New Sanctions Against Global Organized Crime

Posted July 25th, 2011 at 1:50 pm (UTC-5)
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President Barack Obama on Monday announced new sanctions against four of the world’s largest criminal organizations.

The organizations targeted are Italy’s Camorra, the Japanese Yakuza, the Los Zetas from Mexico and the Brother’s Circle, based in the former Soviet Union.

The executive order freezes all property belonging to the groups in the U.S., and bars Americans from engaging in business with them.

In a letter to Congress, President Obama says transnational criminal organizations have become increasingly sophisticated and dangerous to the United States, engaging in cybercrimes, theft of intellectual property, and drug trafficking.

He says organized crime is no longer a local or regional problem, but is a danger to international stability.

Monday’s announcement is part of the Obama administration’s Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime. The strategy aims to break international criminal organization’s corruptive influence on governments, prevent them from facilitating terrorist activities and increase international cooperation to combat their influence.