If you were to walk around a Russian city, you might not realise it but hundreds of small packages of drugs, could be just below the surface, buried in the ground, or maybe attached to the back of a nearby drainpipe with magnets, or hidden inside a hole in a wall. These little "treasures" have been ordered online from a vendor operating on a darknet platform and then hidden by couriers known as 'Kladmen' all over the place waiting to be collected - this is the "dead drop" method.

The darknet markets servicing Russia have revolutionized the illicit drug markets in the country, which has seen an explosion in the consumption of synthetic drugs like methadone, mephedrone or Alpha-PVP. The vendors run a network of chemists, wholesalers, and Kladmen. Sportsman, hired thugs, roam around looking for Seagulls (people who steal dead drops) and punishing Kladmen on behalf of vendors, before uploading the punishments to social media as a warning to others.

For many years, Hydra, the largest DNM the world has ever known, defeated all competition and reigned supreme, handling over $5 billion dollars of cryptocurrency during its lifespan. But in 2022, it was taken down and like the mythical beast it was named after, new heads sprouted in its place - OMG!OMG!, Mega, Kraken, Blacksprut - all vying for position, competing for market share and creating the most audacious public marketing stunts and highly produced online videos.

The DNMs, with connections to the precursor markets of China and India, operate on TOR, have pushed synthetic drugs into all corners of Russia, democratizing the production process, with how-to guides and readily available lab equipment, and even created an apprenticeship scheme for prospective Kladmen, with a guaranteed job at the end.

The whole process is highly anonymised from production to transportation, and from purchase to delivery through the dead drop method. We have seen darknet markets affecting the drug appetites of an entire nation and beyond.

Speaker(s):

Max Daly, Journalist who specialises in drugs and organized crime. He is an Orwell Prize winner, co-authored of the book Narcomania and the co-author of the GITOC paper 'Breaking Klad: Russia’s Dead Drop Drug Revolution'.

Patrick Shortis, Senior Blockchain Intelligence Analyst working on the illicit drugs program at TRM Labs and co-author of the GI’s paper ‘Breaking Klad: Russia’s Dead Drop Drug Revolution’.

Links:

Breaking Klad: Russia’s Dead Drop Drug Revolution

Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

(Podcast) “Death Can Wait”: Drugs on the Frontline in Ukraine

Additional Links:

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0701

https://meph.lenta.ru/articles/1-popularity

https://lenta.ru/news/2024/11/27/borby-s-rasprostraneniem-narkotikov/

https://lenta.ru/news/2024/11/27/milonov-predlozhil-proverit-vseh-rossiyan-na-narkotiki/

https://lenta.ru/news/2024/11/28/v-gosdume-vyskazalis-ob-epidemii-mefedrona-v-rossii/

https://argumenti.ru/society/2023/06/838979

https://www.tiktok.com/@brem100/video/7242272283954253058?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWTmaRvpViw

https://www.tiktok.com/@moriarti.dark/video/7271777133335153926

https://sevastopol.su/news/v-krymu-proshel-sud-nad-blogershey-yuley-finess

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2024/02/07/when-a-college-student-challenged-russia-s-top-censorship-activist-at-her-q-a-event-she-responded-by-threatening-him-with-prosecution

https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2023/12/20/mother-russia-en

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Obukhovets,+Leningrad+Oblast,+Russia,+187047/@59.4806054,31.2688815,13z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x46bdb94966834f73:0xbfe5e983110f840f!8m2!3d59.4952008!4d31.2902649!16s%2Fg%2F1pzpdbhfc?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5899910

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Brilliant_green

https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Vory-Russias-Super-Mafia/dp/B07CS7BZ89/ref=sr_1_1?nsdOptOutParam=true&sr=8-1

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/news/cyber-vault/2019-12-13/silk-road-investigation-dea-secret-service-agents-involvement-online-black-market-site

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-dea-agent-sentenced-extortion-money-laundering-and-obstruction-related-silk-road

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2013/11/08/meet-the-silk-road-employee-that-the-dread-pirate-roberts-allegedly-tried-to-murder/

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/administrator-silk-road-website-and-drug-vendor-plead-guilty-drug-conspiracy

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/04/silk-road-ross-ulbricht-drugs-murder

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2436643

https://t.me/IrinaVolk_MVD/826

https://t.me/skgovby/8901 /

https://lenta.ru/articles/2022/03/24/sportiki/

https://darknark.lenta.ru/article/part3-broken-lives

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/09/24/russia-moves-to-allow-criminal-defendants-to-fight-in-ukraine-a86456

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/10/01/russias-army-plans-to-enlist-20k-criminal-defendants-for-ukraine-war-istories-a86534

https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/8eed35/pdf/

https://severpost.ru/read/180945/

https://socradar.io/beyond-hacktivism-deanon-club-killnet-and-the-russian-dark-web-market-wars/

https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/hostile-takeover-kraken-hacks-rival-dark-market-solaris-a-20986

https://therecord.media/pro-kremlin-hackers-target-latvias-parliament-after-declaring-russia-a-sponsor-of-terrorism

https://www.thetimes.com/world/article/pro-kremlin-hackers-killnet-hit-latvia-with-biggest-cyberattack-in-its-history-2jvmp8hk7

https://www.bitdefender.com/en-gb/blog/hotforsecurity/pro-russian-killnet-group-hits-us-airline-websites-with-ddos-attack

https://www.darkreading.com/cloud-security/killnet-ddos-attack-royal-family-website

https://dzen.ru/b/Y-5DIbb7bh7QW5SR

https://m.vk.com/wall-66678575_81399673?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvlY2tn8Sh0

https://www.youtube.com/@Jessica_Ocean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_592OyIvV5U

https://lenta.ru/news/2024/12/02/organizatoram-torgovavshey-po-vsey-rossii-narkoimperii-vynesli-prigovor/

https://therecord.media/hyrda-darknet-drug-marketplace-kingpin-sentenced-life-russia

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/12/02/russia-sentences-alleged-founder-of-hydra-darknet-site-to-life-in-prison-a87198

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-61002904

https://flashpoint.io/resources/research/flashpoint-and-chainalysis-investigate-hydra-where-cryptocurrency-cybercrime-goes-dark/

https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1490906/dl

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-investigation-leads-shutdown-largest-online-darknet-marketplace

https://www.darkowl.com/blog-content/russians-on-the-darknet-part-ii-marketplaces-amp-forums/

https://socradar.io/under-the-spotlight-ramp-forum/

https://tass.ru/proisshestviya/4572560

https://darknark.lenta.ru/article/part1-the-war

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/us-charges-three-men-with-creating-and-running-first-ever-mirai-botnet/

https://www.zdnet.com/article/dyn-confirms-mirai-botnet-involved-in-distributed-denial-of-service-attack/

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/03/cyberattack-internet-liberia-ddos-hack-botnet

https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/failed-mirai-botnet-campaign-takes-900000-germans-offline/

https://explodingtopics.com/blog/iot-stats

https://spectrum.ieee.org/mirai-botnet

https://www.radware.com/security/ddos-knowledge-center/ddospedia/mirai/

https://www.ntv.ru/novosti/1760880/

https://66.ru/news/society/250870/

https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/deep-dive-podcast/

https://finance.rambler.ru/markets/48548669-mif-o-russkoy-gidre-chem-zakonchilas-istoriya-krupneyshey-ploschadki-po-prodazhe-narkotikov-i-konchilas-li/

https://tass.com/society/866067

https://www.wired.com/2014/11/operation-onymous-dark-web-arrests/

https://www.wired.com/2014/12/interview-darkside-russias-favorite-dark-web-drug-lord/

https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/how-darknet-markets-fought-for-users-in-wake-of-hydra-collapse-2022/

Buenaventura – “The Pact for Life”

Buenaventura has long been an important node in international illicit markets, particularly cocaine trafficking due to its port. Gangs, paramilitaries and organized criminal networks have all looked to gain a foothold here. The resulting violence has meant the city has seen many murders, and even more disappearances, with terrifying tales emanating from the so-called 'Casa de pique’ (Chop Shops).

