The largely unregulated taxi industry in South Africa has long been associated with violence., as taxi associations clash with one another over control of lucrative routes. Taxi-related violence ranges from shoot-out at taxi ranks to targeted hits on influential players in the industry, often sparking retaliatory killings, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of taxi operators and innocent bystanders.

According to the Global Organized Crime Index, mafia-style groups such as those operating in the taxi industry, are a prevalent criminal actor in South Africa - with a score of 7.5 out of 10, placing the country 5th out of 54 on the African continent.

South Africa also sits 6th in the world for extortion and protection racketeering, and the mafia-like taxi associations are major contributors to that, as they extort their drivers and attack rival modes of transport.

Overall, South Africa’s criminality score is very high at 7.18 out of 10, placing it 7th out of 193 countries.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Speakers:

Rumbidzai Matamba, Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Links:

The business of killing: Assassinations in South Africa

The Shadow Economy: Uncovering Cape Town's Extortion Networks

The politics of murder: Criminal governance and targeted killings in South Africa

OC Index Country profiles:

South Africa country profile

The Global Organized Crime Index

GITOC - The Observatory of Illicit Economies in East and Southern Africa (ESA-Obs)

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

In March this year, gangs of armed men on motorcycles descended on a school in north-western state of Kaduna in Nigeria, kidnapping over 280 children. In the same week a similar mass kidnapping took place in the north-eastern state of Borno.

Over the past few years, kidnappings have been a real issue in Nigeria, but have recently been in decline.

So, who is behind these kidnappings? And why are they targeting these communities?

Kidnappings have contributed to the rise in extortion and protection racketeering in Nigeria, according to the Global Organized Crime Index, it is the highest in West Africa at 8/10.

Overall, Nigeria has very high levels of criminality - on the African continent it sits 2nd and 6th globally, with a score of 7.28 out of 10.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Speakers:

Kingsley L. Madueke, Nigeria Research Coordinator, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Lawan Danjuma Adamu, Northern Nigeria Field Coordinator, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Links:

https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/mass-abductions-kidnappings-nigeria/

https://riskbulletins.globalinitiative.net/wea-obs-005/01-armed-bandits-extort-crop-farmers.html

https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/non-state-armed-groups-illicit-economies-west-africa/

OC Index Country profiles:

Nigeria Country Profile

The Global Organized Crime Index

GITOC - West Africa and the Sahel Observatory (WEA-Obs)

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Brazil has long had a problem with mafia-style groups, according to the Global Organized Crime Index, with 8 out of 10, that places the country 3rd in South America.

One such group are the so-called militias, made up of former and serving members of military police or law enforcement. The militias groups have sought to profit from the housing market , with many residents facing the threat of violence, and even expulsion from their homes. Alongside this, militias have seeped into other markets, controlling access to utilities such as water, electricity and internet connectivity.

According to the Global Organized Crime Index, levels of extortion and protection racketeering are high, at 7 out of 10. These numbers contribute to the high overall criminality score for Brazil at 6.77 out of 10, placing them 22nd globally.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Speakers:

Antonio Sampaio, Thematic Lead on Cities & Illicit Economies at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

Nicholas Pope, Research fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London

Links:

Coercive brokers: Militias and urban governance in Rio de Janeiro

OC Index Country profiles:

Brazil Country Profile

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Montenegrin organized crime groups have risen through the criminal underworld to become key components of the global cocaine trade. From Latin America to global shipping, and from ports to European markets, they control the entire chain.

But with such a lucrative trade comes violence. Over the last decade, several dozen Montenegrins and Serbians have been killed across Europe in a bloody feud between two criminal groups - the Škaljari clan and the Kavač Clan, both originating from the small Adriatic town of Kotor.

According to the Global Organized Crime Index, Montenegro ranks 5th in terms of criminality out of 44 countries in Europe, with the cocaine trade being it’s most prevalent criminal market at a score of 7 out of 10.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Speakers:

Marko Vešović, Journalist & Editor of the daily newspaper DAN Montenegro, and member of the GI Network.

