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Crime and Insurgency in the Tribal Areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan
"Insurgent and terror groups operating in the tribal areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan are deepening their involvement in organized crime, an aspect of the conflict that at once presents enormous challenges and also potential opportunities for Coalition forces trying to implement a population‐centric counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy. Within a realm of poor governance and widespread state corruption, anti‐state actors engage in and protect organized crime--mainly smuggling, extortion and kidnapping--both to raise funds and also to spread fear and insecurity, thus slowing the pace of development and frustrating attempts to extend the rule of law and establish a sustainable licit economy. Militant groups on either side of the frontier function like a broad network of criminal gangs, not just in terms of the activities in which they engage, but also in the way they are organized, how funds flow through their command chains and how they interact--and sometimes fight--with each other. There is no doubt that militant groups have capitalized on certain public grievances, yet their ties to criminal profiteering, along with the growing number of civilian casualties they cause on both sides of the frontier, have simultaneously contributed to a widening sense of anger and frustration among local communities. Through a series of focused and short anecdotal case studies, this paper aims to map out how key groups engage in criminal activity in strategic areas, track how involvement in illicit activity is deepening or changing and illustrate how insurgent and terror groups impose themselves on local communities as they spread to new territory. It is hoped that a closer examination of this phenomenon will reveal opportunities for disrupting the problem, as well as illustrate how Coalition forces, the international community and moderate Muslim leaders might capitalize on an untapped public relations opportunity by better protecting local communities who are the main victims of it."
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
Peters, Gretchen
2010-10-15
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Best Practices to Address Community Gang Problems: OJJDP's Comprehensive Gang Model; Second Edition
"This Report provides guidance for communities that are considering how best to address a youth gang problem that already exists or threatens to become a reality. The guidance is based on the implementation of the Comprehensive Gang Model (Model) developed through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and tested in OJJDP's Gang Reduction Program. The Report describes the research that produced the Model, notes essential findings from evaluations of several programs demonstrating the Model in a variety of environments, and outlines 'best practices' obtained from practitioners with years of experience in planning, implementing, and overseeing variations of the Model in their communities. The Model and best practices contain critical elements that distinguish it from typical program approaches to gangs. The Model's key distinguishing feature is a strategic planning process that empowers communities to assess their own gang problems and fashion a complement of anti-gang strategies and program activities. Community leaders considering this Model will be able to call on the OJJDP Strategic Planning Tool at no cost (http://www.iir.com/nygc/tool/default.htm). OJJDP's Socioeconomic Mapping and Resource Topography (SMART) system is another online resource available through the OJJDP Web site (go to http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp, and select 'Tools'). The main section of the Report presents best practices for the Comprehensive Gang Model and highlights results of a survey and a meeting of practitioners regarding their experiences in implementing the Model. This section contains specific practices that work best in a step-by-step planning and implementation process for communities using the Comprehensive Gang Model framework and tools."
United States. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
National Youth Gang Center (U.S.)
2010-10
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Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report: Gang Units in Large Local Law Enforcement Agencies, 2007
"In 2007, 365 of the nation's large police departments and sheriffs' off ices had specialized gang units, employing more than 4,300 sworn officers dedicated to addressing gang-related activities. Thirty-five percent (35%) of these units were established between 2004 and 2007, suggesting a recent heightened interest in using specialized units to address gang issues. Gangs and gang-related activities are pervasive, nationwide problems. Gangs can contribute to higher violent crime rates, induce community deterioration through behaviors such as vandalism, graffiti, and drug dealing, and increase public fear of victimization. One way for law enforcement agencies to address gang-related problems is to form specialized gang units. The consolidation of an agency's gang enforcement activities and resources into a single unit can allow gang unit officers to develop specific expertise and technical skills related to local gang characteristics, behaviors, and gang prevention and suppression. The 2007 Census of Law Enforcement Gang Units (CLEGU) collected data on 365 local police departments and sheriffs' offices that had 100 or more sworn officers with at least one officer dedicated solely to addressing gang activity. Based primarily on findings from the CLEGU, this report details the types of problems handled by specialized gang units, followed by findings about unit operations, gang officers, and the attributes of the agencies and jurisdictions that contain these specialized units."