In September 2022, two gangs in Buenaventura, on the Pacific coast of Colombia, signed a truce to end the bloodshed that had gripped the city for two years - called 'The Pact for Life', which was mediated by the Bishop of Buenaventura.

Los Shottas and Los Espartanos (the Spartans) had been locked in a vicious battle ever since they had both broken away from the La Local gang, carving up the city between them.

The administration of President Gustavo Petro, saw the truce as an opportunity to negotiate with these two gangs under the Total Peace policy, which looks to reduce violence in communities across Colombia.

There has been a reduction in homicides, but this stat hides the fact that other crimes have increased - extortion, disappearances, control of movement, and the "justice" (fines, beatings or murder) meted out on the population by the gangs.

Speaker(s):

Mariana Botero Restrepo, former GITOC Analyst and Researcher in the Observatory of the Andean Region.

Felipe Botero Escobar, Head of Andean Regional Office, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Juanita Durán-Vélez, Lawyer, Crime and Justice Lab, Colombia.

Links:

Andean Regional Office, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Podcast & Article - Clan del Golfo: The fall of 'Otoniel': How Colombia's biggest drug lord was taken down.

The base research (Negotiating with Criminal Groups: Colombia´s Total Peace Policy) for this episode was initially developed and supported by Serious Organized Crime and Anticorruption Evidence research program.

Additional Links:

https://www.elespectador.com/colombia-20/paz-y-memoria/petro-y-paz-urbana-bandas-de-buenaventura-extienden-la-tregua-hasta-febrero-del-2025/

https://colombiasupport.net/2021/04/filing-a-complaint-is-like-a-tombstone-it-means-your-death-bishop-of-buenaventura/

https://www.agenciapi.co/noticia/justicia/capturan-alias-cholo-lider-de-los-shottas-en-operativo-en-buenaventura

https://www.google.com/search?q=Carlos+Javier+Erazo+G%C3%B3mez&oq=Carlos+Javier+Erazo+G%C3%B3mez&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQRRg7MgYIAhAuGEDSAQc1NTVqMGoxqAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2024/05/19/capturado-alias-cholo-viche-presunto-cabecilla-de-los-espartanos-en-buenaventura/

https://www.eltiempo.com/unidad-investigativa/el-nuevo-agente-encubierto-que-le-prometio-a-ministro-desmantelar-red-corrupta-en-la-policia-en-la-que-menciona-a-poderosos-politicos-3389661

https://colombiaone.com/2024/08/03/colombia-smuggler-spain/

https://www.elespectador.com/judicial/alias-pitufo-zar-del-contrabando-sera-enviado-desde-espana-hacia-colombia/

https://elhomenoticias.com/justicia/poderoso-agente-encubierto-de-polfa-que-se-atornillo-en-la-policia-de-la-mano-de-un-ministro-pese-a-graves-informes/

https://www.bluradio.com/nacion/policias-sobornaron-con-900-millones-para-que-ingresara-contrabando-de-el-bendecido-rg10

https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2024/08/30/la-millonada-que-recibieron-las-autoridades-por-permitir-el-ingreso-de-contrabando-de-el-bendecido/

https://www.las2orillas.co/un-filipino-y-los-daneses-de-maersk-controlan-los-2-puertos-mas-grandes-de-buenaventura/

https://ppulegal.com/en/ppu-legal/ppu-advises-on-port-aguadulce-expansion-financing/

https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/ill-never-be-ready-for-this-port-locals-say-of-colombias-proposed-project/

https://mascolombia.com/es-fundamental-dragar-el-canal-de-acceso-al-puerto-de-buenaventura-asonav/

https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2023/04/09/los-desaparecidos-de-isla-calavera-fuente-de-vida-y-muerte-de-las-mujeres-buscadoras-de-buenaventura/

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Isla+P%C3%A1jaros/@3.8754086,-77.0848323,4399m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x8e37246bc0519301:0xe8c19fa6cd4835cf!8m2!3d3.8708333!4d-77.075!16s%2Fg%2F11clyt5gp1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTExMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

https://www.elespectador.com/colombia-20/conflicto/paz-total-buenaventura-pacto-entre-shotas-y-espartanos-no-hay-muertos-pero-persiste-delincuencia/

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250341/this-colombian-bishop-in-a-drug-trafficking-zone-receives-death-threats

https://www.infobae.com/colombia/2024/03/23/capturaron-a-alias-chucky-cabecilla-de-los-espartanos-dejaba-una-bala-como-amenaza-para-que-pagaran-extorsiones/

https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/dispatches-field-visit-buenaventura

https://www.altocomisionadoparalapaz.gov.co/prensa/Paginas/Avanza-la-paz-urbana-Se-renuevan-compromisos-del-Pacto-por-la-Vida-en-Buenaventura.aspx

https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/el-miedo-y-la-zozobra-siguen-condicionando-la-vida-de-miles-de-personas-en-colombia-enero-junio-de-2023

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252199/gang-violence-prevents-evening-masses-in-colombian-city

https://insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/the-shottas/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/narcos-necromancy-turf-wars-black-magic-colombia/

https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/12/15/latin-american-drug-cartels-instagram-facebook-tiktok-social-media-crime/?utm_campaign=clipping_institucional_dia_a_dia&utm_medium=email&utm_source=RD+Station

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Z1pQBhrFh/?hl=en

https://www.qhubocali.com/asi-paso/cayo-alias-optra-uno-de-los-mas-buscados-del-valle/

https://www.fordfoundation.org/news-and-stories/stories/the-murder-of-temistocles-machado-human-rights-defenders-in-colombia-are-still-under-threat/

https://ocindex.net/country/colombia

https://igarape.org.br/en/drug-cartels-are-all-over-instagram-facebook-and-tiktok/

https://www.hrw.org/report/2014/03/20/crisis-buenaventura/disappearances-dismemberment-and-displacement-colombias-main

https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2014/03/140320_colombia_buenaventura_desapariciones_desplazados_aw

https://www.elespanol.com/reportajes/grandes-historias/20160909/154235506_0.html

https://www.elespectador.com/actualidad/buenaventura-desmembrada-article-526131/

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-07-mn-41027-story.html

https://www.elespectador.com/judicial/historia-de-una-casa-de-pique-article-521746/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/12/colombia-violence-torture-gangs-buenaventura

https://www.univalle.edu.co/lo-que-pasa-en-la-u/buenaventura-a-la-luz-de-colombia

https://insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/rastrojos-profile/

https://insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/auc-profile/

https://insightcrime.org/es/noticias-crimen-organizado-colombia/los-shottas/

https://www.semana.com/mejor-colombia/articulo/asi-se-convirtio-buenaventura-en-el-segundo-puerto-mas-eficiente-de-america-latina/202458/

https://www.theworldfolio.com/news/cauca-valley-francis/105/

https://colombiareports.com/agc-gulf-clan/

http://www.indepaz.org.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Proceso_de_paz_con_las_Autodefensas.pdf

https://www.pares.com.co/post/shottas-y-espartanos-avanzan-en-sus-intenciones-de-paz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD90rc5fq_0

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/colombian-bishop-uses-holy-water-to-drive-out-the-devil

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/10/bishop-take-skies-exorcise-colombian-city-helicopter-buenaventura

Disclaimer: SOC ACE is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, & Development Office. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policy.

