Chapter 1 header slide

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Howard Abadinsky
ORGANIZED
CRIME
Eighth Edition
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CHAPTER
TEN
AFRICAN AMERICAN and BLACK ORGANIZED CRIME
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In the early twentieth century, black
entrepreneurs controlled illegal gambling in
Chicagos black belt and delivered votes and
funds to Republican mayor Big Bill Thompson.
In 1931, black political and criminal leaders
joined the Democratic Party machine that went on
to rule Chicago politics until near the end of
the century. African American criminal groups
ruled Chicagos numbers rackets until they were
overpowered by violent white gangsters with
superior police and political connections.
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The civil rights movement of the 1960s made it
impossible for white OC groups to continue
dominating black criminal organizations in
predominantly black areas of the city. Racial
prejudice barred blacks from joining OC in labor
racketeering, loansharking, and other profitable
activities. But dope is an equal opportunity
employer. Black soldiers in Vietnam, exposed to
heroin markets of the Golden Triangle, used their
experience to bypass traditional OC and buy
directly from Thai suppliers.
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Enter North Carolina native Frank Lucas he and
his Country Boys hatched audacious plan to
become major heroin traffickers. Lucas went to
Thailand to directly coordinate steady heroin
supply from Thai sources. He then built copies
of coffins used to bring home bodies of soldiers
killed in Vietnam. Each copied coffin had a false
bottom large enough to hold 6 to 8 kilos. After
picking up 600,000 worth of heroin150 kilosin
Thailand, his agent arranged to hide it in the
modified coffins.
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Another Lucas agent met the coffins at the
receiving U.S. Air Force Base, retrieved the 150
kilos, and smuggled them to their final
destination New York City. The 1974 retail
value of a single shipment
50 million! Not a bad return on a 600,000
investment! It is estimated that Lucas processed
as many as ten shipments each month.
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Lucas high-profile, mega-rich drug-kingpin
lifestyle attracted law enforcement scrutiny. In
1976, he received both a 40-year federal sentence
and a 30-year New Jersey state sentence for
heroin trafficking. In 1981, in exchange for
informing on other heroin dealers, both sentences
were reduced to time served (plus lifetime parole
on the federal sentence). In 1984, Lucas was
convicted on federal charges of yep, conspiring
to distribute heroin.
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The occupational opportunity structure of the
United States has changed dramatically. Fewer
good paying jobs are available to low-skilled
workers. Blue-collar jobs have vanished or moved
to the Third World. Mobility available to
earlier immigrant groups has narrowed
considerably. An urban underclass has formed of
those excluded from mainstream occupations.
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• This no-legitimate-opportunity environment
  promotes
• illegitimate opportunities offered by black OC
  groups
• Gangster Disciples
• El Rukns/Black P.
  Stone Nation
• Crips
• Bloods
• Black Mafia
• Black Muslims
• Inherent weaknesses of African American crime
  groups
• Confinement to inner city thwarts development of
• symbiotic community relationships.
• African American drug operators prey on their own
  people, generating organized opposition within
  their own communities.

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Nigerian OC festers in a corrupt state where per
capita yearly income is about 1,000, despite its
being worlds sixth largest oil producer. Muslim
vs. Christian ethnic conflict, inefficiency,
violence and corruption yield ideal OC
climate. Nigerians are notorious for advance-fee
scam promising huge profits for upfront
investment. Nigeria is major transshipment hub
for Golden Crescent heroin, Brazilian
cocaine. Active in money laundering, immigration
fraud, counterfeit documents, and financial
fraud.
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Jamaican criminal (ranking) gangs are called
posses. Top rankings have strong political
affiliations. In 1980, Kingston rankings began
moving to U.S. By mid-1980s, posses got into
crack cocaine trade. Posses are noted for extreme
sadistic violence in six months, they were
involved in 744 murders. Posses differ from other
traffickers members are importers, wholesalers,
and distributors. A posse controlling fifty crack
houses in one city can make 9 million a
month. Many posses have dropped crack and
returned to marijuana crack costs serious prison
time. Jamaican crime groups are big problem in
the U.K.
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