Why Does Organized Crime Prosper?

AL CAPONE, the infamous gangster of the U.S. Prohibition Era (1920-33), claimed that he was just a businessman catering to the law—the law of supply and demand. A lawyer for the biggest yakuza syndicate in Japan said: “You cannot deny that there is a strong demand for [sex, drug, and gambling] activities.” That demand nurtures organized crime. Although no one wants to be a victim of crime, some may turn to criminal organizations and avail themselves of their services.

Take, for example, the protection rackets that mobsters in many countries use as a source of income. Although they, at times, target honest shop owners, they usually prey on those who operate shady businesses. A casino owner in Shinjuku, Tokyo, who operates his business under the cover of a game parlor, said: “A clerk was stabbed with a knife, and robbed of 2 million [yen ($20,000)]. But we wouldn’t call the police.” Why not? “Since we engage in an illegal activity (gambling), we don’t want to have anything to do with the police. When a customer gets rough in our store, we call the yakuza.” This casino operator pays $4,000 a month to the yakuza, a small fee when compared with the profit of $300,000 that he rakes in through his illegal operation during that time. Where does that money come from? From the pockets of those enjoying illegal gambling.

The same is true of respectable businesses that want to avoid problems. A New York authority estimated that a $15-million-a-year painting contractor saved $3.8 million by paying off gangsters. This allowed the contractor to use low-wage labor and avoid confrontation with the mob-controlled union. In Japan, during a period of economic prosperity, financiers poured their money into real estate and demolished old houses and stores to make way for extravagant buildings. When residents would not move or sell their land, investors called in the jiageya, mostly yakuza-related companies, to evict them.

When the yakuza saw how easy it was to borrow and make money during the 80’s, they formed companies and plunged into real-estate and stock speculation. Banks and financial institutions poured money into these companies, obviously intent on their own profits. But when the bubble finally burst, the banks found it very hard to recover their money. Talking about the lingering recession in Japan, a former police official said, in Newsweek: “The real reason why the bad-loan problems cannot be solved quickly is that a significant portion of them are connected with organized crime.”

Indeed, organized crime takes root and thrives where people are eager to satisfy their lusts, regardless of the means. Greed for pleasure, sex, and money provides a breeding ground for drug pushing, prostitution, gambling, and loan-sharking. Getting involved in such activities usually means feeding and fattening the mob. How true it is that organized crime caters to the demands of those who are bent on satisfying their own carnal desires!

Mock Family System

In addition to the demand for illicit operations, there is another need today on which organized crime thrives. The late head of one of the biggest yakuza syndicates in Japan insisted that he was taking in the outlaws and caring for them and thereby preventing them from going bad. He claimed that he was a father to the gang members. Most criminal syndicates, regardless of nationality, build their organizations on such mock family relationships.

Take, for example, Chi Sun,a who came from a poor family in Hong Kong. His father often beat him violently for trivial reasons. Young Chi Sun turned rebellious and ended up joining the notorious Triads at the age of 12. In the criminal organization, he found a place where he felt he “belonged.” Because of his bravery in armed fighting, he was soon promoted to a position where he had several men under him. Finally, when he was only 17 years old, he was sent to jail.

Many like Chi Sun turn to criminal organizations to find the family bond that was absent at home. The members claim to be caring, but younger ones are often disappointed when they find that each member is mainly interested in himself.

Angel of Light

When the biggest crime syndicate in Japan was designated as a violent group under a new antigang law in 1992, one of its leaders maintained that the group considered themselves “chivalrous,” battling against evil. When the terrible earthquake hit Kobe in 1995, the same gang distributed food, water, and other emergency goods to their neighbors. “Such generosity,” reported Asahi Evening News, “is bound to reinforce the yakuza’s enduring image in Japan as outlaws with honor.”

Bosses of criminal syndicates have often tried to maintain a benevolent front. Pablo Escobar, the notorious head of Colombia’s Medellín drug cartel, was to the slum dwellers of his city “a mythic figure—part Messiah, part Robin Hood, part Godfather in the almost feudal sense of the patrón, the boss,” wrote Ana Carrigan in Newsweek. He built skating rinks for children and decent houses for the poor, and he gave jobs to street kids. He was a hero to those who benefited from his largess.

Criminals who apparently hide securely behind their syndicates, though, are only pawns of a universal master criminal. The Bible reveals who that one is. “Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light. It is therefore nothing great if his ministers also keep transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness. But their end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15) Today, most people do not believe that Satan is a real person. A 19th-century French poet said: “The Devil’s cleverest ploy is to persuade you that he doesn’t exist.” He lurks offstage and manipulates what is going on, not just in criminal syndicates but throughout the world. “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one,” explains the Bible. Jesus described Satan as “a manslayer when he began, . . . a liar and the father of the lie.”—1 John 5:19; John 8:44.

Bible prophecies reveal that Satan the Devil has been especially active since 1914. From that year on, he has been mobilizing his hordes in an all-out war against God’s people. He is sucking mankind into a whirlpool of chaos. He is the foremost reason why crime and criminal organizations thrive today.—Revelation 12:9-12.

Will the mastermind behind earth’s criminal organizations ever be put away? Will mankind ever enjoy peace and order? Can you break free from the evil empire that Satan has built up on earth today?

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How to Protect Your Family

LACK of a warm, united family atmosphere can make young ones easy prey for criminal syndicates. In the United States, it is reported, the majority of the youngsters who get involved in gang murders are from less fortunate or broken families. “Being underprivileged,” says an official of a detention center in North Carolina, “they are easily moved by the strong bond between the boss and the henchmen and the feeling of oneness as a member of an organization, which they experience for the first time in their lives.”

Similarly, in the Orient a young yakuza who is willing to be a living shield for his boss says: “At home I was alone all the time. Although we were a family, I never felt that we could have a heart-to-heart talk. . . . But now I can talk heart-to-heart with the guys.” Lonely youths feel grateful to members of a criminal organization who draw them into a familylike system.

“The yakuza people are very, very caring,” says the leader of a group of biker girls in Okinawa. “Maybe that’s their trick; but, you see, since we’ve never been treated gently, this moves us.” The superintendent of a facility for delinquent girls confirms that gangsters are “really good at captivating the hearts of girls.” When lonely girls call them in the middle of the night, gangsters rush to them and listen to what they have to say, without necessarily making any sexual advances.

Their caring attitude lasts only until they have fully captivated the youngsters on whom they are preying. Once the youths are trapped, they are bled dry—girls in prostitution rings and boys in the crime machine.

How Can You Protect Your Loved Ones?

“You fathers, do not be exasperating your children, so that they do not become downhearted,” admonishes the Bible. (Colossians 3:21) This is not encouraging parents to be permissive. Says a Bible proverb: “A boy let on the loose will be causing his mother shame.” (Proverbs 29:15) Rather, the Bible encourages fathers—and mothers too—to be reasonable in dealing with their children, to listen to them, and to have an open line of communication with them. Then, the children will be motivated to confide in their parents when they find themselves in sore straits.

In addition to having open communication, parents need to give their children standards in life. Where can a father find such guidelines? The Bible says: “You, fathers, do not be irritating your children, but go on bringing them up in the discipline and mental-regulating of Jehovah.” (Ephesians 6:4) Take time to consider the Bible with your children by means of family Bible study sessions. And implant in their hearts a healthy fear of Jehovah so that they will always follow Jehovah’s guidance to their own benefit.—Isaiah 48:17.