Describes how organized criminals operate domestically and internationally and how they are able to corrupt bankers and subvert national economies.

Author Chris Mathers has had one of those lives most of us cannot fathom. He is a well-known international authority on money laundering whose work has seen him operating phony businesses and laundering money for drug lords and the Mob while working undercover with the RCMP, DEA, FBI and other foreign agencies worldwide. Mathers has seen it all and Crime School tells it all. Humourous at times, deadly serious at others, he describes how organized criminals operate domestically and internationally, how they are able to corrupt bankers and subvert economies, and how in fact money laundering is the nexus between organized crime and terrorism. Appealing to true crime fans and those in the business/finance sector, Crime School takes us through the history of money laundering, from ancient times through the South Florida cocaine craze of the 1970s, to todayâs beyond sophisticated techniques employed by terrorists and organized crime, techniques that have achieved such success that the face of our world has changed dramatically. Brisk, hard hitting, entertaining and sometimes shocking and frightening, Chris Mathers takes readers on a journey that is always fascinating, and it is an underworld few have ever experienced. Truly amazing.

An anecdotally written layperson's account of how organized criminals operate domestically and internationally, and how they are able to corrupt bankers and subvert national economies. It includes a history from ancient times to today's terrorists.

In the maelstrom of globalization and cyberspace, organized crime continues to defy definition. A diverse array of activities is perpetuated by criminal organizations, criminal groups and associations, and gangs, and it is clear that one specific label is no longer adequate. This book offers a uniquely global approach to organized crime and the multitude of forces that shape it in the 21st century. As well as discussing definitions of and the historical roots of organized crime, this book examines various forms of organized crime around the world in the US, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Russia and Europe, Asia and Africa. This revised and updated new edition includes coverage of: the rise of the ’Ndrangheta in Italy and their global expansion; the impact of drug legalization on organized crime and the problem of methamphetamine; organ trading, money laundering, and animal poaching; changes in gang traditions and gangland penitentiaries; the decentralization of Mexican cartels, the growth of opium production in Myanmar, and the drug war in Africa; and the advancement of ISIS and the emergence of the Silk Road and the Dark Net. This book is essential reading for students engaged in the study of global and transnational organized crime, with features including chapter overviews, key terms, critical thinking questions, and case studies.

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Publisher description

Since the late 1990s, the United States has funneled billions of dollars in aid to Colombia, ostensibly to combat the illicit drug trade and State Department-designated terrorist groups. The result has been a spiral of violence that continues to take lives and destabilize Colombian society. This book asks an obvious question: are the official reasons given for the wars on drugs and terror in Colombia plausible, or are there other, deeper factors at work? Scholars Villar and Cottle suggest that the answers lie in a close examination of the cocaine trade, particularly its class dimensions. Their analysis reveals that this trade has fueled extensive economic growth and led to the development of a "narco-state" under the control of a "narco-bourgeoisie" which is not interested in eradicating cocaine but in gaining a monopoly over its production. The principal target of this effort is the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), who challenge that monopoly as well as the very existence of the Colombian state. Meanwhile, U.S. business interests likewise gain from the cocaine trade and seek to maintain a dominant, imperialist relationship with their most important client state in Latin America. Suffering the brutal consequences, as always, are the peasants and workers of Colombia. This revelatory book punctures the official propaganda and shows the class war underpinning the politics of the Colombian cocaine trade.