United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics
Langton, Lynn
2010-10
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Fact Sheet: Transnational Organized Crime: Growing Risk to U.S. and Global Interests
"Certain types of international crime -- terrorism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and contraband smuggling -- involve serious violence and physical harm. Other forms -- fraud, extortion, money laundering, bribery, economic espionage, intellectual property theft, and counterfeiting -- don't require guns to cause major damage. Consequences include the loss of profits, productivity, and jobs for Americans at home, as well as negative public health consequences. Moreover, new categories of cybercrime continue to emerge and expand in both scale and sophistication. For the United States, international crime poses threats on three broad, interrelated fronts. First, the impact is felt directly on the streets of virtually every community in America. Drugs, migrants, firearms, counterfeit merchandise, child pornography, and other contraband are illegally smuggled into the United States every year, undermining our border security and inflicting harm on society and individuals. Transnational criminal gangs commit crimes affecting the safety and well being of Americans--often collaborating with peers beyond the territory of United States, and vice versa. Few (if any) threats from abroad have a more visible and pervasive impact on the lives of U.S. citizens than transnational crime."
United States. Department of State
2010-09-10
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Emerging Threat to America: Non-State Entities Fighting Fourth Generation Warfare in Mexico
From the thesis abstract: "The 2007 Merida Initiative provides the framework for the cooperation between America and Mexico, supporting the fight against the Pack Virus in Mexico. The new American-Mexican policy of combating the drug cartels, transnational gangs, and paramilitaries is a first step in creating a real U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) theater defense. The USNORTHCOM Mexico strategy is a supporting effort to the U.S. defense strategy, the Mexican strategy to counter the violence, and national policies of the U.S. government. The USNORTHCOM-Mexico strategy emphasizes the U.S. and Mexican military role in collaborating to create a solid institution to be utilized in support of the Mexican government. The partnering of the two militaries creates the conditions for increasing Mexican capabilities in eight functional areas. An emphasis on intelligence surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), Mexican Special Forces, and consequence management operations are factors that would contribute to the transformation of the Mexican military into a counter insurgency force. A list of recommendations for policy makers and military leaders is provided to strengthen the gains created by the Merida Initiative. The increase in capabilities and credibility of the Mexican military benefits both the economic and security policies of Mexico and the U.S."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Treglia, Philip
2010-09
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Environmental Change, Natural Disasters and Stability in Central America and the Caribbean
"Threats to state and human security result from a variety of areas and issues such as criminal gangs, political and military sources, as well as from social, economic and environmental issues. A wide array of factors contribute to making people feel insecure, from the proliferation of small arms and drug trafficking, to transnational threats like water pollution, natural disasters, the spread of diseases and climate change. Because it is closely associated with heat and water, climate change is already having diverse impacts in Central America and the Caribbean, including: more powerful storms; altered river flows; changes in groundwater recharge; landslides; more intense floods; and longer droughts. The inability to predict and manage the quantity and quality of water, and the vulnerabilities of states and regions to the impacts of droughts, floods and climatic variability impose large costs on many economies in the region."
Army War College (U.S.). Center for Strategic Leadership
Ramirez, Marcela
2010-09
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Designating Domestic Terrorist Individuals or Groups
From the thesis abstract: "Terrorism is a crime committed by individuals with a political or social agenda designed to influence a government or its population. The U.S. government, state and local law enforcement agencies have, as a priority, the mission of protecting the homeland from the threats of terrorism-domestic or foreign. However, the U.S. government has not effectively defined what constitutes a domestic terrorist with the same processes and vigor used to identify international terrorists, gang members, or sex offenders. The lack of a workable definition and validation process for identifying a 'domestic terrorist' places law enforcement and homeland security agencies in a position of having to balance the need to protect constitutional rights and the need to protect against the nation's security threats. To this end, this thesis will identify the problems associated with a lack of a comprehensive definition, address the safeguards required in a definition to ensure constitutionally protected rights are not impinged, and will offer a working definition and designation process."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Heller, David E.
2010-09
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On the Southwest Border: Corruption, Drugs, Gangs, and More
"The U.S. border with Mexico extends nearly 2,000 miles, from San Diego, California to Brownsville, Texas. At too many points along the way, criminals ply their trade with surprising ease and devastating results. Drug cartels transporting kilos of cocaine and marijuana, gangs who think nothing of kidnapping and murder, traffickers smuggling human cargo, corrupt public officials lining their pockets by looking the other way--any one of these offenses represents a challenge to law enforcement. Taken together, they constitute a threat not only to the safety of our border communities, but to the security of the entire country."
