Latin America has always been characterized by drug trafficking. Even though drug trafficking is still the most important manifestation of organized crime in the region, criminal organizations have expanded their business and moved overseas. This panel will discuss, on the one hand, how drug trafficking, particularly cocaine trafficking, has been changing adding new markets and routes to the traditional ones, and how criminal organizations have been exercising criminal governance in order to guarantee their domain on certain territories. On the other hand, we will discuss how other manifestations of organized crime such as human trafficking, illegal mining, environmental crimes and cybercrime has gained importance in our region.

A talk by Adriana Abdenur, Marcos Alan Ferreira, Concepción Anguita Olmedo, Mariano Bartolomé, Dr Andrea Oelsner and Carolina Sampó

Plataforma CIPÓ, Universidade Federal da Paraiba, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, University of San Andrés and Conicet, Argentina

Mediation is an alternative mechanism for dispute settlement, commonly used when enforcement is ineffective. It has been increasingly seen as an effective means to prevent, manage and resolve disputes in both conflict and non-conflicted environments, including, for example, in the prevention of inter and intra-gang violence. However, with the growing complexity of contemporary conflicts, many questions arise regarding this method and the role of the mediator in conducting such processes. How to guarantee a comprehensive support to mediators and to their processes, making them the most effective one to prevent violence? How to ensure the role of women as leaders of the mediation? What way governments, civil society and international community can support these efforts? The session aims to present an overview about lessons learned on mediation processes and discuss those questions.

A talk by Felipe Botero, Yvette Chesson-Wureh, Juan Camilo Cock, Óscar Escobar and Benjamin Smith

GI-TOC, Angie Brooks International Centre (ABIC), Fundación Alvaralice, Municipality of Palmira,Colombia and Centre for Humanitarian Diaolgue

In this session, Willis Okumu will deliver a presentation on the trafficking of sandalwood in Kenya, which examines the networks of state and non-state actors that facilitate the illicit trade of the East-African sandalwood tree–resulting in significant environmental harm and deforestation within community forests in Northern Kenya. Juneseo Hwang will then present on the topic of waste crime, examining how dissident paramilitaries and organized criminal gangs have infiltrated legal businesses in post-Agreement Northern Ireland by focusing on the example of the illegal Mobuoy Dump. The session will conclude with a presentation by Meredith Gore about place-network investigations of sea cucumber trafficking in Mexico.

A talk by Yuliya Zabyelina, Dr. Meredith Gore, Juneseo Hwang and Willis Okumu

John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, University of Maryland, Queen's University Belfast

The first-ever Global Organized Crime Index provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of the pervasiveness of criminal markets, the dynamics of criminal actors and of countries’ effectiveness in establishing the defence mechanisms and responses needed to ensure operational resilience to organized crime. A result of a multi-year endeavour involving over 350 experts worldwide, including the GI-TOC’s regional observatories, members of the GI Network of Experts and many other independent journalists, academics, researchers and members of civil society, the 2021 Index evaluates levels of crime and resilience in all 193 UN member states. A presentation of the tool’s structure and methodology, along with highlights of key findings will be given, followed by a short Q&A session.

A talk by Laura Adal, Kosyo Ivanov, Antônio Sampaio and Lyes Tagziria

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

ocindex.net

The Global Organized Crime Index report

The phenomenon of illicit mining and trading of minerals poses a challenge to the survival of contemporary Democratic Republic of Congo. Besides the environmental impacts associated with the practice, the phenomenon, induces violent conflicts in the Eastern Congo DR, and cost the country an estimated economic loss of around US$60 million per year.

In Kenya, sand mining is a crime and must be stopped immediately in Kenya. Mining unlike harvesting is irreversible and is leaving permanent scars on damaged ecosystems, deplorable lives and livelihoods, increasing inter-communal conflict, and ushering in a cartel market driven by criminals. Through violence, criminals are controlling the sand market unabetted due to weak legislation, incapacitated control measures and an ever ready and on-demand construction appetite. With lack of a formidable alternative, sand remains the only option for the advancement of human civilisation.

In Morocco, sand extraction points out at the degradation of the environment, putting vulnerable coastal ecosystems at risk. Today, all along the Moroccan coastline running between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic (Western Sahara included), numerous beaches have become the prey of illegal sand extraction.

