United Nations, June 18: The UN drug and crime czar warned has that international crime syndicates pose a growing threat to global security and called for a new campaign to disrupt the markets for their illicit goods and activities in the US and other rich nations.
Antonio Maria Costa told a high-level General Assembly meeting that demand for illegal drugs, diamonds and other items is fuelling transnational organised crime and while arresting some traffickers may divert the flow of goods it will not shut them off.
“Therefore, in order to more effectively fight organised crime, we must shift focus from disrupting the mafias to disrupting their markets,” he said yesterday. “We must also crack down on the accomplices of crime, like the army of white-collar criminals — lawyers, accountants, realtors and bankers — who cover them up and launder their proceeds.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the threat from transnational crime syndicates is growing and the ability of countries to deliver justice “is not evolving as quickly as the criminals’ skill at evading justice.”
Ban and Costa called for all countries to ratify and implement the UN Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime adopted by the General Assembly in 2000. It commits countries that ratify the treaty to adopting uniform laws to fight organised crime, strengthen money laundering investigations, and streamline extradition processes — and to cooperate with each other to combat illegal activities such as human trafficking.
“Unfortunately, over the past decade, the treaty has suffered from benign neglect,” said Costa, who heads the UN Office of Drugs and Crime.
Costa’s appearance coincided with the release of a report by his office titled “The Globalisation of Crime: A Transnational Organised Crime Threat Assessment,” which said organised crime has transformed itself into one of the world’s foremost economic and armed powers, leaving law enforcement to grasp for an adequate international response.
He told the General Assembly profits from illegal activities has enabled criminals “to influence elections, politicians and power — even the military.”
–PTI