Reconceptualizing Security in the Americas in the Twenty-First Century illustrates the various security concerns in the Americas in the twenty-first century. It presents the work of a number of prolific scholars and analysts in the region. The book offers new theoretical and analytical perspectives. Within the Americas, we find a number of important issues security issues. Most important are the threats that supersede borders: drug trafficking, migration, health, and environmental. These threats change our understanding of security and the state and regional process of neutralizing or correcting these threats. This volume evaluates these threats within contemporary security discourse.

An up-to-date examination of Mexico's version of the "War on Drugs" that exposes the evolution of major cartels and their corruption of politicians, law-enforcement agencies, and the Army. What can President Enrique Pena Nieto do to curb the narcotics-induced mayhem in Mexico, and what would be the consequences to the United States if he fails? This book analyzes Mexico's transition from a relatively peaceful kleptocracy controlled by the Tammany-Hall style Institutional Revolutionary Party/PRI (1929-2000) to a country plagued by rural and urban enclaves of grotesque violence. The author examines the major drug cartels and their success in infiltrating American and Mexican businesses; details the response from the Obama administration; assesses the threat that the continuing bloodshed represents for the United States; and emphasizes the constraints on America's ability to solve Mexico's crisis, despite U.S. contributions of intelligence, military equipment, training, and diplomatic support. Documents the origins of Mexico's drug industry to explain today's situation involving a graft-ridden Army, suborned police, ruthless capos, unethical office-holders, and U.S. security forces Emphasizes the threat that the widespread criminality represents to the United States, as well as the constraints on Washington's ability to solve its neighbor's crisis Exposes the linkages between elected officials, particularly governors, and the underworld Illustrates the challenges that will remain, even if the cartels were shattered, by the presence of a human infrastructure of 500,000 men, women, and children skilled in kidnapping, extortion, torture, murder for hire, human smuggling, and dozens of other crimes

Victim or villain?She's out of prison... Lauren Miller has served six years behind bars for a crime she did not commit. Now, with her life in tatters, she is determined to bring those who framed her to justice. Out for revenge...Journalist Nate Black is intrigued by Lauren's story. Is she the innocent victim she claims to be or is there more to her past? Eager to learn more he offers to help Lauren clear her name and bring the real villains to justice. And running out of time.But with millions of pounds still missing, Lauren remains the prime suspect...and the main target in an increasingly deadly game. And as Lauren's plan with Nate reaches its shocking climax, no one knows who will ultimately take the fall... A nail-biting revenge thriller, perfect for fans of Gemma Rogers, Heather Atkinson and Caro Savage. 'A brilliant read that hooked me from the outset. The Fall is a tale of sweet revenge that I couldn't tear myself away from!' Bestselling author Gemma Rogers.

This book explains the consequences of global policy initiatives against money laundering, terrorist financing, and tax evasion on financial centres located in offshore jurisdictions in the Caribbean region. Adding to the existing literature by detailing international policy initiatives against money laundering and tax evasion from the early 1920s to date, this book examines the factors that have contributed to their gradual development over time, their role in contributing to money laundering, terrorist financing, and tax evasion, the international policy initiatives that came about to address these financial crimes, as well as the consequences of these policy initiatives on the legislative systems, institutions, offshore business sectors, and economies of these financial centres.

In the 1990s, deep-cover police agent RS536 took on the Durban underworld as part of a new organised crime intelligence unit. He rubbed shoulders with drug lords, smugglers and corrupt cops, and was instrumental in busting an international drug ring and foiling a bank heist, among many other dangerous engagements.

But then, as the country’s new democracy birthed a struggle between the old and the new guard in the South African Police Service, his identity and his life came under threat. In this action-packed account, Johann van Loggerenberg describes how, as a young policeman, he worked closely with the investigative team of the Goldstone Commission to uncover the ‘third force’ – apartheid security forces that supplied weapons to the Inkatha Freedom Party to destabilise the country.

