main_category":"Investigations","legacy_article_id":"","legacy_issue_id":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.4 (Yoast SEO v24.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Expanding the Armory in the Fight Against Organized Crime - Police Chief Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Innovative use of the available laws, enforceable by police officers, can greatly facilitate the law enforcement community\u2019s response to organized crime.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/expanding-the-armory-against-organized-crime\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Expanding the Armory in the Fight Against Organized Crime\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Innovative use of the available laws, enforceable by police officers, can greatly facilitate the law enforcement community\u2019s response to organized crime.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/expanding-the-armory-against-organized-crime\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Police Chief Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheIACP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-01T13:00:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-12T16:34:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1009082682-1024x683.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dani Gudakunst\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheIACP\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheIACP\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dani Gudakunst\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/expanding-the-armory-against-organized-crime\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/expanding-the-armory-against-organized-crime\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dani Gudakunst\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/#\/schema\/person\/84ca7fd7f208094a13c5c94b803849b5\"},\"headline\":\"Expanding the Armory in the Fight Against Organized Crime\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-02-01T13:00:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-12T16:34:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/expanding-the-armory-against-organized-crime\/\"},\"wordCount\":3068,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/expanding-the-armory-against-organized-crime\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.policechiefmagazine.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1009082682.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"corruption\",\"money laundering\",\"organized crime\",\"transnational crime\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Crime &amp; 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