This comprehensive analysis of garbage trafficking, wildlife trafficking, illegal fishing, and illegal logging highlights the difficulty in balancing human interests and environmental responsibility. The alarming consequences of eco-crime go far beyond the widespread degradation of the natural world; important societal institutions are undermined and negative social and economic impacts also result from garbage trafficking, wildlife trafficking, illegal fishing, and illegal logging. In order to successfully combat these problems, a consistent, international response will be necessary. Crimes Against Nature: Illegal Industries and the Global Environment addresses an important topic that is largely unknown and rarely documented other than in reports published by environmental NGOs and a limited number of academic articles and journalistic accounts. A comprehensive and up-to-date description of each illicit industry is provided, emphasizing the damages caused, the transnational nature of these activities, the roles played by organized crime and public and private elites, and the range of possible solutions. The author addresses the complexity of balancing human concerns with environmental interests and concludes with information regarding promising recent developments. Provides a comprehensive overview of environmental damage worldwide from illicit industries Includes coverage of key environmental regulations, including the Basel Convention, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and the Lacey Act Presents a chronology of the development of illegal industries and the advent of legislation intended to fight these exploitative businesses Includes seven tables relevant to garbage trafficking, wildlife trafficking, and illegal fishing A bibliography and endnotes with each chapter document the sources used

Transnational crime is an increasing national security threat to the United States and to individual citizens around the world. Criminal groups both in the United Staes and abroad operate crime cartels that span national boundaries, but in ways that affect all Americans, and wreak havoc on law enforcement organizations as well as businesses and other entities, such as the stock market. More often than not, transnational crime takes the form of organized crime, and in its many forms is responsible for over-priced goods, unsafe products, environmental hazards, corruption of public officials, the exploitation of women and children, tax evasion, theft and piracy, identity theft, organ smuggling, stock market fraud, drug trafficking, and black market trading in armaments and weapons of mass destruction, among other scandals and forms of misconduct. Because perpetrators often act in collusion with legitimate organizations and other powerful elites, who either cooperate knowingly or unknowingly or are coerced through violence, dealing with the problem is especially difficult. Here, Liddick describes the many groups responsible for transnational crimes, and the nature and scale of their various enterprises. The result is a powerful testament to the globalization of criminal organizations and their danger to American society. From the Russian mafiya to Chinese Triads, from outlaw motorcycle gangs to Latin American drug cartels, the nature and incidence of transnational crime is a serious threat to American security, both at the national and the individual level. Because of America's porous borders, it is relatively easy for criminal foreigners to set up their organizations within the UnitedStates Moreover, there are well-established groups already present in the United States that are now capable of operating on a multinational level. While response to the problem has been overdue, recent efforts to address transnational crime include technological innovations and controversial legislation such as the Patriot Act and the Homeland Security Act. But how well will these measures protect Americans from the increasing prevalence of criminal organizations that are capable of carrying out crimes that span the globe? This important book provides an engaging glimpse into the world of transnational crime through an introduction to the various groups involved, true stories of criminal misconduct, and a careful review and evaluation of efforts to address the problem.

This book describes and analyzes conflict commodities, which the author defines as "high-value commodities trafficked in by networks of transnational criminals who use the illicitly derived proceeds to finance armed conflict and loot natural resource wealth from national treasuries." Each chapter examines a different commodity or set of commodities that have become the province of transnational organized crime networks: diamonds, ivory, rhino horn, timber, lapis lazuli, jade, rare minerals, gold, and oil receive scholarly analyses across multiple dimensions, including the structure and operation of criminal networks, the social and environmental consequences of the various conflict commodities trades, and the full range of palliative responses. The book provides coverage of all the players involved, from high-ranking government officials to insurgent groups and terrorists. The work also enumerates the array of human rights abuses associated with the traffic in conflict commodities

Radical environmentalism and its progeny, "eco-terrorism," is a modern phenomenon. It is a movement far removed from the elite conservationists of the late 1800s and the mainstream environmental groups that emerged later. Drawn from the same pool of concerned individuals who comprise memberships in groups like Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, and the Wilderness Society, disaffected environmentalists have turned from political lobbying to direct action in the form of widespread property destruction and other types of crime and terror. Here, the author exposes the activities of radical groups determined to make their mark in the movement to protect the earth and its creatures from those they view as predators. He covers the major groups as well as less well-known ones and provides a careful portrait of who they are, what they do, and how to address them. The growth, from the 1980s through the present day, of organizations involved in eco-terror is noticeable and significant. Such groups have caused millions of dollars worth of damage throughout the country. The FBI estimates that the ALF/ELF have committed more than 600 criminal acts in the United States since 1996, resulting in damages in excess of $43 million. Tactics include pulling up survey stakes, tree-spiking, arson, and other methods. Most groups will claim responsibility for their actions, just as other types of terrorist groups will take responsibility for theirs. Eco-Terrorism takes an objective look at the most radical groups and their terrorist activities in the United States, including case examples and analysis of the methods and rhetoric the groups employ. It uncovers the losses both to individuals and the community as aresult of these methods, and it describes the ideologies, motivations, history, and activities of the political movements that have been labeled environmental terrorism.

This book describes and analyzes conflict commodities, which the author defines as "high-value commodities trafficked in by networks of transnational criminals who use the illicitly derived proceeds to finance armed conflict and loot natural resource wealth from national treasuries." Each chapter examines a different commodity or set of commodities that have become the province of transnational organized crime networks: diamonds, ivory, rhino horn, timber, lapis lazuli, jade, rare minerals, gold, and oil receive scholarly analyses across multiple dimensions, including the structure and operation of criminal networks, the social and environmental consequences of the various conflict commodities trades, and the full range of palliative responses. The book provides coverage of all the players involved, from high-ranking government officials to insurgent groups and terrorists. The work also enumerates the array of human rights abuses associated with the traffic in conflict commodities

Organized Crime: The Essentials provides students with an engaging introduction to the complex and pernicious world of organized crime. Students learn key concepts and principles within the discipline and study real-world examples of organized criminal activity. The text demonstrates how organized crime has adapted to changing times, become more sophisticated, and embedded itself into the fabric of economic, political, and social life in many nations around the world. The book begins with a definition of organized crime, an overview of key attributes and specific types, and discussion of its sociological foundations. Students are provided with a brief history of organized crime in America, including discussions of street gangs, prohibition, gambling, La Cosa Nostra, contemporary organized crime, and more. Later chapters examine illegal lotteries, sports betting, drug trafficking, organized theft, money laundering, and other ways in which organized crime operates as a business. The text concludes with chapters dedicated to transnational criminal enterprises, organized crime around the globe, and strategies for responding to organized crime. Approachable and informative, Organized Crime is ideal for undergraduate courses in criminology, criminal justice, and organized crime.