The New York Times writes about the killing of an Israeli Mobster last week. From the NY Times: The Alperon hit had dominated the news for days. A narrow strip of a country, Israel has a limited pool of celebrities. So when Mr. Alperon, referred to by many as Israel’s Tony Soprano, was killed at 54, the [...]

Loan sharks in Italy are booming with business as people take out loans at high rates to deal with the economic downturn. From the Chicago Tribune: The worldwide economic downturn has opened the door for loan sharks to burrow ever deeper into Italy’s vulnerable economy by preying on businesses that need quick cash and credit, according to [...]

Organized Crime in Canada is branching out into various activities to increase its revenue. From the Vancouver Sun: Organized criminals in Canada still rely on the drug trade for profits, but are branching out into all kinds of new illegal businesses, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said Wednesday. Elliott told the Vancouver Board of Trade that some members of [...]

According to a business group in Italy, the Mafia is the biggest business in Italy. From ABC News: Organized crime is the biggest business in Italy, according to the latest study by the country’s shopkeepers association, Confesercenti. That Italy’s mafias do a booming business, particularly the drug-related variety, is common knowledge. But the effect on the country’s legitimate [...]

After a recent high-profile killing, Croatia faces questions regarding its ability to confront organized crime within its borders. From Time Magazine: The damage from last Thursday’s bomb-blast in downtown Zagreb that killed Ivo Pukanic, one of Croatia’s top media moguls, and his advertising manager Niko Franic, will not be confined to the casualties. The attack has cast [...]

Over 200,000 people have signed a petition in support of author Roberto Saviano, who is reportedly being targeted for death by Italian organized crime figures. From the Guardian: The petition, on the website of Italian paper La Repubblica, was prompted by an open letter to the paper from Nobel laureates Günter Grass, Orhan Pamuk, Mikhail Gorbachev, Dario [...]

The Los Angeles Times has a seven part series on organized crime in Los Angeles and the battles fought with the LAPD. Read part one here. See more about the series here.

The Vatican was forced to defend the Pope’s silence after he failed to mention organized crime in a recent trip to Southern Italy. From the Toronto Star: The Vatican yesterday defended Pope Benedict’s decision to avoid direct condemnation of organized crime during a trip to a southern area infested by the Camorra, one of its most ruthless [...]

The FBI announced that organized crime groups are increasingly drawn to cybercrime due to the ease in gaining personal information. From Reuters: Computer spying and theft of personal information have risen notably in the past year, costing tens of millions of dollars and threatening U.S. security, the FBI’s cyber division head said on Wednesday. FBI Assistant Director Shawn [...]

Authorities in Italy are looking into threats that the Naples Mafia is attempting to kill “Gomorra” author Roberto Saviano by Christmas.  From Reuters: Police in Italy are looking into reports that the Naples mafia plans to carry out its threat to kill the author of the best-selling book “Gomorra,” which has been made into a hit movie [...]