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Monitored criminal organisations59) are directly linked to the foreign countries and their activities in our territory copy the trends typical for international organised crime. The trend, which began in 1998, continued, and in the view of accession of the Czech Republic to the EU the interest of criminal organisations to penetrate via the Czech Republic to Western Europe was clear. The international crime is well organised and it is becoming more aggressive. The leaders of criminal organisations will endeavour to infiltrate state structures with the objective of legalising their activities. They use various ways to manage this aim: corruption in all its forms, extortion, blackmailing, subsidising interest groups or individuals, etc.
Criminal organisations operating in the Czech Republic come mainly from the countries of the former Soviet Union, former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, together with Italian criminal groups and criminal groups from Southeast Asia (particularly from China and Vietnam). After 1989 these organisations got to our territory and made use of all legislation gaps and especially of indulgent approach to establishment of companies. Currently these organisations try to extend their influence by establishment of corporations with foreign participation, and they also change the spheres of influence. The Czech citizens facilitate mainly service - they can provide good knowledge of the environment and laws, contacts etc. In the future we can expect that the criminal organisations will make all their efforts to continue legalising their activities. They may focus on purchasing real estates and land, they will continue trading in narcotics. It is also understood that illegal migration will be more profitable. The increased activity can be expected in the field of the trade in weapons.
The criminal organisations coming from the countries of the former Soviet Union rank among the most active ones. The groups monitored are merging into various interest groups operating internationally. They started to make use of the Internet, etc. The attention was paid to purchasing of real estates in Karlovy Vary (spa) and to close links between emerging interest groups -the close co-operation with FBI was established. The proven growth of well-organised nature of Ukrainian crime organisations was determined. Such organisations are becoming more aggressive, taking part in bank robberies and the number of illegal employment of Ukrainian workers has increased. The attention of policemen was concentrated on the identified persons and groups, which seem to be the most important, with the aim to detect the whole organisation. The crimes of financial nature are typical for Russian criminal organisations. They are involved also in dealing in weapons. Due to their infiltration of the state structures in the NIS countries their influence and power are getting wider.
After 1989, Bulgarian, Albanian, Yugoslav and Italian criminal groups began to penetrate the Czech Republic endeavouring to expand their spheres of influence as far as possible. In recent years the changes have been underway in the division of influence. Bulgarian criminal organisations, which previously concentrated on erotic clubs, are now focusing on car thefts and supplying Bulgarian prostitutes to brothels. Criminal organisations from former Yugoslavia have taken over running of erotic clubs. These also focus on drug trafficking, conveyance and crimes of violence.
Asian criminal organisations focus especially on economic, property and violent crimes. While in the past the Vietnamese criminal organisations did not have stronger links, recently the have been striving to improve their organisation. The members of such structures concentrate on extortion and assaults of their compatriots. Vietnamese criminal organisations have been involved especially in organising illegal migration and smuggling goods. Since 1995 the Vietnamese criminal organisations have been under the influence of the Vietnamese coming from Germany. In many cases international and/or national warrants are issued against these persons. Their aim is to divide imaginary trading territories. Due to increasing competition and decreasing income the trends to prevent the pressure from the side of escapers from Germany is clear. Chinese criminal organisations operating in the Czech Republic do not have the nature of classical Chinese criminal groups (e.g. TRIADS), but they are organised in small groups by the place of their origin in China and by the types of crime they are involved in. They concentrate on running casinos and illegal brothels; they are suspicious of money laundering, organising of illegal bets and dealing in narcotics. Chinese groups of smugglers do not arrange only illegal border crossing, but also kidnapping illegal migrants, which is followed by blackmailing of their relatives. The victims of such crimes notify the police in a minimum of cases. The trade in “trademark” goods is another kind of crime.
Arabian criminal organisations concentrate mainly on drug smuggling, dealing in arms and on financial frauds. In organising illegal migration they have recently started to co-operate with Vietnamese criminal organisations. For their operations they usually use non-existing companies and they are ready to participate in any kind of crime - e.g. sale and production of telephone simulators or endless telephone cards. A high number of Pakistan citizens have been involved in crimes recently. Such persons are banned to stay in the countries of Western Europe (Germany, France, Belgium).
