Philosophy: Organized Crime in Michigan - Essay Sample

Introduction

The Chaldean Mafia is one of the largest organized crime groups operating within the state of Michigan. According to Knox and Rizzo (2003), the Chaldean Mafia is composed almost exclusively of individuals that trace their routes to Iraq. The gang has a large presence in Michigan because of the large Middle Eastern population in the area. The group’s activities mainly involve drug trafficking between Phoenix, San Diego, and Detroit. According to Miller et al. (2010), the Chaldean Mafia has local and international affiliations with other groups such as the Medellin Cartel and Sinaloa Cartel. Chaldean Mafia’s business strategy aims to earn income rather than gain public attention, such as “street rep.”

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The group’s formation is based on some societal issues that created the perfect recipe for the operations. Like most mafia groups operating in America, the gang has its origins outside the nation, specifically in Iraq (Knox & Rizzo, 2003). The group came into existence out of the need for band together for protection and avoidance of persecution. The formation can be explained using the theories of deviance. According to Le Blanc (2009), the concept of deviant behavior is the process of conformity to society’s established standards of conduct. For example, criminality is mostly considered as abnormal behavior.

In the case of Chaldean mafia group members, having Iraqi routes meant that they had different cultural practices and beliefs that left them exposed to discrimination and neglect. Knox and Rizzo (2003) indicate that they found emotional and physical security by banding together. They found themselves unable to achieve the goals set by society through the available means. Conventional means such as looking for education and finding a job were out of their reach. They adopted the life of crime because, in as much as they conformed to society’s idea of what success, they did not accept the established path of achieving it.

National and International Connections

The Chaldean Mafia connections span across the United States and Mexico. Knox and Rizzo (2003) indicate that they have affiliations to Mexican groups such as the Sinaloa cartel and Tijuana Cartel. The associations are because of shared business interests such as drugs, which they obtain from other groups to sell it in Michigan. Detroit Metropolitan area serves as home to the largest Chaldean population outside of Iraq, which has served as a good ground for recruiting members to join the gang. As a result, there is speculation that the Chaldean mafia may also have affiliations to Iraqi groups because of their routes in the country.

Phoenix and San Diego are major transport hubs for the Chaldean mafia. As a result, they make the two other American cities where the Chaldean mafia has a large presence, other than Detroit. They use these cities to move their products from the Mexican border into Michigan. The group uses the two towns to smuggle drugs into the US from which they move it up North to Michigan.

Groups of Business Activities

The main economic activity for the Chaldean mafia is drug trafficking. According to the US Dept of Justice, National Drug Intelligence Ctr, & United States of America (2009), Chaldean groups in the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) are increasingly distributing Methyl enedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA) through various neighborhoods across Michigan. MDMA is one of the most popular drugs among teenagers and party groups across the State of Michigan. Detroit is the largest and the most influential drug market in Michigan, and it is connected to Canada (US Dept of Justice et al., 2009). Other drugs commonly associated with the group include cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana. They are best known for their ability to transport, ship, distribute, and sell large quantities of marijuana and cocaine (Knox & Rizzo, 2003).

The groups’ activities are entirely targeted at a financial gain and have no desire for secondary needs such as reputations or recognition. According to Knox and Rizzo (2003), the group does not use any particular fliers, colors and does not put up any graffiti around street corners to mark their territory or build a reputation. That is a sign that the group is trying only to earn an income rather than cause havoc or gain recognition. Furthermore, their internet presence is proof that those attributes are not intended for creating a low profile. They are using the internet to build an efficient network to market, distribute, and sell their merchandise.

However, Chaldean mafia activities go well beyond drug trafficking. Information from the US Dept of Justice et al. (2009) indicates that they are also involved in money laundering and fraud activities. Money laundering is the process through which a group or an individual can make large amounts of money that have been generated from criminal or illicit activities appear to have come from a legitimate source. More on the subject will be discussed in the next section of the essay. Conversely, fraud activities in which the Chaldean mafia is involved include tax, credit card, and wire fraud. These facilitate the group’s primary activity, which is drug trafficking. Tax fraud enables the individual members to avoid the attention of the authorities such as the IRS. Credit and wire fraud facilitate their transfer of funds that they generate without getting caught. Examples can include using a third party and offshore bank accounts and companies.