Colombia is a country that has been racked by conflict for around 60 years - multiple armed groups and organized crime have waged war against each other and the state.

In 2016, after nearly seven years of negotiations, the FARC demobilized, creating a power vacuum that other groups, such as the National Liberation Army (ELN), Clan del Golfo, and FARC dissidents, quickly filled. Despite the FARC's exit, violence persisted, with cocaine production and illegal mining continuing unabated, leaving many communities under the control of criminal organizations.

In 2022, the President of Colombia Gustavo Petro brought forward new legislation, known as 'Total Peace'. This ambitious and wide ranging policy looks to negotiate with all criminal groups, whether they are politically minded, like the FARC were or organized crime. Why? To help reduce violence, in particularly homicides, but also to try a new approach to end these long-running conflicts.

One of the key players in these negotiations was the ELN, the oldest guerrilla group in the world. The Petro administration expressed optimism, claiming a peace agreement could be reached within three months of taking office. However, over two years later, those talks have stalled and ultimately collapsed, raising questions about the future of peace efforts in Colombia.

Speaker(s):

Juanita Durán-Vélez, Lawyer, Crime and Justice Lab, Colombia.

Kyle Johnson, Researcher & Academic Director of the Conflict Responses Foundation, Bogotá, Colombia

Felipe Botero Escobar, Head of Andean Regional Office, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Links:

Andean Regional Office, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Podcast & Article - Clan del Golfo: The fall of 'Otoniel': How Colombia's biggest drug lord was taken down.

The base research (Negotiating with Criminal Groups: Colombia´s Total Peace Policy) for this episode was initially developed and supported by Serious Organized Crime and Anticorruption Evidence research program.

Additional Links:

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombia-recognizes-dissident-eln-faction-independent-organization-2024-05-08/

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombias-illegal-armed-groups-grew-2023-secret-security-report-2024-05-07/

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/colombia-peace/

https://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-fg-colombia-farc-killings-20180605-story.html

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1265909/former-farc-members-killed-colombia/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcT51WTFlUM

https://www.abcolombia.org.uk/eln-peace-talks-timeline/

https://www.elcolombiano.com/colombia/guerra-entre-el-eln-y-las-disidencias-de-las-farc-en-arauca-MD16408859

https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-06-11/in-colombias-saravena-theres-no-theft-just-murder.html

https://insightcrime.org/news/insight-crime-2022-homicide-round-up/

https://insightcrime.org/news/is-the-ex-farc-mafia-betting-all-its-chips-on-the-colombian-venezuelan-border/

https://insightcrime.org/investigations/inviting-war-into-venezuela/

https://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:8960/FARCdissidentColombia_FINAL.pdf

https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-59863553

https://www.elespectador.com/judicial/el-contratista-del-eln-article-838805/

https://insightcrime.org/news/eln-receiving-payments-companies-colombia/

https://newsradio.com.co/2019/02/investigan-si-el-eln-se-financio-con-recursos-publicos-del-departamento-de-arauca/

https://www.pulzo.com/nacion/financiacion-eln-arauca-PP640382

https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/judicial/el-contratista-del-eln-articulo-838805

https://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/delitos/facundo-castillo-detalles-del-caso-por-el-que-fue-capturado-por-fiscalia-626787

https://colombiareports.com/colombia-arrests-governor-on-corruption-terrorism-support-charges/

https://www.cgfm.mil.co/en/multimedia/noticias/army-and-prosecutors-office-carried-out-confiscation-right-domain-assets-ex

https://www.infobae.com/en/2022/04/21/they-impose-an-insurance-measure-on-the-former-governor-of-arauca-due-to-irregularities-with-the-pae/

https://www.eltiempo.com/unidad-investigativa/luis-diaz-un-vendedor-de-divisas-de-maicao-detras-del-secuestro-del-padre-del-jugador-825082

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombia-eln-guerrillas-free-kidnapped-father-liverpool-soccer-star-diaz-source-2023-11-09/

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/least-40-colombias-eln-rebels-seen-rejecting-peace-deal-security-sources-2023-09-22/

https://www.eltiempo.com/justicia/conflicto-y-narcotrafico/entrevista-a-pablo-beltran-del-eln-desde-cuba-sobre-regreso-a-colombia-317422

https://www.financecolombia.com/insight-crime-report-eln-has-beaten-ivan-duque-now-colombias-largest-criminal-threat/

https://verdadabierta.com/se-reanuda-formalmente-la-guerra-contra-el-eln/

https://x.com/JuanManSantos/status/1167053956255748097

https://colombiareports.com/police-identify-and-hunt-guerrilla-responsible-for-pablitos-escape/

https://colombiareports.com/arauca-prison-director-suspected-of-assisting-eln-leaders-escape/

https://colombiareports.com/eln-guerrilla-escapes-from-jail/

https://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/CMS-6307429

https://www.fides.org/en/news/72782-AMERICA_COLOMBIA_The_testimony_of_Monsignor_Jaramillo_prophet_and_martyr_of_peace_is_always_alive_and_current

https://colombiareports.com/pablito-eln/

https://insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news/eln-profile/

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/worlds-oldest-guerrilla-force-revives-war-on-oil/

https://web.archive.org/web/20090302075901/http:/www.cyemh.org/resource/camilo.htm

https://www.britannica.com/topic/liberation-theology

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU30QVJl8ac

https://thecitypaperbogota.com/news/petro-on-arauca-bombing-eln-practically-closes-peace-process-with-blood/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37W-nrGMB5U&t=18s

https://i0.wp.com/efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/rss-efe3d9924349b8c7efe16223eebbb9025ada2404bf0w.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombias-petro-says-eln-attack-practically-ends-peace-talks-2024-09-18/

https://llanera.com/dos-soldados-asesinados-por-el-eln-en-tame-arauca/26595

https://www.laopinion.co/sucesos/atacaron-unidad-militar-en-tame-arauca-reportan-dos-soldados-asesinados

https://insightcrime.org/news/eln-attack-destroys-chances-peace-strengthening-guerrilla-group/

https://x.com/OscuraColombia/status/1828154886862610855

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rUBZJfYcLSFYNGr47

https://thecitypaperbogota.com/news/colombian-army-confirms-eln-behind-oil-pipeline-attack-in-arauca/

https://www.elcolombiano.com/colombia/crisis-combustible-ataque-oleoducto-cano-limon-covenas-en-arauca-DN25286995

Disclaimer: SOC ACE is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, & Development Office. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policy.

