organized crime

Lorena Villavicencio, sister of slain presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, embraces her husband outside the morgue where her brother's body is being held, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023.

World News

Ecuador arrests 6 Colombians in slaying of presidential candidate

2:00am August 11, 2023

by The Associated Press

Ecuador's evolution into a major drug trafficking hub and the ensuing surge of violence weighs on the nation following the killing of a presidential candidate whose life's work was to fight crime.

Police officers secure evidence during a raid in Mainz, Germany, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Police arrested suspects and raided homes early Wednesday across Germany in a massive effort to clamp down on members of an Italian organized crime syndicate.

World News

Germany and Italy clamp down on Italian mob with raids and arrests

5:24am May 04, 2023

by The Associated Press

The police operation, coordinated by European Union judicial cooperation agency Eurojust, aimed to dismantle a network that includes the 'ndrangheta, Colombian drug producers and paramilitary groups.

What appears to be a makeshift greenhouse is seen behind a home where killings occurred in Aguanga, Calif. Several people were found fatally shot at the illegal marijuana growing operation.

National

7 Dead In 'Major' Pot Operation In California With Markings Of Organized Crime

3:28pm September 09, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Deputies responded to a call of shots fired Monday morning in the remote mountain area of Aguanga. They found multiple bodies with gunshot wounds and more than 1,000 pounds of processed marijuana.

A view of the Neapolitan suburb of Scampia, notorious for drug wars and battles between rival Camorra mafia factions.

Amid Pandemic, Italian Prosecutors Warn That Mafia Groups Are Cementing Their Power

5:12pm April 20, 2020

by Sylvia Poggioli

Organized crime will exploit growing desperation, warns a prosecutor: "The mafias always gravitate toward money, and they're constantly trying to improve their image in the eyes of ordinary citizens."

Queue Listen Now

Joseph (Joe Bananas) Bonanno leaving U.S. Federal Court.

National

'Cadillac Frank,' 'Ice Pick Willie,' And The Nicknames Of American Mobsters

2:40pm June 26, 2018

by Talia Wiener

Over the years, mobsters have drawn attention for their bizarre and at times, silly, nicknames.

The FBI announced on Wednesday charges against 27 people allegedly associated with a Russian crime syndicate.

National

Russians Charged With Racketeering (And Selling 10,000 Pounds Of Stolen Chocolate)

5:56pm June 08, 2017

by Laurel Wamsley

The feds said the indictment represents one of the first federal racketeering charges ever brought against a vor v zakonei -- a Russian phrase that translates roughly as "thief-in-law."

Fake U.S. Embassy In Ghana Operated For A Decade, State Department Says

3:31pm December 05, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Turkish and Ghanaian organized crime rings are said to have issued legitimate and counterfeit visas for $6,000 to people from across West Africa. They bribed corrupt officials to look the other way.

The 74-year-old daughter of the late Philadelphia crime boss Angelo Bruno still lives in the family home. There's

National

Committee Rejects Philly Mob Boss' Home As Historical Landmark

8:31pm March 17, 2016

by Laura Wagner

Angelo Bruno, known as the "Gentle Don," ran the Philadelphia Mafia in the 1960s and 1970s. He was shot and killed outside of his home in 1980.

The Mob Museum's new exhibit highlights the "rampant corruption that plagues" the world soccer governing body, FIFA. It opened Tuesday.

Mob Museum Unveils FIFA Corruption Exhibit

7:58pm September 01, 2015

by Laura Wagner

A new exhibit about FIFA's recent corruption is on display at the Las Vegas museum of contemporary organized crime.