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation
2010-08-02
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Africa's Fragile States: Empowering Extremists, Exporting Terrorism
"Twelve of the twenty states deemed by the Failed States Index (FSI) to be at greatest risk of collapse in 2010 are in Africa. These fragile and failed states account for much of the continent's ongoing conflict, instability, and humanitarian catastrophes. State failure raises the risk of personal insecurity, lawlessness, and armed conflict. Such persistent and randomized insecurity undermines all aspects of ordinary life, forcing people to stay in their homes and close their businesses for fear of violence. Under such circumstances, residents become willing to support or accept virtually any groups that are able to restore order--be they warlords, local gangs, or organized criminal syndicates. Among the violent actors that fill the power vacuums of Africa's fragile and failed states are Islamist extremists. By providing security and basic services, they hope to gain greater public acceptance of their ideological agendas. A state's failure to assert a monopoly on legitimate force accordingly opens the door for extremists to build their bases of political power. Of the twelve 'high-risk' states in Africa, eight have populations that are one-third or more Muslim, a feature that more than doubles a state's risk of instability and provides fertile ground for Islamist extremists."
National Defense University. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Devlin-Foltz, Zachary
2010-08
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Jamaica: Background and U.S. Relations [July 9, 2010]
From the Document: "The Caribbean island-nation of Jamaica has had a relatively stable parliamentary political system stemming from its history of British colonial rule. Current Prime Minister Bruce Golding of the Jamaica Labour Party was elected in September 2007 when his party defeated the long-ruling People's National Party led by then-Prime Minister Portia Simpson. In late May 2010, however, Jamaica's stability was challenged after Prime Minister Golding agreed to extradite to the United States an at-large alleged drug kingpin and gang leader, Christopher Coke. The Jamaican government deployed police and soldiers seeking to execute a warrant for Coke, but his armed supporters erected barricades and roadblocks to battle the security forces. In the ensuing violence, 76 people were killed, including two policemen and a soldier. Human rights organizations have called on the government to conduct a thorough investigation into the killings, especially since Jamaica's police forces have been criticized for many years for extrajudicial killings and the indiscriminate use of force. Coke was ultimately captured and extradited to New York in late June 2010 to face drug and weapons trafficking charges. High rates of crime and violence have plagued Jamaica for many years. In the 1970s and 1980s there was a high level of politically motivated violence when political parties became allied with armed gangs to deliver votes at election time. Jamaica's gangs initially were involved in the trafficking of marijuana in the 1970s (Jamaica is the Caribbean's largest producer and exporter of marijuana), but in the mid-1980s became involved in cocaine trafficking, with Jamaica used as a transit country, as well as weapons trafficking."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sullivan, Mark P.
2010-07-09
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EMR-ISAC: InfoGram 26-10 [July 1, 2010]
This document from the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) is "distributed weekly to provide members of the Emergency Services Sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures." This edition includes sections about preparation for Independence Day security, safety issues with fireworks, interim guidance to protect the Deepwater Horizon oil spill responders, and gang awareness.
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2010-07-01
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Social Movement Theory Typology of Gang Violence
"This thesis uses social movement theory to describe the formation of street gangs and account for their high levels of violence. By understanding street gangs as a social movement contributing to the gang cycle, my hope is that communities and law enforcement will be able to adopt better strategies for breaking the cycle. Likewise, the study of street gangs serves as a laboratory for counterinsurgency operations overseas. By understanding the potential effects of repression on a population, future counterinsurgent operators will better understand the complex environment in which they serve. As demonstrated by the case studies of Salinas and Oakland, continued coercive repression and negative channeling are recipes for creating isolation within a community that leads to fragmentation and increased violence."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Long, Joseph E.
2010-06
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History of Street Gangs in the United States
"The first active gangs in Western civilization were reported by Pike (1873, pp. 276--277), a widely respected chronicler of British crime. He documented the existence of gangs of highway robbers in England during the 17th century, and he speculates that similar gangs might well have existed in our mother country much earlier, perhaps as early as the 14th or even the 12th century. But it does not appear that these gangs had the features of modern-day, serious street gangs. More structured gangs did not appear until the early 1600s, when London was 'terrorized by a series of organized gangs calling themselves the Mims, Hectors, Bugles, Dead Boys … who found amusement in breaking windows, [and] demolishing taverns, [and they] also fought pitched battles among themselves dressed with colored ribbons to distinguish the different factions.'"
United States. Bureau of Justice Assistance; United States. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Howell, James C.; Moore, John P.