The History of the American Mafia: How the Mob Built Its Empire in the US, with Former Gambino Crime Family Associate, Louis Ferrante.

In this episode, Mark sits down with former Mob associate Louis Ferrante to discuss his book, Borgata: The Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia.

The history of the American Mafia, known as La Cosa Nostra or simply "The Mob," is well known. Prohibition in the United States during the Roaring Twenties saw the rise of characters who have since been mythologized in Hollywood: Charles "Lucky" Luciano and his close confidant Meyer Lansky, Al "Scarface" Capone, Arnold "The Brain" Rothstein, Dutch Schultz, Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria, and Salvatore Maranzano.

What makes Borgata different is that it was written by someone who lived "The Life," providing a unique perspective. Lou discusses the formation of The Commission, an underworld ruling council that controlled the Five Families of New York (now known as the Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Bonanno, and Colombo), The Outfit in Chicago, and the Philadelphia Mafia.

Lou talks about the rules, the use of violence, and how the US government looked to tackle the growing power of organized crime, spearheaded by the likes of prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey.

We also hear about Lou's own life in La Cosa Nostra and how he and his crew committed some of the most successful heists in US history, which ultimately landed him in prison.

In prison, he began to read everything he could get his hands on, including history, philosophy, and the great classics of literature. He never turned on his former associates, but when he left prison, he also left "The Life." Now he speaks about his experiences with the Mob and has become a successful author (Unlocked: A Journey from Prison to Proust), including his new a huge three-part history of the American Mafia.

In this episode, Mark and Lou discuss the first book, Borgata: The Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia.

====================================================

Louis Ferrante's book 'Borgata: The Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia' is available here: https://a.co/d/cDcxOQ2

Audible version: https://a.co/d/2VHu3Ht

====================================================

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Welcome to Underworlds with Mark Shaw.

Organized Crime is everywhere, hidden in plain sight. The stories from this world have been mythologised by Hollywood. But the reality can be even stranger and more exciting than fiction.

From the golden age of the American mafia (La Cosa Nostra), to the modern-day cocaine empires, and from the shadowy links between organized crime and terrorism, to the twilight of the Yakuza.

In this series Mark Shaw, the Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime delves into non-fiction books about organized crime and the illicit economy with the authors themselves. He asks questions about their background and investigations, but also the challenges associated in writing about this murky world.

In May 2024, a prison van was attacked at a highway toll in Normandy, France. In dramatic footage shared on social media, a black SUV, driving the wrong direction, rammed into the prison van just as it went through the barriers. Then gunmen, dressed head-to-toe in black and armed with Kalashnikov rifles got out and started shooting at the van, killing two prison officers.

They opened the van and freed the prisoner, a man named Mohamed Amra, aka "The Fly", who escaped with the gunmen. There is now an Interpol Red Notice out for Amra.

The attack took place in broad daylight and sheds light on the dramatic increase in gang violence over the last few years in France. Mohamed Amra had connections to the city that has been at the forefront of this violence, Marseille, on the Mediterranean coast.

Speaker(s):

Iris Oustinoff Leroux, YPN Coordinator and Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Links:

(GI article) France in the crossfire: Prisoner escapes in Normandy amid rise in organized crime

(GI Paper) Smoke on the horizon: Trends in arms trafficking from the conflict in Ukraine

(GI Article) The Western Balkans is still the criminals’ choice for weapons.

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Global Organized Crime Index

Senate Report FAIT au nom de la commission d’enquête (1) sur l’impact du narcotrafic en France et les mesures à prendre pour y remédier,

Additional Links

https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/bouches-du-rhone/marseille/reglements-de-comptes-a-marseille-huit-ans-de-prison-pour-une-fusillade-a-l-origine-de-l-ete-meurtrier-de-2021-2915706.html

https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/bouches-du-rhone/marseille/il-y-a-un-regain-assez-important-de-la-violence-pourquoi-les-fusillades-se-multiplient-ces-dernieres-semaines-a-marseille-3005078.html

https://www.lyonne.fr/avallon-89200/actualites/jamilah-habsaoui-maire-d-avallon-en-sursis_14508004/

https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/narcotrafic-a-marseille-felix-bingui-le-chef-du-clan-yoda-accepte-detre-extrade-du-maroc-30-04-2024-STLZ2JCQTVBFVF4J7T626BXSCE.php

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2024/05/362400/suspected-drug-dealer-arrested-in-morocco-agreed-on-extradition-to-france

https://www.bfmtv.com/marseille/info-bfmtv-l-extradition-de-felix-bingui-chef-presume-du-clan-marseillais-yoda-pourrait-prendre-entre-six-et-huit-mois_AN-202404010255.html

https://www.laprovence.com/article/faits-divers-justice/76954482590199/tuerie-du-kfc-a-marseille-kamel-meziani-condamne-a-30-annees-de-reclusion

https://www.lemonde.fr/police-justice/article/2023/02/11/le-narcotrafiquant-marseillais-kamel-meziani-condamne-a-trente-ans-de-reclusion-criminelle_6161379_1653578.html

https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/lutte-contre-les-narcotrafics-importante-operation-de-police-dans-le-quartier-de-la-castellane-a-marseille-20240318

https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/fin-tour-k-symbole-cite-castellane-marseille-1731937.html

https://www.laprovence.com/article/faits-divers-justice/17784277478911/marseille-des-policiers-attaques-a-coup-de-cocktail-molotov-et-de-tirs-de-mortier

https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/bilan-mitige-de-l-operation-place-nette-a-marseille-c-est-un-gros-coup-d-epee-dans-l-eau-2678660

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240411-marseille-district-sees-weary-but-wary-relief-in-drug-crackdown

https://www.bfmtv.com/marseille/marseille-plus-de-500-mortiers-saisis-dans-les-quartiers-nord-a-l-approche-du-reveillon_AV-202312290592.html

https://actu.fr/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/marseille_13055/video-marseille-les-images-d-un-face-a-face-violent-entre-police-et-gang-de-dealers_60308105.html

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3657598,5.3413223,3a,55.6y,27.77h,92.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sfKg-EOZLQ1CLmILQAL987A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3663096,5.341913,3a,75y,205.45h,80.31t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1seDmzdjbm3ZwBJKBDjGT8Sg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu

https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/macron-a-marseille-pour-lancer-une-operation-sans-precedent-contre-le-trafic-de-drogue-1973178

https://www.ft.com/content/11c65285-57dd-49f6-aaeb-82cd94221936

https://www.francetvinfo.fr/faits-divers/criminalite-a-marseille/info-francetv-une-arme-fabriquee-a-l-aide-d-une-imprimante-3d-retrouvee-apres-une-tentative-d-assassinat-a-marseille_6304755.html

https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20240210-police-in-marseille-bust-network-trafficking-in-3d-printed-weapons

https://news.sky.com/video/cache-of-3d-printed-guns-and-manufacturing-equipment-seized-in-france-13065857

https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/guerre-des-gangs-apres-yoda-comment-la-dz-mafia-sest-retrouvee-dans-les-mailles-de-la-police-12-03-2024-LEB6NALRNNCH5IU4XKOOEYJ2TU.php

https://time.com/how-europes-terrorists-get-their-guns/

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0TH0A2/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34818994

https://x.com/rubnpulido/status/1790388865385001329/video/2

https://www.europol.europa.eu/crime-areas-and-trends/eu-policy-cycle-empact

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/03/teenage-hitmen-marseille-drugs-instagram/

https://timesofmalta.com/article/book-tells-the-history-of-lark-mirrors.120320

https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/drug-trafficking/county-lines