No essential changes have occurred in the crimes of violent nature - brutality, use of firearms, devastation of victims are typical features. Criminal organisations from Russia, Ukraine, Chechnya and former Yugoslavia prevail. In comparison to 1998 the number of Czech citizens involved in organised crimes increased. A number of murders are carried out to order, with offenders leaving our country immediately afterwards. The number of holds up where the number of offenders does not exceed three persons increased. They focus on small shops, petrol stations, night bars etc. The groups consisting of more offenders concentrate especially on banks, saving banks and foreign travellers. Restriction of personal freedom, kidnapping etc. remain latent, the injured refuse to co-operate with the police.
Organised criminal groups operate in the whole territory of the Czech Republic, however individual regions show specific signs:
South Bohemia features a relatively low number of crimes committed. Crimes of violence as extortion and blackmailing were typical for operations of criminal organisations (mainly criminal organisation from the former Soviet Union). The serious crimes are very often committed to order. The groups using the Russian language control prostitution - night clubs. Illegal migration in the regions relates to fake invitations, organising fake marriages or confirmation of employment. South Bohemian region has become an important part of “courier route” for narcotics, psychotropic substances, and poisons.
A moderate growth in the development of crimes was recorded in Western Bohemia. Organised crime is visible in two basic parts - dealing in narcotics and racketeering. In the year monitored the increase trade in heroin was recorded. Mainly criminal groups from Kosovo and Albania are involved to such a kind of crimes. Procurement and prostitution flourished especially at border areas of West Bohemia, it is concentrated n erotic clubs. Ukrainian organised criminal groups endeavour to extend their sphere of influence in the field of organised prostitution, They focus on extortion of erotic clubs but also of the companies employing Ukrainian citizens. The situation in Karlovy Vary remains a problem (a number of real estate “belong” to criminal organisation from the former Soviet Union).
A quite high number of crimes showing elements of an organised crime were recorded in North Bohemia. The dealing in narcotics is under dynamic development mainly in larger cities (Teplice, Děčín, Ústí nad Labem, Česká Lípa, Chomutov, Jablonec nad Nisou, and Liberec). The most frequently detected drugs are heroin and pervitin. Criminal organisations also focus on trade in women (apart from a number of towns also on E 55 road, where the trade in women is directed to Germany, followed by Italy, Austria and the Netherlands.). These organisations concentrate also to counterfeiting and altering money (the most frequently Czech 1,000 and 500 crown notes, 100 DM notes and 100 USD notes), to crimes of violence (extortion and murders) - committed mainly by criminal organisations from the former Soviet Union. Illegal trade in weapons is very latent, but it is well organised and highly profitable. International organised groups of middlemen resided in this region (mainly organised group from former Yugoslavia, Arabic countries, the former Soviet Union, and Vietnam.).
Criminal groups speaking Russian are spread about Eastern Bohemia. They participate in crimes of violence and focus mainly on extortion. The rising activity was recorded especially in the area of illegal migration; even the Inspection of the Ministry of Interior was involved into detection of organised conveyance, as there is a suspicion that some police members participate in such crimes. The most spread drugs are heroin and pervitin. Forgery remains a very dangerous crime area. Forgery of Czech 5,000 crown notes was recorded. Another kind of crime is production and distribution of narcotics and psychotropic substances (distribution of pervitin and heroin is rising).
The situation in South Moravia in crimes committed by criminal organisations did not changed in comparison with 1998. The offenders come mainly from the former Soviet Union, brutality and ruthlessness against the victims of crimes have increased. Yugoslav criminal groups focus especially on dealing in drugs, vehicle theft and distribution of counterfeited bank notes of various countries. Insufficient protection of Slovak borders remains one of the principal security risks.
Mainly Czech citizens are involved in organised crimes in the territory of North Moravia, however they have links to criminal groups from the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, which applies to trade in people and drugs, weapons (the number of detected cases was in comparison to the previous year higher), etc. The situation is similar to the one in 1998. Organised groups from the Balkans operating in North Moravia participate in drug dealings - they use Czech citizens as drug dealers to smuggle drugs from the Czech Republic to Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but they also import drugs to the Czech Republic from Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Balkan countries and Turkey. They are actively involved in dealing in stolen vehicles, trade in women and illegal conveyance. Criminal structures from the former Soviet Union are particularly active in committing crimes of violence and racketeering, mainly in Olomouc; they also have distributed counterfeited bank notes and focused on trade in women. As for Asian structures, they are predominantly involved in economic crimes and illegal migration.
2. Crime, Development in Individual Kinds of Crime and Security Risks