America’s safer streets: why is elusive

[uwew]

Fuchs,

That was an educational post. I was aware of Hell's Angels going global, I had no idea that the Bandidos went global. Would love to read how and why that happened. Let's see I'm in Germany and I want to open a Franchise, McDonalds or Bandidos? I am poking fun at a serious issue, but seriously would like to understand how they go global. I would assume if they're trafficking drugs or people they would just make a deal with another crime family or gang in that country, but doesn't appear to be the case.

Some German clubs -most remarkably Hannover's "Bones"- became part of the Hells Angels. That put pressure on the remaining clubs to either join the Angels or find some international affiliation. Enter Bandidos (from Denmark AFAIK). Since then many more local crime crime gangs have seen the pros to openly wearing colors and now we have Outlaws and Mongols as well.

And it looks like the German chapters of the Outlaw MCs are cooperating with other international organizations too. The former president of the Angel's most important chapter in Germany had a club in Hannover's Steintor. This building houses an Italian cafe too. This cafe calls itself "Little Italy" and looks like Tony Soprano's Satriale's. I am sure that there is a message in this .

I was aware of the Eastern European mafias throughout Western Europe, but didn't consider the challenge that their language presents, another excellent point. However, it is a point I am well aware of in the U.S. with the Russia and Chinese (among other nationalties) mobs. I also wonder if a lot of crime is happening in these communities that doesn't get reported because they're scared to do so, or have a hard time finding a police officer that speaks their language? Perhaps a bit of a reach, but I suspect it is a still a factor.

No, it is a widespread problem. Many immigrants are either scared or distrust local police and they have good reason for both.

[Fuchs]

On top of that there's the impossibility to infiltrate foreign nationals gangs. How do you find a policeman to infiltrate an Albanian gang or a Chinese gang?

The Chinese triads even have pseudo-secret (=not widely understood) finger signs for some communication which makes police work even more difficult. Only specialists are effective and a microphone or even a single camera are not sufficient.

The Italians in Germany largely limit themselves to money laundering - very difficult to deal with. The typical German restaurant or bar has a third of its earnings as grey income, invisible to the tax collectors. All you need to do for money laundering in such a context is to tell the tax authorities your actual, correct turnover...

[uwew]

On top of that there's the impossibility to infiltrate foreign nationals gangs. How do you find a policeman to infiltrate an Albanian gang or a Chinese gang?

The Chinese triads even have pseudo-secret (=not widely understood) finger signs for some communication which makes police work even more difficult. Only specialists are effective and a microphone or even a single camera are not sufficient.

The Italians in Germany largely limit themselves to money laundering - very difficult to deal with. The typical German restaurant or bar has a third of its earnings as grey income, invisible to the tax collectors. All you need to do for money laundering in such a context is to tell the tax authorities your actual, correct turnover...

According to BKA's Lagebild OK 2010 the Italians are ranked third, with 30 groups that were investigated. If this report is true, their main activities are drug trafficking and counterfeiting. But the official statistics looked always a bit optimistic to me. Already during the 80s there was widespread racketeering of Italian restaurants and businesses in Germany. If you are interested, read Dagobert Lindlaus "Der Mob" about international OK in Germany during that time. Since the German public and officials are in a state of denial about organized crime, I can see no reason why anything should have changed.