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2024/05/29/paris-2024-french-police-arrest-15-for-drug-trafficking-near-olympic-village_6673007_7.html

https://www.dw.com/en/the-gangs-of-marseille-drug-trafficking-in-the-south-of-france/a-65960877

https://www.euronews.com/2024/03/01/inside-marseilles-deadly-drug-wars-why-are-youths-killing-youths

https://www.tiktok.com/@lecastellas13015/video/7305725649581247777

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSQkNhNQ3pk

https://www.tiktok.com/@lecastellas13015/video/7303990545527950624

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXrBOAKuWis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB-EuIMJhno

https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/bouches-du-rhone/marseille/flambee-des-reglements-de-comptes-a-marseille-depuis-le-debut-de-l-ete-2218306.html

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3314688,5.4133432,3a,50y,349.55h,87.74t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sq0PuUdMIVn2RoquTbYweVw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3320164,5.4130486,3a,75y,200.66h,74.99t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1st9owqf4YKoawLLpYDSS4Jg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3283083,5.4057151,3a,75.4y,166.68h,79.76t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shNY6Py44ViIaCk2MPJIOFw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu

https://www.lefigaro.fr/marseille/les-dessous-d-un-reseau-de-trafic-de-drogue-marseillais-qui-realisait-50-000-euros-de-chiffre-d-affaires-quotidien-20240311

https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/le-vrai-visage-du-narco-banditisme-a-marseille-02-05-2016-5760745.php

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/01/we-are-seen-as-less-human-inside-marseilles-quartiers-that-the-police-have-abandoned

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-58395124

https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-drug-gangs-torture-rooms-arm-kids-kalashnikov-eu-agency-emcdda-warn/

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/murder-by-kalashnikov-the-drug-war-stalking-marseilles-75l77cjh8

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65664329

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2023/08/18/marseille-s-increasingly-deadly-war-between-dz-mafia-and-yoda-two-drug-trafficking-networks_6097326_7.html

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2022/07/21/in-corsica-the-mafia-has-taken-root-with-little-consequences_5990869_7.html

https://www.cairn-int.info/article-E_VIN_115_0089--the-french-connection-between-myths.htm

https://www.yahoo.com/news/mafia-operates-frances-corsica-tourists-064408707.html

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2024/05/15/interpol-issues-red-notice-for-escaped-french-convict-mohamed-amra_6671555_7.html

https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/une-fusillade-a-evreux-fait-deux-morts-et-un-blesse-25-07-2023-2529431_23.php

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/2-killed-in-drug-related-shooting-in-northern-france-4239250

https://www.equinoxmagazine.fr/2024/05/15/mohamed-amra-implique-dans-une-tentative-dassassinat-dun-francais-en-espagne/

https://news.sky.com/story/who-is-the-fly-the-french-prisoner-who-escaped-in-convoy-ambush-13135860

https://www.liberation.fr/societe/police-justice/menaces-achat-darmes-gestion-de-ses-activites-criminelles-ce-que-revelent-les-ecoutes-dans-la-cellule-de-mohamed-amra-20240523_E3BYYPSQHNCT3MH6PDQIGAXJOE/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQV6CijIzrc

https://www.france24.com/en/france/20240516-desire-to-kill-french-prison-van-attack-takes-drug-trafficking-fight-to-new-level-of-violence

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/two-people-killed-inmate-run-061200254.html

https://www.google.com/maps/@49.2454726,1.1840619,3a,75y,313.93h,93.15t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sOVJ380YVCaj81X1XGYo3Ag!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu

On the 1st May 2024, 711 migrants successfully crossed the Channel between France and the UK in small boats. This year is so far on track to see the highest number of crossings on record.

This highly industrialised illicit industry estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of Euros, has seen the coast of northern France demarcated between competing gangs from a specific region of the Middle East, and who have a long history of smuggling.

They control the entire length of the route, from beginning to end - targeting prospective migrants through social media, offering package deals, and advice on how to speak to authorities on arrival. Some migrants even use their own knowledge of the trip to become smugglers themselves.

In this episode we take a look at the criminal groups behind the small boat crossings; how organised the logistics are; how much money they make and where it goes; and finally what this could mean for the future of other illicit economies in Western Europe.

Speaker(s):

Tuesday Reitano, Deputy Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, author of the book Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Saviour. Author of the report Small Boats, Big Business: The Industrialization of Cross-Channel Migrant Smuggling.

Julien Goudichaud, documentary filmmaker who has been reporting on people smugglers who operate in Calais.

Afshin Ismaeli, a journalist and war photographer from Norway.

Links:

(GI Paper) Small Boats, Big Business: The Industrialization of Cross-Channel Migrant Smuggling - available in English & French

(Book) Migrant, Refugee, Smuggler, Saviour

(GI Paper) The Human Conveyor Belt: Trends in human trafficking and smuggling in post-revolution Libya

(GI Analysis) An increasing number of Albanians are crossing the English Channel from France using small boats

(GI Analysis) Western Balkan criminal groups are important players in the Netherlands

Additional Links

https://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/deaths-at-the-calais-border/

https://www.duvarenglish.com/illegal-networks-in-turkey-said-to-be-providing-fake-passports-to-isis-members-to-travel-to-west-news-60262

https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/16-arrests-vietnamese-network-smuggling-migrants-across-english-channel-busted

https://www.migrationwatchuk.org/channel-crossings-tracker

https://news.sky.com/story/more-than-700-people-cross-channel-in-busiest-day-of-the-year-so-far-13127430

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats

https://labour.org.uk/updates/stories/labours-immigration-and-border-policy-stop-small-boats/

https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-61782866

https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/five-high-value-targets-arrested-one-of-largest-networks-smuggling-migrants-across-english-channel-halted

https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/39-arrests-in-cross-border-operation-against-migrant-smuggling-in-small-boats-across-english-channel

https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20220923-france-busts-people-smugglers-accused-of-making-thousands-from-channel-crossings

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/16/decathlon-stops-canoe-sales-in-northern-france-to-curb-migrant-crossings

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats-last-7-days

https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/50834/inside-frances-battle-against-migrant-smugglers-a-closer-look

https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/convicted-the-east-london-money-launderer-who-took-payments-for-small-boats-crossings

https://www.facebook.com/NCA/videos/-arrest-footagea-man-investigated-by-the-nca-for-laundering-money-made-by-people/1573557123417557/

https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/man-convicted-running-illegal-financial-service-people-smugglers

https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/gang-leader-who-bragged-of-smuggling-more-than-100-women-into-uk-jailed-for-10-years

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/migrant-channel-crossings-europol-nca-arrests-b2116830.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67145474

https://news.sky.com/video/former-landlady-of-hewa-rahimpur-says-she-is-in-shock-over-people-smuggling-allegations-12956583

https://news.sky.com/story/hewa-rahimpur-gang-leader-who-smuggled-up-to-10-000-migrants-across-channel-jailed-12986202

https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/prolific-small-boats-people-smuggling-network-dismantled-as-part-of-international-operation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC85bBq8MXo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuZjG3UCufg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv2mJtx9o5M&t=53s

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gunfights-between-channel-smugglers-jns9dcntj

https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/06/19/mediterranean-migration-crisis/why-people-flee-what-eu-should-do

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/663cdb73bd01f5ed3279386c/07_May_2024_Small_boats_-_time_series.ods

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/channel-migrants-small-boats-asylum-rwanda-b1155217.html

LockBit, the world's largest ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) provider suffered a very public takedown by an international law enforcement task force, Operation Cronos.

