US creates new squad to fight organised crime

Calcutta News.Net
Wednesday 23rd April, 2008

The United States says international crime groups are now operating to provide support to terrorists and manipulate global markets.

US Attorney General Michael Mukasey has said the new crime groups have shown themselves to be more adaptable and sophisticated than previous alliances, including the Italian mafia.

Mr Mukasey cited recent cases, many with links to the former Soviet bloc, who had taken over in some areas of global energy and strategic materials, corrupting the markets and having a destabilising effect on US geopolitical interests.

He said the groups launder billions of dollars through US financial institutions, and invest profits in publicly traded companies.

They also exploit the Internet, he said, by running scams on eBay, flooding in-boxes with e-mail spam and laundering money through virtual worlds such as Second Life.

Mr Mukasey said he had revived an Organised Crime Council of senior law enforcement officials, to provide more information to the State Department to help it deny visas to known criminals and to the Treasury Department so it could impose sanctions against money laundering.

It will also increase cooperation with foreign countries, training and assisting crime fighters.

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