Organized crime is seen by Gennadii Khokhriakov (5) as ranked second only after war in terms of the danger that it poses to society. Indeed, the Ninth United Nations Conference on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders affirmed that ôorganized crime poses a direct threat to national and international security and stability and represents a frontal attack on political and legislative authority" (in Khokhriakov, 5). In present day Russia, as was the case in the final 30 years of the Soviet Union, organized crime is directly linked to the criminalization of society and, most recently, to the economic woes that negatively impact upon the capacity of the Russian state to secure stability and produce economic growth (Shelley, 52-53).
It is the purpose of this report to examine the current state of organized crime in Russia, tracing the history of this phenomenon and identifying the types of criminal activity and areas of business penetration achieved by the Russian Mafiya. The movement of Russian organized crime to the United States and other nations will be described. The focus of the report will be on the legal implications of prosecuting these criminals. A discussion of the Chechnya situation vis-a-vis mob activity will also be offered.
In this report, organized crime will be understood as consisting of amorphous gangs that act autonomously or have loose ties to regional, national, or international networks (OÆNeal, 1). Russian organized crime (ROC) is distinct from other manifestations of organized crime in that its groups cannot be classified as distinct, centralized entities. ROC generally lacks the traditional membership rules and codes of honor and respect associated with the American Mafia and a distinguishing attribute of ROC relates to the membersÆ common experience of having lived in a police state (OÆNeal, 1).
The scope of the problem underscores its significance. Scott OÆNeal (2) poin...