Main content

Will the pandemic benefit mobsters?

History suggests criminals can thrive during times of global upheaval

The normal functioning of societies has been strained by the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing curbs on our freedom of movement, commerce, trade and employment. So what impact has Covid-19 had on organised crime? In some communities, gangs have stepped in to provide food, medication and other emergency assistance to families struggling to make ends meet. Money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force, says the pandemic has resulted in an increase in 鈥渇raud, cyber-crime, misdirection or exploitation of government funds or international financial assistance鈥. The United Nations says border closures and flight cancellations have disrupted distribution chains for illegal drugs such as heroin. History tells us criminals can thrive in a crisis. During the Great Depression in the US, the mob moved from bootlegging into gambling and prostitution and the Italian Mafia and Japanese Yakuza grew during the huge displacement of people after World War Two. So, will similar trends emerge in 2020? Ritula Shah and a panel of expert guests discuss how the coronavirus pandemic will change the workings of organised crime.

Available now

53 minutes

Last on

Sat 16 May 2020 03:06GMT

Contributors

Misha Glenny -聽 Author of 鈥楳cMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld鈥櫬

Vanda Felbab Brown - Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution聽and author of 'The Extinction Market: Wildlife Trafficking and How to Counter It'

Jeffrey Robinson - Author of 鈥楾he Laundrymen鈥 and its sequel 鈥楾he Merger 鈥 How Organized Crime is Taking Over The World鈥櫬

Also featuring ...

Julian Rademeyer - Director for East and Southern Africa at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Photo

Honduran anti-narcotics personnel burn cocaine --part of a 500 kg seizure from criminal network in聽Tegucigalpa by Orlando Sierra/AFP via Getty Images

Broadcasts

  • Fri 15 May 2020 09:06GMT
  • Fri 15 May 2020 23:06GMT
  • Sat 16 May 2020 03:06GMT

The Real Story Podcast

Subscribe via your favourite podcast app...

Podcast