The Chaldean mafia act as wholesalers of drugs such as marijuana and cocaine rather than retailers. US Dept of Justice et al. (2009) identifies the Chaldean mafia as one of the groups responsible for distributing wholesale quantities of drugs in Michigan’s HIDTA regions. That means that one is unlikely to find a Chaldean gange member selling ounces of cocaine around a street corner. They are instead involved in selling drugs to smaller groups in Michigan and around Detroit.

Importance of Legitimate Businesses for Organized Crime

Organized criminal groups such as the Chaldean mafia have been known to operate a chain of legitimate businesses around their operations bases. In this case, an honest company refers to any profit-driven enterprise that has received authorization from the relevant authorities to operate in an area. These legitimate businesses have an open book usually available for auditing by the relevant authorities such as the IRS. The groups make a point to file their tax returns as required by law regularly. They range from simple businesses such as dry cleaners, gas stations, and entertainment joints to relatively complex companies such as garment factories or garages. These legitimate businesses serve an important role in organized crime organization operations.

Organized crime organizations use legitimate businesses as a means to launder money. As explained in the previous section, criminal groups need a way to appear as if the funds generated through unlawful activities comes from a legitimate source. A legitimate business is the best way to clean such cash and conceal it from the authorities. The process follows a relatively simple but carefully planned strategy of balancing the account books to resemble any other business. The criminal cash would be added into the business account books as part of the enterprise's revenue. As a result, some of the legitimate companies owned by organized crime organizations would be seen to make incredibly high amounts of profits. However, there would be no way to prove that the revenue comes from illegitimate sources unless a thorough background check is performed on the account books.

As an organized crime organization, the Chaldean mafia also uses the same methods to launder money and perform other tax fraud forms. For example, information from the US Dept of Justice et al. (2009) indicates that some of the Chaldean mafia members own petrol stations and convenience stores around Michigan, which they use to operate wire remittance service businesses which they reportedly use to launder illicit proceeds. As can be seen, they use businesses that predominantly rely on paper money instead of electronic transfer. That is because paper money is more challenging to transfer than other forms of money transfer, such as electronic or cheque. Except for cryptocurrency, electronic money transfer leave a trace that can be tracked to verify their source.

Awareness of Rural Organized Crime

Organized crime can be fought using rural awareness of organized, which prevents gangs from using rural areas to carry out their activities. Rural awareness is the education of rural communities about organized crime and the dangers it presents. Rural communities and the rural regions can serve as the best places for organized crime to thrive because of the seclusion and fewer prying eyes that might alert the authorities. Rural awareness prevents that from happening because it encourages vigilance among the community members in such areas.

Conclusion

Organized crime is one of the main challenges to domestic and international security. Organized crime carries many disadvantages ranging from the rise in insecurity to societal degradation. These organized crime groups use violence and illegal methods to achieve their end. Understanding their mechanics and the forces behind their formation can help turn the tide around. The Chaldean Mafia is one of the leading organized crime organizations operating within the State of Michigan. Detroit is their main base of operations, but they have connections to other groups outside the united states, such as the Sinaloa cartel. They exist purely for economic gain, and their main activity is drug trafficking, particularly cocaine and marijuana. They rely on a series of legitimate businesses across Michigan to launder their drug money.

References

Knox, G., & Rizzo, M. (2003). The Chaldean Mafia: A Preliminary Gang Threat Analysis. Journal of Gang Research, 10(3), 65-76. https://www.worldcat.org/title/Journal-of-Gang-Research

Le Blanc, M. (2009). The development of deviant behavior, its self-regulation. Monatsschrift für Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform, 92(2-3), 117-136. https://doi.org/10.1515/mks-2009-922-304

Miller, P. F., Vandome, F., A., & McBrewster, J. (2010). Chaldean Mafia: Medellín Cartel, Mafia, American Mafia, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Irish Mob, crime in Detroit, Michigan. Alphascript Publishing.

US Dept of Justice, National Drug Intelligence Ctr, & United States of America. (2009). Michigan High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area: Drug Market Analysis, 2009. US Department of Justice.