He also delves into how and why, at the height of state capture at the South African Revenue Service in 2014, he was falsely accused of being an apartheid spy, a lie that persists up to today. Here, finally, is the truth behind deep-cover police agent RS536.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas.Organised crime has become a major problem globally. Its negative impact on economies, societies, politics, human rights and security is profound: fraud, money-laundering, drug, arms and human trafficking, and collusion with both law enforcement and terrorists, for example, are all significant issues. Yet specialists disagree not only on the scale and nature of organised crime, but even on its definition. This Advanced Introduction to Organised Crime explores these disagreements, examines the nature and causes of contemporary organised crime, and offers constructive suggestions on how to counter it. Key features include: - Emphasis on the rapidly changing structures of organised crime, its increasingly transnational nature and sophisticated use of the internet. - Psycho-social and cultural explanations, as well as system-related ones - Explores the latest techniques for measuring organised crime - Provides detailed analyses of six of the best known transnational organised crime syndicates - Focuses on human trafficking to exemplify many of the key points - Examines the many methods that can be used - not only by states and international organisations, but also by civil society and individuals - to combat organised crime. Accessible and comprehensive, the Advanced Introduction to Organised Crime is an ideal resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying criminology, political science, international relations, law and sociology. Its profound insights are invaluable to practitioners, including law enforcement officers, investigative journalists and criminologists.

This book aims to describe and demystify what makes criminal gangs so culturally powerful. It examines their codes of conduct, initiation rites, secret communications methods, origin myths, symbols, and the like that imbue the gangsters with the pride and nonchalance that goes hand in hand with their criminal activities. Mobsters are everywhere in the movies, on television, and on websites. Contemporary societies are clearly fascinated by them. Why is this so? What feature and constituents of organized criminal gangs make them so emotionally powerful-to themselves and others? These are the questions that have guided the writing of this textbook, which is intended as an introduction to organized crime from the angle of cultural analysis. Key topics include: * An historic overview of organized crime, including the social, economic, and cultural conditions that favour its development; * A review of the type of people who make up organized gangs and the activities in which they engage; * The symbols, rituals, codes and languages that characterize criminal institutions; * The relationship between organized crime and cybercrime; * The role of women in organized crime; * Drugs and narco-terrorism; * Media portrayals of organized crime. Organized Crime includes case studies and offers an accessible, interdisciplinary approach to the subject of organized crime. It is essential reading for students engaged with organized crime across criminology, sociology, anthropology and psychology.

This book discusses environmental crime and individual wrongdoing. It uses the theory of convenience throughout to examine financial motives, attractive opportunities, and personal willingness to explain deviant behavior. This book focusses primarily on the case study of the Island of Tjome in Norway, an attractive resort where building permits were repeatedly granted to rich people in a protected zone along the shoreline. This book investigates how these crimes were detected and investigated by police over a few years with the help of whistleblowers. It discusses the interplay between the potentially corrupt public officials, professionals like architects and attorneys, and rich individuals, as an interesting and challenging arena for law enforcement. It covers attorneys' defense strategies, evaluates private internal policing, and provides insights for those investigating individuals involved in environmental crime. It also examines the Vest Tank toxic waste dumping case and the resulting explosion where unusually both the chairperson and the chief executive were successfully sentenced to prison because of environmental crime, unlike many other environmental crime cases where individuals avoid prison. The case studies are drawn from Norway to supplement more well-known case studies from the USA.

There is extensive and detailed academic literature on the legal development of international crimes such as war crimes and crime against humanity. However, not much attention has been paid to other serious crimes, including narcotics-related offences, human trafficking and money laundering, which do not necessarily amount to international crimes in the traditional sense. The purpose of this monograph is to fill this gap and offer a critical analysis of developments in the field of transnational organised crime under international law. The book is divided into two parts. Part I is entitled "Norms, Principles, and Concepts." It traces the history of organised crime and explores key concepts and norms relating to the practice from a multi-disciplinary perspective. It then looks at legal obligations imposed upon States as well as non-State actors in relation to transnational organised crime. Part II illustrates how these norms, principles and obligations are translated and enforced in practice. This will be done through case studies at the level of national law (Thailand, Serbia and the UK), regional law (European Union) and international law (United Nations). "A book of many parts, its thematic coherence comes from its devotion to identifying the social threat posed by organised crime and the legal steps taken at the international and national levels against that threat. Rich with example and illustration and written in a light, direct, style, it will provide a lucid guide for practitioners, policy-makers and students to the largely untraversed territory of the international legal system set up to suppress transnational organised crime." Professor Neil Bolster, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. "...the international law governing organized crime is a close relative of the body of law applicable to the International Criminal Court and similar institutions. It provides a forum to address issues of more general concern, such as the scope of universal jurisdiction, immunities, statutory limitation and extradition. Tom Obokata's study, with its original and in some ways unique perspective, enriches our knowledge of the field". Professor William Schabas, Irish Centre for Human Rights. "The book is well written, its documentation is quite exhaustive, and its thesis is timely and compelling." Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni, DePaul University College of Law.

