Organized Crime - A World History

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[edit] General Information

History, Sociopolitical Documentary published by History Channel in 2001 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

THE WORLD HISTORY OF ORGANIZED CRIME travels the globe to get an insider's view of some of the most active, dangerous and diabolical criminal syndicates in existence. The five episodes in this DVD set each focus on a different region, examining the conditions that helped create these groups, talking to law enforcement specialists about how they are being fought, and relating true stories of famous cases:

[edit] China

On January 2, 2000, a freighter from Hong Kong docked in Seattle. When INS officials opened one of the cargo containers, they found 12 disoriented Chinese stowaways, who had paid exorbitant fees to Snake Heads, smuggling agents from a vast criminal syndicate that spans cultures, countries, and history. Featuring gang leaders from 1920s' Shanghai to 1970s' New York Chinatown, we investigate the history of the Chinese underworld from its mythical origins in a long-ago Shaolin monastery.

[edit] Sicily

Although the Mafia had its beginnings in Sicily, it eventually spread its tentacles all over the world. Organized crime originally owed its success to providing services that appeal to human weakness. Gambling, illegal drugs and alcohol, and trafficking in humans were among its pursuits. To enforce its hold over prized territory, the mob resorted to extortion and violence. Law enforcement has responded with harsh measures, but organized crime, now engaged in a number of respectable activities, still thrives. This episode, which is part of a five-volume series, returns to the roots of organized crime in Sicily, with an informative chronicle of the country's so-called Five Families. Archival film footage, photographs, journals, personal accounts, and commentary by historians tell the story.

[edit] Russia

The Russian Mob or Mafia, Russkaya Mafiya, Red Mafia, Krasnaya Mafiya or Bratva (brotherhood), is a name given to a broad group of organized criminals of various ethnicity which appeared in the former Soviet Union territories after its disintegration in 1991.

Apart from ethnic Russians, the term comprises disproportionately large numbers of Jews, Chechens and Georgians. Other notable ethnic groups within the Russian Mafia include the Ukrainians, Armenians, and Azeris. The term "Russian Mafia" may also include organized crime groups from other former Soviet Republics.

[edit] Colombia

Is the war on drugs in Colombia winnable? One of South America's most beautiful countries, it's also one of the most dangerous. Since the 1970s, Colombian drug cartels have shipped thousands of tons of cocaine to the US. We investigate two of the most successful--the Medellin and Cali Cartels--and the smaller organizations that arose in their demise, whose cocaine and heroin crops and trafficking airstrips are protected by leftist guerrilla groups for a share of the profit.

[edit] India

Although the Mafia had its beginnings in Sicily, it eventually spread its tentacles all over the world. Organized crime originally owed its success to providing services that appeal to human weakness. Gambling, illegal drugs and alcohol, and trafficking in humans were among its pursuits. To enforce its hold over prized territory, the mob resorted to extortion and violence. Law enforcement has responded with harsh measures, but organized crime, now engaged in a number of respectable activities, still thrives. This episode on the Mafia in India is part of a five-volume series that chronicles the history of organized crime, using archival film footage, photographs, journals, personal accounts, and commentary by historians. The subversion of the country's spiritual beliefs led to the rise of a special brand of mob activity in India.