The ransomware behemoth quickly relaunched just days later. But in a world where trust is key, might the reputational damage be too great?

This is the story of the rise of LockBit, its relationship with other infamous cybercriminal groups, its uneasy relationship with some affiliates, its curious leader LockBitsupp, the public takedown and the relaunch, and what this means for the future of ransomware-as-a-service.

Speaker(s):

Koryak Uzan, Co-founder & Managing Director of PRODAFT

Links:

GITOC - The Rise and Fall of the Conti ransomware group

PRODAFT - LockBit: Behind the Lines of the Notorious RaaS

PRODAFT - The Demise of LOCKBIT: Disrupting the Most Prominent Ransomware Gang by Utilizing Upstream Threat Intelligence

https://twitter.com/PRODAFT

https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/gb/security/news/ransomware-by-the-numbers/lockbit-blackcat-and-clop-prevail-as-top-raas-groups-for-1h-2023

https://www.wired.com/story/lockbit-ransomware-takedown-website-nca-fbi/

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2024/02/fulton-county-security-experts-call-lockbits-bluff/

https://www.blackfog.com/the-top-10-ransomware-groups-of-2023/

https://go.recordedfuture.com/webinar/threat-briefing/lockbit-takedown

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-19/fbi-uk-crime-agency-say-they-have-disrupted-lockbit-hacking-gang?cmpid=cyber

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lockbit-ransomware-returns-to-attacks-with-new-encryptors-servers/

https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/nca-leads-international-investigation-targeting-worlds-most-harmful-ransomware-group

https://samples.vx-underground.org/tmp/Lockbit_Statement_2024-02-24.txt

https://therecord.media/lockbit-lied-about-deleting-exfiltrated-data-after-ransom-payments

https://www.sophos.com/en-us/content/state-of-ransomware

https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/gb/security/news/ransomware-spotlight/ransomware-spotlight-rhysida

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/06/hacker-british-library-cybersecurity-cybercrime-uk

https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa23-352a

https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/ransomware-spotlight/ransomware-spotlight-royal

https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/blackcat-ransomware-site-claims-it-was-seized-uk-law-enforcement-denies-being-2024-03-05/

https://thehackernews.com/2024/03/exit-scam-blackcat-ransomware-group.html

https://twitter.com/ddd1ms/status/1764979901965201552

https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/under-increasing-federal-scrutiny-blackcat-ransomware-gang-pulls-exit-scam-on-its-way-out/

https://www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/blogs/spiderlabs-blog/resurgence-of-blackcat-ransomware/

https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/blackcat-ransomware-gang-recovers-from-early-december-law-enforcement-operation-restores-websites-seized-by-doj/

https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/lockbit-leak-site-reemerges-week-after-complete-compromise-

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/prodaft_manual-ransomware-business-activity-7026870344648916992-mgZX/?originalSubdomain=nl

https://therecord.media/lockbit-ransomware-indictments-us-doj-bassterlord

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2114

https://therecord.media/lockbit-affiliates-arrested-in-ukraine-poland

https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/ukraine-arrests-father-son-duo-lockbit-cybercrime-bust-2024-02-21/

https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/lockbit-takedown-sanctions-february-2024/

https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/law-enforcement-disrupt-worlds-biggest-ransomware-operation

https://analyst1.com/this-forum-is-a-bunch-of-communists-and-they-set-me-up-lockbit-spills-the-tea-regarding-their-recent-ban-on-russian-speaking-forums/

https://securityaffairs.com/149941/hacking/lockbit-3-leaked-code-usage.html

https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/ransomware-as-a-service-gang-lockbit-pays-first-50k-bounty-a-20099

https://therecord.media/wazawaka-cyber-most-wanted-interview-click-here

https://www.state.gov/the-department-of-state-announces-reward-offer-against-russian-ransomware-actor/

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cyber/mikhail-pavlovich-matveev

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/evil-corp-switches-to-lockbit-ransomware-to-evade-sanctions/

https://resources.prodaft.com/fin7-cybercrime-gang

https://analyst1.com/ransomware-diaries-volume-1/

https://www.mimecast.com/content/darkside-ransomware/

https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/cybersecurity-advisories/aa21-291a

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lockbit-ransomware-goes-green-uses-new-conti-based-encryptor/

https://blog.talosintelligence.com/ransomware-affiliate-model/

https://www.csoonline.com/article/573937/with-conti-gone-lockbit-takes-lead-of-the-ransomware-threat-landscape.html

https://youtu.be/0EQenbbPSaE

https://threatpost.com/darkside-hackers-court-paying-affiliates/166393/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/us/politics/biden-colonial-pipeline-ransomware.html

https://twitter.com/vxunderground/status/1568273779050127363?lang=en

https://twitter.com/vxunderground/status/1568981950043414530?lang=en

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/msrc/bounty

https://bughunters.google.com/

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lockbit-30-introduces-the-first-ransomware-bug-bounty-program/

https://analyst1.com/lockbit-takedown-operation-cronos-a-long-awaited-psyops-against-ransomware/

https://twitter.com/vxunderground/status/1697027546452259277

https://twitter.com/NCA_UK/status/1759888184979157123

https://twitter.com/NCA_UK/status/1759873080069910955

https://twitter.com/NCA_UK/status/1759857979086499939

https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/law-enforcement-disrupt-worlds-biggest-ransomware-operation

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-and-uk-disrupt-lockbit-ransomware-variant

https://twitter.com/NCA_UK/status/1759842879688655053

https://twitter.com/NCA_UK/status/1759906806044725514

https://therecord.media/an-interview-with-lockbit-the-risk-of-being-hacked-ourselves-is-always-present

Russian organized crime has a mythology attached to it - the brutal tattooed men of the Vory v Zakone. But those days are long in the past, rapid globalisation saw a new type of organized criminal take the reins in the Russian underworld, spreading their influence as criminal facilitators across the world.

But the war in Ukraine has changed that. It's changed the relationship between organized crime and the Russian state, the status quo within the established criminal order, the potential vacuum left by those criminals who fight and die in the conflict, the establishment of Russian criminal groups outside of the country, the flows of illicit goods themselves have evolved, and then Ukraine, once so critical to those illicit flows, is currently lost.

