Organized crime in California
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Organized crime in California involves the criminal activities of organized crime groups, gangs, criminal extremists, and terrorists in California.[1]
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[edit] Gangs
Gangs in California are classified into three categories: criminal street gangs, prison gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs. Gang operations usually include "assault, auto theft, drive-by shooting, illegal drug and narcotic manufacturing, drug and narcotic trafficking, forgery, fraud, home invasion robbery, identity theft, murder, weapons trafficking, witness intimidation, and violence against law enforcement."
[edit] Organized crime
Traditional organized crime in the form of La Cosa Nostra (LCN), Sicilian Mafia, and Camorra; Eurasian criminal networks specialized in white-collar crime, fraud, and prostitution; and human trafficking cells from Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe impact public safety and the state's economy.
[edit] Terrorism
Domestic criminal extremists, such as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), Earth Liberation Front (ELF), and various racial supremacy groups; and international terrorists, including Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), and Jamaat ul-Fuqra (JUF), are significant concerns in California.
[edit] Notable incidents
- 1987: ALF members are suspected of setting fire to the Animal Diagnostics Laboratory at University of California, Davis, causing $4.5 million in damages.
- 2000: Law enforcement agencies foiled plans by Al-Qaeda to detonate a bomb at Los Angeles International Airport.
- 2002: Law enforcement agencies foiled plans by Al-Qaeda to crash a plane into the Liberty Tower, also in Los Angeles.
[edit] References
- ^ Organized Crime in California California Department of Justice. Sacramento: Criminal Intelligence Bureau, 2005.