Links:

(GI Video) Montenegro's Cocaine War: Rival Clans, Illicit Markets, and Assassinations

(GI Paper) Spot Prices: Analyzing flows of people, drugs and money in the Western Balkans

(GI Paper) The cocaine pipeline to Europe

Škaljari clan

Kavač Clan

OC Index Country profiles:

Montenegro

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

The gold mining sector in West Africa has increased significantly in recent years. But this is also a region bereft by political instability following several recent coups, extremist groups, foreign criminal actors and organized crime networks all operate here, artisanal and small-scale miners are often targeted by such groups.

According to the Global Organized Crime Index, there are high levels of criminality across the region in non-renewable resource crimes, the category which illegal gold mining falls under. Burkina Faso reaches 8.5 out of 10; Mali, 8 out of 10.

Whereas Resilience levels across the region are low, but particularly in Mali, at just 2.38 out of 10.

In this episode Thin will discuss the differences between informal and illegal gold mining, and the role criminal groups play in exploiting miners across West Africa, and the possibility of formalising the informal gold mining sector.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Speakers:

Gideon Ofosu-Peasah, Analyst, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Marcena Hunter, Thematic Lead on Extractives and Illicit Flows, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Links:

(GI Paper) Learnings from West Africa’s regional experiences in the gold sector

OC Index Country profiles:

Mali

Burkina Faso

Ghana

Guinea

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Papua New Guinea, the island nation in Oceania, is rich in biodiversity. But the rainforests that cover the country are also sought after by logging companies, sometimes illegally. PNG is the largest exporter of timber to China, where it is then distributed around the world.

There are a number of criminal markets that are particularly prevalent in PNG - financial crimes, human trafficking, non-renewable resource crime. But in this episode, we will focus on illegal logging, because Papua New Guinea sits second globally for flora crimes at 8.5 out of 10.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Guest: Eddie Tanago Paine from ACT NOW! For A Better Papua New Guinea

Links:

OC Index - Papua New Guinea country profile.

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Additional Links:

Mongabay - Logging, road construction continue to fuel forest loss in Papua New Guinea

The Guardian - From a forest in Papua New Guinea to a floor in Sydney: how China is getting rich off Pacific timber

Global Witness - In a historic win, Papua New Guinea acts against logging tax cheats. What happens next?

Al Jazeera - Papua New Guinea’s forests are being destroyed

The Guardian - Papua New Guinea landowners fight against logging

The small Caribbean nation of Haiti has seen a surge in gang violence over the past few years. According to the Global Organized Crime Index, there is a high level of mafia-style groups (8.5 out of 10). These gangs have captured large swathes of the economy.

With names like G-Pep, 400 Mawozo, Baz Pilate, and G9, these gangs compete for control, leading this conflict to be described as the "world’s most dangerous gang war".

Haiti has the highest levels of criminality in the Caribbean. Arms trafficking, human trafficking, cocaine trafficking, and financial crimes are all over 7.5 out of 10. More troubling still is that its resilience score is very low - at 2.46 out of 10, which places Haiti at 174 out of 193 countries.

In this episode we will discuss the criminal governance of the gangs, and how difficult it is for civil society to operate in the country.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Guest: A civil society member in Haiti.

Links:

Haiti Country Profile

(Podcast) UN & Organized Crime Podcast - Gang violence and the human rights and security crisis in Haiti

(GI Paper) Gangs of Haiti: Expansion, power and an escalating crisis

(GI paper) Gang control and security vacuums: Assessing gender-based violence in Cité Soleil, Haiti

(GI Blog) New sanctions target Haiti gangsters

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Additional Links

https://haitiantimes.com/gangs-in-haiti-a-deeper-look/

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/haiti-gang-violence-crisis-g9-g-pep-1234871794/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/21/haiti-jimmy-barbecue-cherizier-overthrow-prime-minister-ariel-henry

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/28/haiti-gangs-food-access-farming

The Global Organized Crime Index features two new indicators - Cybercrime and Financial Crimes.

