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Gesperrt
Israeli organised crime is fragmented but growing
By Dr Mark Galeotti
Organised crime in Israel is becoming an increasingly effective force both nationally and globally, characterised not so much by major syndicates as a plethora of small gangs working together efficiently and opportunistically on specific projects.
The catalyst for the original revolution in Israel's underworld was the influx of Russians in the 1990s. The Israeli Law of Return, which guarantees citizenship to those of Jewish descent, was a boon for Russian criminals.
Power on the streets of criminals from the former Soviet states has decreased since the 1990s, and indigenous gangs and new groups such as Christian Arabs in Nazareth and Haifa now play the key role in drug dealing and vice.
Israel's organised crime scene is dominated by drug trafficking and prostitution. The authorities estimate the annual domestic market to amount to 100 tonnes of marijuana, 20 tonnes of hashish, 20 million ecstasy tablets, three tonnes of cocaine and four tonnes of heroin, as well as several hundred thousand LSD blotters. This is similar to levels found in Europe and North America, but shows relatively high ecstasy and LSD use, while heroin is still under-represented.
Nonetheless, Israeli criminals have increasingly strong links with the Turkish underworld, originally because they co-operated in preying on Israeli gamblers and tourists who travelled there, but now this has led to deals where guns and ecstasy tablets are swapped for heroin, which is then sold in Israel or trafficked on into Egypt. This, in turn, is often swapped for West African marijuana. In this way, despite Israel's troubled status within the Middle East, its criminals clearly enjoy free and mutually profitable relations with their counterparts in neighbouring states.
http://www.janes.com/security/law_enforcement/news/jir/jir050617_1_n.shtml
By Dr Mark Galeotti
Organised crime in Israel is becoming an increasingly effective force both nationally and globally, characterised not so much by major syndicates as a plethora of small gangs working together efficiently and opportunistically on specific projects.
The catalyst for the original revolution in Israel's underworld was the influx of Russians in the 1990s. The Israeli Law of Return, which guarantees citizenship to those of Jewish descent, was a boon for Russian criminals.
Power on the streets of criminals from the former Soviet states has decreased since the 1990s, and indigenous gangs and new groups such as Christian Arabs in Nazareth and Haifa now play the key role in drug dealing and vice.
Israel's organised crime scene is dominated by drug trafficking and prostitution. The authorities estimate the annual domestic market to amount to 100 tonnes of marijuana, 20 tonnes of hashish, 20 million ecstasy tablets, three tonnes of cocaine and four tonnes of heroin, as well as several hundred thousand LSD blotters. This is similar to levels found in Europe and North America, but shows relatively high ecstasy and LSD use, while heroin is still under-represented.
Nonetheless, Israeli criminals have increasingly strong links with the Turkish underworld, originally because they co-operated in preying on Israeli gamblers and tourists who travelled there, but now this has led to deals where guns and ecstasy tablets are swapped for heroin, which is then sold in Israel or trafficked on into Egypt. This, in turn, is often swapped for West African marijuana. In this way, despite Israel's troubled status within the Middle East, its criminals clearly enjoy free and mutually profitable relations with their counterparts in neighbouring states.
http://www.janes.com/security/law_enforcement/news/jir/jir050617_1_n.shtml
