¶ … Crime is everywhere. People commit a variety of crimes for a variety of reasons. Four of some of the biggest and longstanding crimes people commit are human trafficking, drug trafficking, organized crime, and corruption. These crimes often go hand-in-hand; they do not exist without the other. Therefore, they will have various similarities. They will also have some differences.
One major difference is the scope and scale some crimes have like human trafficking. Drug trafficking although international, tends to have specific destinations and routes. Human trafficking however exists everywhere and the routes can span from three to four countries or more as a country may serve as a pick up point, a transfer point, a departure point, and an entry point. It is a huge way people fuel criminal organizations and is usually the least prosecuted compared to drug trafficking. Some countries like the Ukraine barely prosecute those who have been found guilty of human trafficking.
Why is human trafficking so lucrative? Drug traffickers face more competition and thus lower profits. This is especially true with countries that have legalized marijuana. People need free laborers and prostitutes so human trafficking was and remains more lucrative. "Many other forms of crime have therefore expanded as criminals exploited the possibilities of global trade" (Natarajan, 2011, p. 5). However, one thing that all four criminal activities share in common is its proliferation.
Thanks to email, online sites, anonymous web surfing, and BitCoin, criminal activity has increased as criminals find secure and speedy ways to connect with other criminals and criminal organizations and make higher profits. This is especially the case for drug traffickers. "Drug traffickers can use money that comes from organized crime that includes human and drug trafficking usually leads to corruption of government officials and businesses thanks to bribery and acquisition of property. However, corruption also exists because of migrant groups and often leads to increased rates of other crimes like drug trafficking as witnessed in Mexico. "Recent studies link specific migrant groups to transnational criminal activities, such as drug smuggling, weapons running, trafficking of women and children, corruption, extortion, and so forth" Mexico has organized crime in the form of corrupted government officials, corrupted police force, drug trafficking, and human trafficking.
Unlike the other criminal activities, organized crime can be seen by some as more legitimate and long-term. The mafia in the United States for example, has those within that live off the profit gained from their criminal activities for decades and even go into legal employment afterward. Organized crime has been directly linked with terrorism as those…