2010-05
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Africa's Irregular Security Threats: Challenges for U.S. Engagement
"The United States has a growing strategic interest in Africa at a time when the security landscape there is dominated by a wide range of irregular, nonstate threats. Militia factions and armed gangs are ubiquitous in the continent's civil wars, fighting both for and against African governments. Other security challenges include terrorism, drug trafficking, maritime threats such as piracy in the Indian Ocean, and oil bunkering in the Gulf of Guinea. Organized criminal activities, particularly kidnapping, human smuggling and trafficking in persons, weapons smuggling, and environmental and financial crimes, are increasingly brazen and destructive. [...] Engaging African states as reliable partners to confront irregular security challenges will be a complex process requiring a three-pronged strategy. First, there must be substantial, sustained, and continent-wide investment in capacity-building for intelligence, law enforcement, military, prosecutorial, judicial, and penal systems, not to mention their parliamentary, media, and civil society counterparts. Second, until such African capabilities come online and are properly utilized by political leaders, the United States and other foreign partners will need to deploy more of their own intelligence, law enforcement, and special operations personnel to Africa to address terrorist and criminal dynamics that pose a direct and immediate threat to U.S. strategic interests. Third, further efforts are required to harden the political will of African leaders to actually deploy their maturing security sector capabilities in an aggressive manner that abides by the rule of law."
National Defense University. Institute for National Strategic Studies
Le Sage, Andre
2010-05
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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF): Budget and Operations for FY2010 [April 27, 2010]
From the Summary: "The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the lead federal law enforcement agency charged with administering and enforcing federal laws related to the manufacture, importation, and distribution of firearms and explosives. Congress transferred ATF's enforcement and regulatory functions for firearms and explosives from the Department of the Treasury to the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the Homeland Security Act (P.L. 107-296). […]. In March 2010, the House Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations subcommittee held a hearing on the ATF FY2011 budget submission. Members of the subcommittee raised questions about gun trafficking on the Southwest border, regulatory backlogs, violent crime impact teams, and interagency coordination on gang violence. Congress has passed and the President has signed into law the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (P.L. 111-154). This act grants ATF greater authority to inspect the businesses and records of 'cigarette deliverers.' In addition, under the Mérida Initiative, ATF has recently released a Spanish language version of its firearms trace request software (e-Trace 4.0) to Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica, and has established a U.S.-Mexico ballistic information exchange capability under the National Integrated Ballistic Imaging Network program. Also of note, in the fall of 2009, the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General released three reports on ATF operations. The first examined ATF's Project Gunrunner. The second examined ATF's efforts to investigate contraband cigarette trafficking. The third examined ATF's concurrent jurisdiction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for explosives-related investigations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Krouse, William J.
2010-04-27
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EMR-ISAC: InfoGram 16-10 [April 22, 2010]
This document from the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center is "distributed weekly to provide members of the Emergency Services Sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures." This edition includes sections about resiliency, gangs and law enforcement, and the release of the 2010 National Drug Threat Assessment.
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2010-04-22
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Mérida Initiative for Mexico and Central America: Funding and Policy Issues [April 19, 2010]
"Increasing violence perpetrated by drug trafficking organizations and other criminal groups is threatening citizen security in Mexico and Central America. Drug trafficking-related violence claimed more than 6,500 lives in Mexico in 2009, and several Central American countries have among the world's highest homicide rates. Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) dominate the illicit drug market in the United States and are expanding their operations by forming partnerships with U.S. gangs. […]. Congress has also monitored enforcement of Mérida's human rights conditions, particularly with respect to Mexico. Congress is playing a role in the design of post-Mérida security cooperation with Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean Basin during its consideration of the Obama Administration's FY2011 budget request. For FY2011, the Administration has asked for $310 million in assistance for Mérida programs in Mexico, $100 million for CARSI, and $79 million for CBSI. Detailed strategy documents for CARSI and CBSI are not yet available, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced a new strategy for U.S.-Mexican security cooperation after a high-level meeting in Mexico City on March 23, 2010. The plan focuses on (1) disrupting organized criminal groups; (2) institutionalizing the rule of law; (3) building a 21st-century border; and (4) building strong and resilient communities. This report provides an overview of the funding provided for the Mérida Initiative and related assistance programs in Central America and the Caribbean, the status of Mérida implementation, and a discussion of some policy issues that Congress may consider as it oversees the initiative and related programs."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Seelke, Clare Ribando