Such is the uncertainty surrounding organized crime that there have been rumblings about a possible return to a dark period in Russian history, known as the 'Wild 90s' - a period of anarchy that is etched into the Russian psyche.

Speaker(s):

Mark Galeotti, the Executive Director of Mayak Intelligence, honorary professor at University College London, member of the GI Network. Author of ‘The Vory: Russia’s Super Mafia' and the GI-TOC paper: Time of Troubles: The Russian underworld since the Ukraine invasion

Links:

(GI Paper) Rebellion as racket: Crime and the Donbas conflict 2014-2022

(GI Paper) Evolving drug trends in wartime Ukraine

(GI Analysis) The devil’s not-so-new psychoactive substance: Alpha-PVP, a highly addictive synthetic drug, is experiencing growing demand in Ukraine.

(GI Paper) Crossroads: Kazakhstan's changing illicit drug economy

(GI Paper) Port in a storm: Organized crime in Odesa since the Russian invasion

(Podcast) “Death Can Wait”: Drugs on the Frontline in Ukraine

Research Links:

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/10/23/russian-artist-fined-for-extremist-toy-doll-with-prison-tattoos-a82852

https://tass.ru/obschestvo/9218777

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/08/17/russia-outlaws-childrens-criminal-underground-movement-a71178

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2014/sep/18/decoding-russian-criminal-tattoos-in-pictures

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68140873

https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-recruited-convicts-fierce-assault-units-storm-gladiator-/32806371.html

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russia-turns-off-prison-heating-to-make-inmates-fight-in-ukraine-njgg08wc9

https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2015/08/26_a_7719581.shtml

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/08/18/murders-drugs-and-brawls-russias-pardoned-ex-convicts-return-home-after-fighting-in-ukraine-a82175

https://vk.com/wall-62402836_32981

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/11/14/in-russia-pardoned-murderers-are-returning-from-the-front-and-reoffending_6254288_4.html

https://www.ft.com/content/9fdb5668-7e55-4b09-a6ca-6ba77999530b

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/08/18/murders-drugs-and-brawls-russias-pardoned-ex-convicts-return-home-after-fighting-in-ukraine-a82175

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/11509

https://www.depo.ua/rus/politics/mae-shist-sudimostey-i-krishu-na-rosii-shcho-vidomo-pro-odnogo-z-nayplivovishikh-zlodiiv-v-zakoni-loru-sumskogo-yakogo-mozhut-viklyuchiti-z-sanktsiynogo-spisku-rnbo-202110171379964

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBFIKYeOgCA

https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/knb/press/news/details/545229?lang=ru

https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/knb/press/news/details/527735?lang=ru

https://meduza.io/feature/2023/01/26/mnogie-rossiyane-bezhali-ot-mobilizatsii-v-kazahstan-no-teper-v-strane-zapreschayut-vizaran-blagodarya-kotoromu-oni-mogli-zhit-bez-vnzh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DarVDSo5vY

https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-troops-locked-out-of-stolen-john-deere-farm-equipment-2022-5?r=US&IR=T

https://www.grainews.ca/machinery/machinery-brands-comply-with-global-sanctions-against-russia/

https://www.politico.eu/article/farm-machinery-gps-theft-uk-rural-crime-ukraine-russia-war-sanctions/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/06/13/british-farms-crime-wave/

https://www.nfumutual.co.uk/media-centre/harvest-security-alert-as-cost-of-gps-thefts-doubles-in-2023/

https://www.businessinsider.com/catalytic-converter-thefts-rhodium-palladium-platinum-russian-involvement-2023-2?r=US&IR=T

https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/russia-is-resorting-to-putting-computer-chips-from-dishwashers-and-refrigerators-in-tanks-due-to-us-sanctions-official-says/articleshow/91519650.cms

https://web.archive.org/web/20221107114101/https:/www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russia-suspected-of-buying-eu-fridges-to-strip-for-weapon-parts-p73sdtngc

https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/special-resources/silicon-lifeline-western-electronics-heart-russias-war-machine

https://www.aftonbladet.se/ledare/a/GMMK76/darfor-behover-putin-svenska-fartkameror

https://www.uasvision.com/2022/10/24/swedens-stolen-speed-cameras-inside-russian-drones/

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202302199696

https://www.twz.com/bizarre-theft-wave-targets-same-rotax-engines-used-in-iranian-drones

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/bizarre-theft-wave-targets-same-rotax-engines-used-in-iranian-drones

https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1584476545912971264?s=20

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/04/27/colonel-alexander-denisov-russia-ukraine-tank-engines/

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/16386

https://svpressa.ru/society/article/398101/

https://93.ru/text/incidents/2023/12/26/73060844/

https://cepa.org/article/fsb-gamekeepers-turn-poachers-in-putins-crime-riddled-state/

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/01/08/russian-fsb-officers-arrested-for-55mln-bribes-tass-a83655

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/05/12/banditry-threatens-the-new-russia/e46ef158-bd84-4ca9-870f-612817fe5854/

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/23/how-organised-crime-took-over-russia-vory-super-mafia

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/05/12/banditry-threatens-the-new-russia/e46ef158-bd84-4ca9-870f-612817fe5854/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/abramovich-tells-of-role-in-aluminium-wars-6256950.html

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/apr/13/mining.russia1

https://www.svoboda.org/a/27226932.html

https://www.rferl.org/a/blood-sports-rise-of-russia-gangster-athletes/27722386.html

At the start of the year masked gunman burst into a television studio in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The cameras were live and the entire event was broadcast. The video shows gang members shouting at staff, pushing them to the ground, threatening them with guns and explosives. These pictures subsequently travelled around the world.

But this event was just one in a series to hit Ecuador in a short space of time. Car bombs, kidnappings, murder, prison riots, prominent prisoner escapes, and another national state of emergency.

Criminal violence has washed over the country as competing gangs like Los Choneros and Los Lobos battle in prisons and on the streets over control of the lucrative cocaine trafficking business. Foreign organized criminal actors like the Mexican Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartels, the Albanian Mafia, FARC dissident groups from Colombia, and others, are all active in Ecuador, a country described as a "cocaine superhighway".

In the space of just five or so years, Ecuador has gone from one of the safest countries in Latin America to a country with one of the highest murder rates. In this episode we are going to talk about how this happened.