Illegal sand mining further underlines a deeply rooted socio-politico-economic wide web of illegal activities such as corruption, transnational commerce, construction safety and child labour.

Illegal sand extraction in Morocco is however a priority issue the authorities need to address. Unless the Moroccan authorities respond adequately to this multifaceted challenge.

A talk by Abdelkader Abderrahmane, Mohamed Daghar, Oluwole Ojewale and Kiran Pereira

Institute for Security Studies, Institute for Security Studies, Institute for Security studies and Sand Stories

The objective of this Session is to reflect on the political economy of violence in Mexico and Central America. Although it is undeniable that organized crime is part of the issue, the argument that criminal groups are the sole actor behind violence in the region is not satisfactory. We want to "bring politics back in" and to offer a more complex picture of a phenomenon that cannot be understood through a zero-sum game analysis of “crime” vs. “politics”.

A talk by Dr. Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, Markus Hochmüller, Gema Kloppe-Santamaría, Romain Le Cour Grandmaison and Sandra Ley

Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California San Diego, Pembroke College Oxford, Loyola University Chicago/Freiburg Institute of Advanced Studies, Noria Research / Paris-1 Panthéon Sorbonne - and CIDE

Transnational organised crime at sea is a growing international concern. These ‘blue crimes’, including piracy, smuggling, and environmental crimes such as illegal fishing, challenge maritime security law enforcement practitioners and ask new questions of academics and researchers. By their very nature, such crimes cross boundaries. They implicate different geographical spaces, including both land and sea; they take place across national borders and jurisdictional lines; they challenge existing (often terra-centric) regional constructs; and they evidence important intersections and linkages across and between different criminal activities and networks. In consequence, the study of blue crime is not easily confined to neat disciplinary silos. It requires insight, work and dialogue across and between multiple relevant disciplines: criminology and green criminology, international relations and security studies, law, development studies, and political geography amongst others. But how can such work take place productively? What pitfalls does it face? And what contribution can it make to the fight against transnational organised crime at sea?

This panel brings together a multi-disciplinary group of experts to consider these questions. In so doing, it outlines the contours of a new blue criminology, considers the scope and promise of such an approach, and reflect on what a blue criminological research agenda might look like going forward.

Professor Tim Edmunds, Dr. Mercedes Rosello, Professor Anna Sergi, Professor Nigel South & Dr. Scott Edwards University of Bristol, Leeds Beckett University, University of Essex & University of Bristol

The discussion will be about the role of urban growth, poor governance, political patronage, poverty and illiteracy, and the mushrooming of the gangs in the country.

A talk by Beatrix Chepkoech, Ms Joyce Kimani, Mohammed Mwinyi, Esther Njeri and Willie Oeba

Midrift Human Rights Network, GI-TOC, Youth Bila Noma.

24 Hour Conference on Global Organized Crime

In this session, Srdjan Vujovic will present his findings on unaccompanied migrant and refugee children in Bosnia. Veronika Nagy will explore how suspects of terrorism and organised crime are increasingly subjected to social sorting through mobile surveillance within and out of Europe. Lucia will discuss trends in responses to human smuggling, including criminalisation approaches, focussing on Africa and drawing on her recent research titled 'Human smuggling in Africa: The creation of a new criminalised economy?’. Sasa Djordjevic will speak about Organised crime and migration in the Western Balkans Six at the time of crises’.

For more information click here.

24 Hour Conference on Global Organized Crime

This policy-focused session sees four practitioners from law enforcement backgrounds, discuss the broad issues of trying to combat money laundering, and recovering criminal wealth against a backdrop of inadequate international crime control policies. Jonathan Benton (Intelligent Sanctuary Ltd) will first address the “bigger picture” of asset recovery, focusing on large, cross-border asset recoveries and the technology required to carry out such operations. Richard Gould (Illicit Finance Consulting Ltd) will then discuss the need to classify money laundering as a predicate crime, and the impact this would have on investigations at both the international and national levels. Following this, Alan Johnstone (Financial Investigations Division, Jamaica) will talk about the inadequacies of international anti-money laundering laws when applied to small island developing states such as Jamaica, where there is a high debt burden and weak economic, political and law enforcement structures. Finally, Tim Connolly (HMRC), will circle back to the “bigger picture” and the role of international organised crime groups and how they manipulate VAT scams.

For more information click here.