2010-04-19
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Military Assistance to Mexico: Use of Special Operations Forces
From the thesis abstract: "Currently Mexico is facing serious internal security problems that the United States has observed closely. The Mexican government has all but lost control of parts of its northern border and surrounding territories. Drug cartels have infiltrated these border areas along with Mexican police departments and judicial institutions. [...] This problem is greater than the Mexican border as many U.S. cities have a cartel presence too. Solving the security threat in Mexico is important to the United States. Mexican President Felipe Calderon is very aggressive in targeting the drug cartels and associated corruption and violence. Nevertheless, Mexico cannot succeed without external assistance. The 2008 Merida Initiative is a good start and provides $1.6 billion during FY2008 - FY2010 to Mexico and Central America in order to fight drug trafficking, gangs and organized crime. Mexico requires advisory assistance in rebuilding its law enforcement capability and border interdiction capacity. U.S. SOF [special operations forces] can augment Merida and provide expert training and mentorship in order to help the Mexican authorities consolidate and strengthen its governmental institutions and rule of law. SOF assistance to Mexico is not free of challenges. Some analysts argue any type of military presence results in a harmful militarization of the situation. Furthermore, the U.S.- Mexico military relationship has not always been hospitable. Hence, a U.S. military presence on Mexico soil is very politically sensitive. Overcoming these issues is possible and events such as military exercises would demonstrate the willingness of the U.S; to cooperate and strengthen relationships between the two countries."
Marine Corps Command and Staff College (U.S.)
Beals, Joseph T.
2010-03-31
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Combating Gangs: Federal Agencies Have Implemented a Central American Gang Strategy, but Could Strengthen Oversight and Measurement of Efforts, Report to Congressional Requesters
"Thousands of gang members in the United States belong to gangs such as MS-13 and 18th Street that are also active in Central American countries. Federal entities with responsibilities for addressing Central American gangs include the National Security Council (NSC); the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Justice (DOJ), and State; and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review federal efforts to combat transnational gangs. This report addresses (1) the extent to which the federal government has developed a strategy to combat these gangs, and (2) how federal agencies have implemented the strategy and other programs to combat these gangs, coordinated their actions, and assessed their results. GAO examined federal agencies' antigang plans, resources, and measures; interviewed federal, state, and local officials in seven localities representing varying population sizes and geographic regions; and interviewed U.S. and foreign officials in El Salvador and Guatemala where U.S. agencies have implemented antigang programs. The results of these interviews are not generalizable."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2010-04
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Memorandum: Notification of Ramos v. Holder; Former Gang Membership as a Potential Particular Social Group in the Seventh Circuit
"This memorandum provides notification to the Asylum Offices regarding the Seventh Circuit's recent decision in Ramos v. Holder, 589 F. 3d 426 (7th Cir. 2009). The Seventh Circuit issued its decision in Ramos on December 15,2009, holding that former gang membership can be the basis for a particular social group. The decision vacated the Board of Immigration Appeals' (Board 's) decision and the case was remanded to the Board for reconsideration in light of the Seventh Circuit's opinion."
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Langlois, Joseph E.
2010-03-02
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Highlights of the 2008 National Youth Gang Survey
"Gang activity remains a widespread problem across the United States, with prevalence rates remaining significantly elevated in 2008 compared with recorded lows in the early 2000s. Approximately one-third of the jurisdictions in the National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS) study population1 reported gang problems in 2008. This is a significant change over the 2002 estimate, but a statistically negligible one from 2007. The 13-year trend is shown in figure 1. The National Gang Center estimates that 32.4 percent of all cities, suburban areas, towns, and rural counties (more than 3,330 jurisdictions served by city and county law enforcement agencies) experienced gang problems in 2008. This represents a 15-percent increase from the 2002 figure. Approximately 774,000 gang members and 27,900 gangs are estimated to have been active in the United States in 2008. The number of gangs increased by 28 percent, and the number of gang members increased by 6 percent from 2002 to 2008 (see table 1)."