As a follow up to the bestselling Killing Kebble: An Underworld Exposed (2010), the new book from Mandy Wiener examines how organised crime, gangsters and powerful political figures have been able to capture the law enforcement authorities and agencies.

These various organisations have been eviscerated, hollowed out and left ineffective. They have been infiltrated and compromised and, as a result, prominent underworld figures have been able to flourish in South Africa, setting up elaborate networks of crime with the assistance of many cops.

The criminal justice system has been left exposed and it is crucial that the South African public knows about the capture that has occurred on different levels.

After high school graduation, Seely is forced to move out on her own. She reluctantly decides to move to Hawaii and stay with her sister until she can find a place of her own. She is offered a job with a well-known nightclub in Waikiki serving cocktails. There, she is introduced to the dark side of life.

One evening on her shift, she hears ominous words directed at Mark, the assistant manager. When she turns to see who said these words-no one is there. Then the next morning tragedy strikes. Mark is found in a cane field shot to death. Seely suspects the Hawaiian Mafia is involved, but has no solid proof.

When the Mafia starts coming after her, believing Seely knows of the murder, she finds herself plunged into a nightmare. Why are they targeting her? Could she have seen or heard something that she was unaware of? Seely knows her life is in grave danger and decides to leave Hawaii, hoping to escape their clutches-except they are informed of her moves. After many years of trying to figure out her connection with Mark's murder, Seely faces the truth.

From the glistening sands of Hawaii to the white mountains of Alaska, The Kennedy Half-Dollar delivers an eclectic and unconventional true crime memoir of nonstop action and suspense-with background music to set the mood.

MADE is Book 1 of an Epic, Crime Thriller;Trilogy. It's about Andy Cooper; a military vet, turned hustler, turned Gangster, turned Crime Boss. His marriage is on the rocks; fresh out of the military, AC finds himself broke and lost with a Wife and three kids to feed. Trapped in Sin City and working any job he can get from day to day, to make ends meet. Hating the state of mind he's in right now, a really fucked up way to be Gone are the days when Uncle Sam paid for housing, day care and groceries. Now, all own his own again, with no idea of where life is going to take him. One thing for sure, Andy "AC" Cooper no longer wanted to wear that Army uniform another day. Coop loved every minute of it and would not trade it for the world but the next chapter of his life was about to start. It just so happen that he landed in Las Vegas, one of the hardest cities to make it in, it is truly the land of the Hustler. What the outsiders don't know is that beneath the bright neon lights, the delicious buffets and luxurious casino's, lays a whole different world that would eventually suck him in. Inspired by True Events...

'I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing mystery set in a beautiful location with deliciously menacing undercurrents.' Frances Evesham It was meant to be a safe place to start again...In need of an escape from her failing marriage, Nia agrees to house-sit her aunt's cottage on the Isle of Wight. She feels sure the cosy close in a quaint harbour town will be a safe place to hide and figure out what to do next. But things are not all as they seem in the close, and the neighbours who welcome her with open arms, are keeping secrets. When Nia finds the body of one of her new friends lying on the beach, she feels sickeningly sure that the killer is dangerously near to home. Who killed her friend and why did she have to die? And if Nia discovers the answers she's looking for, is she next on their hit list? Good neighbours may become good friends, but they can also make deadly enemies... Mary Grand's intricate psychological mysteries set on the Isle of Wight are perfect for fans of Claire Douglas, Lucy Foley, Agatha Christie and The Isle of Wight Murders. What readers are saying about Mary Grand: 'Truly a great puzzler with a superb ending! I HIGHLY Recommend!!!' 'Wow I'm so so impressed it had me gripped start to finish and I couldn't put it down. I completed within 1 night and such a page turner' 'So many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing to the very end. An excellent read.' 'Brilliant if you love psychological thrillers like me.' 'A sinister "whodunit" that is not your typical police procedural.'