In this episode Thin sits down with the Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Chainalysis, Jacqueline Koven, to discuss a topic that straddles both of these indicators, money laundering through cryptocurrency.

According to Chainalysis, nearly $23.8 billion dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency was laundered in 2022, a 68% increase on the previous year.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Guest: Jacqueline Koven, the Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Chainalysis.

Links:

Russia country profile

North Korea country profile

Iran country profile

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

The Chainalysis 2023 Crypto Crime Report

Russian Cybercriminals Drive Significant Ransomware and Cryptocurrency-based Money Laundering Activity - https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/2022-crypto-crime-report-preview-russia-ransomware-money-laundering/

OFAC Sanctions Russian National Ekaterina Zhdanova for Using Cryptocurrency to Launder Money on Behalf of Russian Elites and Ransomware Groups - https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/ofac-russia-crypto-money-laundering-sanctions-2023/

Privacy Coins 101: Anonymity-Enhanced Cryptocurrencies - https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/privacy-coins-anonymity-enhanced-cryptocurrencies/

Crypto Mixer Usage Reaches All-time Highs in 2022, With Nation State Actors and Cybercriminals Contributing Significant Volume - https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/crypto-mixer-criminal-volume-2022/

Crypto Needs Comprehensive Policies to Protect Economies and Investors - https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2023/07/18/crypto-needs-comprehensive-policies-to-protect-economies-and-investors

The assassination of Ecuadorean presidential candidate, Fernando Villavicencio in August this year made international headlines. A campaigner who railed against organized crime and corruption, his murder in Quito was one act in a downward spiral of violence in Ecuador. Local gangs and international criminal organisations have increased their influence in politics, worsening already low-public trust in state institutions.

Over the course of two years, according to the Global Organized Crime Index, Ecuador’s criminality score has risen sharply, and globally it now sits 11th, levels of resilience fared no better and have dipped significantly.

In this episode, Thin will delve into these Index scores and discuss organized crime, politics, and the increase in violence in Ecuador.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Guest: Renato Rivera, Coordinador Observatorio Ecuatoriano de Crimen Organizado

Links:

Ecuador Country Profile

Observatorio Ecuatoriano de Crimen Organizado

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

BBC News: Candidate in Ecuador's presidential election Fernando Villavicencio shot dead

El País: Mexican cartels linked to Ecuador violence: ‘Criminals have an incentive to say they belong to a renowned group’

The Guardian: ‘We should treat it as a war’: Ecuador’s descent into drug gang violence

Al Jazeera: Ecuador gang boss who threatened Villavicencio moved to high-security jail

Myanmar in Southeast Asia topped the global list for levels of criminality (8.15/10) in the latest Global Organized Crime Index. From arms trafficking (9/10) to the synthetic drugs trade(10/10), and mafia-style groups (9.5/10) to state-embedded actors (9/10), Myanmar has high levels almost across the board for criminal markets and actors.

The country is also resource rich - gold, jade, precious stones, and rare earth minerals, essential to the technologies driving the green transition around the world. But, this mining industry is controlled by armed groups, the ruling military government, and predatory companies, who exploit workers, poison the environment, violently crack down on civil society, and horde illicit wealth.

In this episode Thin Lei Win discusses illegal rare earth mineral mining in Myanmar with Clare Hammond, Investigative Journalist and Senior Campaigner at Global Witness, and author of the report ‘Myanmar’s poisoned mountains: The toxic rare earth mining industry at the heart of the global green energy transition’.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Guest: Clare Hammond, Global Witness.

Links:

Myanmar Country Profile

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Global Witness - Myanmar’s poisoned mountains: The toxic rare earth mining industry at the heart of the global green energy transition.

Radio Free Asia - Illegal mining of rare earth metals surges in northern Myanmar

The Telegraph - Increase in rare-earth mining in Myanmar may be funding junta