United States. Department of Justice; United States. Office of Justice Programs
2010-03
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Recent Inspector General Reports Concerning the Federal Bureau of Investigation: Statement of Glenn A. Fine Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice before the House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, February 24, 2010
From the opening statement of Glenn A. Fine: "The FBI faces significant challenges in handling its many critical duties. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the FBI has reoriented its focus to make counterterrorism its top priority, but at the same time it must continue to address its many pressing traditional law enforcement responsibilities. As part of the OIG's ongoing oversight work, we have reviewed a variety of important FBI programs. At the request of the subcommittee, I will mainly focus my testimony on three recent OIG reviews: (1) coordination between the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in explosives investigations; (2) the FBI's foreign language translation program; and (3) the FBI's and the Department of Justice's coordination of efforts to combat gang violence. Within the past year we have also issued several other reports on important FBI programs. My testimony briefly summarizes the findings of some of these reviews. Finally, my testimony highlights several ongoing OIG reviews of FBI programs."
United States. Department of Justice. Office of the Inspector General
Fine, Glenn A.
2010-02-24
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Dark Networks
From the thesis abstract: "The world today operates in a state of persistent conflict on a sliding scale. The conflicts in question are not traditionally military in nature and often involve nonstate actors. These conflicts present problems for the nation-state, because its historical methods for dealing with conflicts do not work in this case. To manage these conflicts, nation-states and global organizations will have to develop mechanisms to deal with "dark networks." These are networks made up of illicit traffickers, organized crime members, urban gangs, terrorists, pirates, insurgents, and other nefarious characters. The purpose of this paper is to examine the environment that feeds these dark networks, the characters who make up the networks, the networks themselves, and the policy and strategy issues related to defeating dark networks."
Army War College (U.S.)
Manning, John D.
2010-02-23
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2010 National Drug Threat Assessment
"This report provides policymakers, law enforcement executives, resource planners, and counterdrug program coordinators with strategic intelligence regarding the threat posed to the United States by the trafficking and abuse of illicit drugs. The assessment highlights strategic trends in the production, transportation, distribution, and abuse of illegal and controlled prescription drugs. It also presents strategic intelligence regarding the operational trends and tendencies of drug trafficking organizations and street gangs that distribute illegal drugs and highlight drug trafficking trends along the Southwest Border."
National Drug Intelligence Center (U.S.)
2010-02
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Sensitive Covert Action Notifications: Oversight Options for Congress [January 29, 2010]
"Legislation enacted in 1980 gave the executive branch authority to limit advance notification of especially sensitive covert actions to eight Members of Congress--the 'Gang of Eight'--when the President determines that it is essential to limit prior notice in order to meet extraordinary circumstances affecting U.S. vital interests. In such cases, the executive branch is permitted by statute to limit notification to the chairmen and ranking minority members of the two congressional intelligence committees, the Speaker and minority leader of the House, and Senate majority and minority leaders, rather than to notify the full intelligence committees, as is required in cases involving covert actions determined to be less sensitive. [...]. The Senate Intelligence Committee, in its version of the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization Act, left unchanged the Gang of Eight statutory structure, but approved several changes that would tighten certain aspects of current covert action reporting requirements. Although the executive branch has not issued a Statement of Administration Policy with regard to the Senate's bill, Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis Blair has indicated that he would recommend that the President veto the bill if the covert action notification changes contained in the bill remained in final legislation. Congress has not acted on the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization bill. With Congress considering possible changes in covert action congressional notifications, this report describes the statutory provision authorizing Gang of Eight notifications, reviews the legislative history of the provision, and examines both the impact of such notifications on congressional oversight as well as options that Congress might consider to possibly improve oversight."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cumming, Alfred
2010-01-29
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'Gang of Four' Congressional Intelligence Notifications [January 29, 2010]
"'Gang of Four' intelligence notifications generally are oral briefings of certain particularly sensitive non-covert action intelligence activities, including principally, but not exclusively, intelligence collection programs, that the Intelligence Community typically limits to the chairmen and ranking members of the two congressional intelligence committees, and at times, but not always, to their respective staff directors. […]. This report reviews the history of Gang of Four notification process and compares this procedure with that of the 'Gang of Eight' notification procedure. The 'Gang of Eight' procedure is statutorily based and provides that that the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the intelligence committee, along with the Speaker and minority leader of the House, and Senate majority and minority leaders--rather than the full membership of the intelligence committees--are to receive prior notice of particularly sensitive covert action programs, if the President determines that limited access to such programs is essential to meet extraordinary circumstances affecting vital U.S. interests. Although the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization bills approved by the two congressional intelligence committees address Gang of Eight covert action notifications, neither of the two bills reference Gang of Four notifications. Congress has not acted on the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization bill."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Cumming, Alfred