Speaker(s):

Felipe Botero Escobar, the Head of Andean Programmes at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

GI-TOC:

(Paper) Organized crime declares war: The road to chaos in Ecuador

(Blog) Fernando Villavicencio - Assassination Witness Project

The Global Organized Crime Index - Ecuador Country Profile

(Paper) Transnational Tentacles: Global Hotspots of Balkan Organized Crime

(Podcast episode) The Index - Ecuador

(Paper) The cocaine pipeline to Europe

Additional Reading:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-12/gang-violence-ecuador-cocaine-banana-exports-los-choneros/103311442

https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/seguridad/el-fiscal-cesar-suarez-asesinado-en-los-ceibos-investigaba-el-ataque-armado-en-tc-television-nota/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68014040

https://news.sky.com/story/prosecutor-investigating-ecuador-tv-station-attack-shot-dead-13050642

https://ecuador221.com.ec/ofrecen-recompensa-por-informacion-de-cinco-cabecillas-de-bandas-criminales/

https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/seguridad/colon-pico-captura-riobamba-enero-2024-nota/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67912235

https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-09/daniel-noboa-declares-an-internal-armed-conflict-in-ecuador-after-an-armed-commando-breaks-into-a-television-station-live-on-air.html

https://crisis24.garda.com/alerts/2024/01/ecuador-criminal-groups-launch-attacks-jan-9-following-declaration-of-state-of-emergency-and-curfew-update-3

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/09/world/americas/ecuador-gang-prison-emergency.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12943831/Chaos-Ecuador-cops-abducted-prison-riots-cities-rocked-explosions-feared-Los-Choneros-gang-boss-Fito-escaped-jail-sparking-state-emergency.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-67921986

https://time.com/6552988/ecuador-most-wanted-criminal-fito-escape-guayaquil-prison/

https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-09/state-of-emergency-declared-in-ecuador-as-security-crisis-worsens.html

https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/seguridad/quien-es-alias-fito-el-cabecilla-que-el-gobierno-no-hallo-en-la-carcel-regional-durante-operativo-nota/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/09/ecuadoran-president-declares-armed-conflict-gunmen-storm-tv-studio/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/2/ecuadors-embattled-president-lasso-will-not-seek-re-election

https://www.infobae.com/america/america-latina/2023/03/31/ecuador-asesinaron-a-ruben-cherrez-amigo-del-cunado-de-guillermo-lasso-y-vinculado-a-la-mafia-albanesa/

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ecuadors-President-Calls-for-Investigation-of-Brother-in-law-20230314-0021.html

https://usacrime.com/leandro-el-patron-norero-beheaded-ecuador-prison/

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20221005-new-clashes-break-out-in-ecuador-prison-after-deadly-riot

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-63126159

https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/01/25/can-ecuador-free-itself-from-the-grasp-of-the-drug-lords

https://insightcrime.org/news/gang-boss-money-launderer-murdered-ecuadorian-pison-riots/

https://insightcrime.org/news/judges-officials-fall-ecuador-cleans-house/

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240121-diana-salazar-the-prosecutor-spearheading-ecuador-s-fight-against-narcopolitics

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/12/ecuador-violence-bloody-drug-war

https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-08-13/once-ecuador-was-a-peaceful-country-now-it-is-one-of-the-regions-most-violent.html

https://www.ft.com/content/579d9423-e10d-4f2e-8fe8-33e12b80f25e

https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/seguridad/asesinan-julio-cesar-farachio-candidato-a-la-alcaldia-de-salinas-nota/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64553935

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66289355

https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-10-07/colombian-hitmen-who-killed-presidential-candidate-fernando-villavicencio-murdered-in-an-ecuadorian-prison.html

https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-08-13/fito-the-gang-leader-who-threatened-to-kill-candidate-fernando-villavicencio-moved-to-maximum-security-prison.html

https://www.ecuavisa.com/noticias/seguridad/orden-muerte-fernando-villavicencio-salio-desde-la-carcel-LD5948827

https://veja.abril.com.br/mundo/a-relacao-entre-membros-do-pcc-e-a-crise-de-violencia-no-equador

https://www.metropoles.com/mundo/faccoes-em-guerra-com-o-estado-no-equador-tem-vinculos-com-pcc-e-cv

https://eu.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2024/01/26/mexican-cartels-play-role-in-ecuador-violence-tv-station-storming/72255406007/

https://apnews.com/article/ecuador-crisis-killings-mexican-cartels-2b82e62999b2696e70bd0f6ce933026f

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/30/ecuador-prison-riot-cartels/

https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/justicia/2021/8/31/detienen-en-colombia-presunto-operador-del-cjng-270991.html

https://insightcrime.org/news/arrest-mexico-sinaloa-cartel-presence-colombia/

https://dialogo-americas.com/articles/mexican-cartels-bolster-foothold-and-alliances-in-colombia/

https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/latin-america/ecuador-nabs-wanted-narco-president-says-crackdown-bearing-fruit.phtml

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/senior-farc-commander-pleads-guilty-brooklyn-federal-court-conspiring-distribute

https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/22-00767-INCSR-2022-Vol-1.pdf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-64785502

https://www.unodc.org/unodc/frontpage/2022/December/record-amounts-of-cocaine-seized-bring-the-builders-32-tons-of-cocaine-disposed-through-encapsulation-method-in-ecuador.html

https://insightcrime.org/news/record-cocaine-seizure-blow-to-ecuadors-gangs/

https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2016/vol1/253260.htm

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/ecuador-presidential-hopefuls-pledge-action-ports-where-bananas-hide-cocaine-2023-10-11/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-10/dutch-seize-record-660-million-cocaine-hidden-in-banana-cargo

https://www.intellinews.com/banana-crates-from-ecuador-now-usual-suspect-for-turkey-s-cocaine-police-286135/?source=latin-america

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/italian-police-find-880-million-cocaine-stashed-banana-crates-2023-05-16/

https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/prison-for-drugs-gang-who-attempted-to-smuggle-cocaine-worth-11-million-in-bananas

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12451487/Spain-cocaine-Ecuador-banana.html

http://www.fsb.ru/fsb/press/message/single.htm%21id%3D10439686%40fsbMessage.html

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-67964229

https://www.ft.com/content/0bcff64a-4a16-49e4-87dc-03295e40b63d

https://apnews.com/article/ecuador-kidnapping-british-businessman-former-consul-ba9c148f10b39071375250119b6c1710

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/02/ecuador-violence-deadly-attacks-gangs-cartels

https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/latin-america/mutilated-bodies-gang-wars-shock-once-peaceful-ecuador.phtml

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/13/ecuador-violence-galapagos-cocaine/

https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/seguridad/gobierno-declaracion-excepcion-carceles-ecuador.html

https://elpais.com/internacional/2023-03-01/419-muertos-y-cero-responsables-dos-anos-de-la-oleada-de-masacres-carcelarias-en-ecuador.html

https://insightcrime.org/ecuador-organized-crime-news/lobos-ecuador/

https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2020/12/07/nota/8075287/dos-bandas-relacionadas-choneros-lagartos-pelea-carcel-esmeraldas/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fito-cartel-leader-ecuador-violence-b2476638.html

https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240111-what-we-know-about-fito-ecuador-s-notorious-gang-leader-who-escaped-jail

https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2020/07/04/nota/7894974/guerra-bandas-guayaquil-pierde-protagonistas-hasta-covid-19/

https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2019/06/12/nota/7374450/quien-era-alias-cubano/

https://insightcrime.org/es/noticias-crimen-organizado-ecuador/los-lagartos/

https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/homicides-ecuador-prisons/

https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7m8a8/gang-war-causes-brutal-prison-riots-across-ecuador-leaving-79-dead

https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2020/12/28/nota/9045034/persona-herida-bala-interior-centro-comercial-manta/

https://www.primicias.ec/noticias/sociedad/macabro-mensaje-muerte-rasquina/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-67930452

https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-11/tv-studio-hostages-recall-terror-of-on-air-attack-it-is-very-easy-to-kill-journalists-in-ecuador-too-easy.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12948857/Gangsters-stormed-Ecuadorian-TV-station-guns-grenades-taking-journalists-hostage-humbled-detained-police.html