In 1971, Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs. Despite foreign policy efforts and attempts to combat supply lines, the United States has been for decades, and remains today, the largest single consumer market for illicit drugs on the planet. In this volume, Bruce Bagley and Jonathan Rosen illustrate that the war on drugs has been ineffective at best and, at worst, has been highly detrimental to countries throughout the region. They present a clear picture of drug trafficking and its role in organized crime while discussing the major trends of the war on drugs in the twentyfirst century, as well as its future. With this comprehensive overview, Bagley and Rosen develop a framework for understanding the limits and liabilities in the U.S.-championed war on drugs throughout the Americas.

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.

aAs a recognized expert in the field, Hamm is eminently qualified to prepare this text on the subject of terrorism from the criminal law perspective. . . . The text is written in a clear, lively manner.a
--"Choice"

aDrawing on six case studies of terrorist attacks by radical Islamists and right-wing racists, Hamm writes that American counterterrorist agencies have neglected some basic insights from scholarly criminology.a
--"The Chronicle of Higher Education"

"Read this book to understand the important nexus between terrorism and crime! This cutting edge analysis suggests a new approach to defeat the terrorist threat to the United States."
--Marc Sageman, author of "Understanding Terror Networks"

"Hamm's clear writing style, careful research and theoretical insights promise to make this a classic in criminology."
--William J. Chambliss, author of "Power, Politics, and Crime"

"[Provides] the first detailed account of how crime provides logistical support for terrorist strikes. By blending the study of terrorism and criminology, Hamm offers the possibility of detecting and stopping terrorism through the pursuit of conventional methods of criminal investigation."
--Gary LaFree, Director, START, National Center for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism University of Maryland Department of Criminology/Democracy

Car bombing, suicide bombing, abduction, smuggling, homicide, and hijacking are all profoundly criminal acts. In Terrorism as Crime Mark S. Hamm presents an understanding of terrorism from a criminological point of view, arguing that the most successful way to understand, detect, prosecute and deter these acts is to use conventional criminal investigation methods. Whether in Oklahoma City or London, Terrorism as Crime demonstrates that criminal activity is the lifeblood of terrorist groups and that there are simple common denominators at work that can remove the mystery surrounding many of these terrorist groups. Once understood the vulnerabilities of these organizations can be exposed.

This important volume focuses in on six case studies of crimes committed by jihad and domestic right wing groups, including biographies of more than two dozen terrorists along with descriptions of their organizations, strategies, and terrorist plots. Terrorism as Crime offers an original and significant framework for explaining international and domestic terrorism, as well as how future acts might be detected or exposed.

Written by a former NYPD cyber cop, this is the only book available that discusses the hard questions cyber crime investigators are asking.
The book begins with the chapter What is Cyber Crime? This introductory chapter describes the most common challenges faced by cyber investigators today. The following chapters discuss the methodologies behind cyber investigations; and frequently encountered pitfalls. Issues relating to cyber crime definitions, the electronic crime scene, computer forensics, and preparing and presenting a cyber crime investigation in court will be examined. Not only will these topics be generally be discussed and explained for the novice, but the hard questions the questions that have the power to divide this community will also be examined in a comprehensive and thoughtful manner.
This book will serve as a foundational text for the cyber crime community to begin to move past current difficulties into its next evolution.
* This book has been written by a retired NYPD cyber cop, who has worked many high-profile computer crime cases
* Discusses the complex relationship between the public and private sector with regards to cyber crime
* Provides essential information for IT security professionals and first responders on maintaining chain of evidence"

This book deals with the widespread economic and financial crime issues of corruption, the shadow economy and money laundering. It investigates both the theoretical and practical aspects of these crimes, identifying their effects on economic, social and political life. This book presents these causes and effects with a state of the art review and with recent empirical research. It compares the international and transnational aspects of these economic and financial crimes through discussion and critical analysis. This volume will be of interest to researchers and policy makers working to study and prevent economic and financial crime, white collar crime, and organized crime.