2010-01-29
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MS-13 and 18th Street Gangs: Emerging Transnational Gang Threats? [January 22, 2010]
"Two predominantly Latino gangs, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the 18th Street gang (M-18), have raised concern among policy makers for a number of reasons, including (1) membership in these gangs has spread from the Los Angeles area to other communities across the United States; (2) these gangs are considered 'transnational,' primarily because MS-13 and M-18 cliques are being established in Central America and Mexico; (3) there are reports suggesting that these gangs are engaged in criminal enterprises normally associated with better organized and more sophisticated crime syndicates; and (4) MS-13 and M-18 gang members may be involved in smuggling operations and, by extension, could potentially use their skills and criminal networks to smuggle terrorists into the United States. [...]. The federal response to the MS-13 and M-18 gang problem has largely involved the enforcement of criminal and immigration laws, including the deportation of alien gang members. More recently, federal efforts have focused on prosecuting gang members under the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute. Deported alien gang members have established MS-13 and M-18 gang cliques in their home countries, and some experts suggest that U.S. deportation policies have effectively transported U.S.-styled gang culture to parts of Central America and Mexico. Moreover, evidence shows that deported alien MS-13 and M-18 gang members have established a 'revolving door' migratory pattern of repeat illegal reentry into the United States, raising concerns that these 'migratory' alien gang members may become involved in narco-trafficking, smuggling, and other criminal activities along the U.S.-Mexico border."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Franco, Celinda
2010-01-22
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Merida Initiative for Mexico and Central America: Funding and Policy Issues [January 21, 2010]
"Increasing violence perpetrated by drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and other criminal groups is threatening citizen security in Mexico and Central America. Drug-related violence claimed more than 6,500 lives in Mexico in 2009, and several Central American countries have among the highest homicide rates in the world. Mexican DTOs dominate the illicit drug market in the United States and are expanding their operations by forming partnerships with U.S. gangs. As a result, some of the drug-related violence in Mexico has spilled over into the United States. On October 22, 2007, the United States and Mexico announced the Mérida Initiative, a proposed package of U.S. counterdrug and anticrime assistance for Mexico and Central America that would begin in FY2008 and last through FY2010. Congress appropriated roughly $1.3 billion for Mexico and Central America, as well as Haiti and the Dominican Republic, in the FY2008 Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 110-252), FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act (P.L. 111- 8), and the FY2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-32). Each of these Acts contained human rights conditions on 15% of certain law enforcement and military assistance provided. Throughout 2009, drug-related violence in Mexico and the potential threat of spillover along the Southwest border focused congressional concern on the pace of implementation of the Mérida Initiative. On December 3, 2009, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a preliminary report for Congress on the status of funding for the Mérida Initiative."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Seelke, Clare Ribando
2010-01-21
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Privacy Impact Assessment for the ICEGangs Database
"The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) owns ICEGangs, a gang-tracking software application used for investigative, analytical, and statistical recording and tracking of gang members and associates, gangs, and their activities. The ICEGangs database supports information sharing on gang members and activities among participating law enforcement agencies. ICE is conducting this Privacy Impact Assessment because the system collects and maintains personally identifiable information (PII)."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Privacy Office
2010-01-15
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CRS Issue Statement on Organized Crime and Gangs in the U.S. [January 12, 2010]
From the Document: "Terrorists and other organized criminal groups pose a threat to the United States. Over the past year alone, two shootings and one attempted bombing of an airliner occurred that have been considered terrorist attacks. Individuals claiming allegiance to groups that wish to do harm to U.S. interests continue to be of concern to Congress. Also of concern to Congress are criminal activities of other organized groups and the potential nexus between them and terrorist organizations. [...] In recent years, there has been an increase in violence directed at Americans and American economic interests from other organized criminal elements--many with transnational connections--such as drug trafficking organizations, gangs, and criminal syndicates. Drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) are a domestic criminal threat and a significant concern to federal, state, and local law enforcement. [...] A number of street and prison gangs work closely with Mexican DTOs and drug cartels, including the Surenos 13, 18th Street, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), the Mexican Mafia in California, the Texas Mexican Mafia (Mexikanemi), Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos, and the Texas Syndicate in the south Texas area. A number of regional and national gangs, including Asian gangs, are also reported to have transnational connections and be criminally active along the U.S.-Canada border. Growing gang involvement in smuggling operations has long been a concern as a potential domestic security threat."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Randol, Mark A.
2010-01-12
