William A.’s Post

My Final thieses MPhil IR is about Organized crime, how it impact the national security of Pakistan Transnational Crime Networks: A Growing Threat to Pakistan's National Security Transnational crime networks pose a significant and growing threat to Pakistan's national security. These networks, often operating across borders, engage in a wide range of illicit activities, including drug trafficking, human smuggling, arms trafficking, and cybercrime. The Impact on Pakistan The impact of these networks on Pakistan is multifaceted: Economic Disruption: Illicit activities undermine legitimate economies, siphoning resources and hindering development. Social Decay: Crime networks often exploit vulnerable populations, contributing to social instability and human rights abuses. Political Instability: Corruption and infiltration of criminal elements into government institutions can erode public trust and weaken democratic processes. * Security Threats: These networks can collaborate with extremist groups, providing them with funding, weapons, and logistical support. Addressing the Challenge To effectively combat transnational crime, Pakistan must adopt a comprehensive approach: * International Cooperation: Strengthening international cooperation and intelligence sharing is crucial to dismantle transnational networks. * Law Enforcement Capacity Building: Investing in law enforcement agencies and equipping them with modern tools and techniques is essential. * Border Security: Enhancing border security and customs controls can help prevent the flow of illicit goods and individuals. * Financial Intelligence: Strengthening financial intelligence units and implementing robust anti-money laundering measures can disrupt the financial networks of criminal organizations. * Public Awareness: Raising public awareness about the dangers of transnational crime and encouraging citizen reporting can contribute to effective law enforcement. By addressing these challenges and implementing effective countermeasures, Pakistan can safeguard its national security and protect its citizens from the harmful effects of transnational crime. #Pakistan, #nationalsecurity, #transnationalcrime, #cybersecurity, #drugtrafficking #Humantrafficking

China and other illicit threat networks and their proxies continue to play multi-dimensional chess in leveraging geo-strategic corruption and criminality as Canada plays whack-a-mole: "If we look at #Canada in recent years, it has become a crime convergence zone and forward operational hub for the world’s most notorious crime groups and threat networks including the likes of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán and the Sinaloa cartel, Chinese drug kingpin Tse Chi Lop, Hezbollah Financier Altaf Khanani, and other bad actors, and professional enablers and drivers in the sectors of technology and maritime shipping (e.g., #Vancouver port), and as platforms for financing global insecurity. In advance of hostile states' malign influence, crime-terror enablers and proxies are increasingly exploiting diasporic communities through coercive pressures, and act as extralegal enforcers for their authoritarian and criminal clients and benefactors. They are mobilizing diasporic communities to conduct activities in furtherance of criminality and corruption, political interference activities, and #maligninfluence operations. For example, if you examine the so-called CCP police stations in North America, as certain investigative journalists have done in recent months, you have a nexus of PRC Intelligence Services operators converging with local Chinese triads in cities, often in the Fujian transnational crime networks. Such police stations are physically and mentally projecting Beijing’s political power to influence the diaspora community politically. They are connected to underground casinos, human trafficking and money laundering networks, and are connecting with other businesses to clandestinely fund influence and election interference. Through the long-standing ties and use of diasporic communities and the Chinese triads, Hezbollah financiers, and oligarchic Eurasian and Balkan entrepreneurs and mafias, reinforced by targeted subversive operations by China, Iran, and Russia, an array of sinister illicit activities and active measures have had a disrupting and destabilizing impact on the political, governance, security, and business structures, and in some cases, have inhibited counter intelligence and law enforcement efforts through an ecosystem of criminality and corruption and exported across North America, Europe, Australia, Africa, and other parts of the world." David M. Luna 🦏 🌎 🐘 Threat Convergence ≜ Kine-Dynamics International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE) / ICAIE Labs Royal Canadian Mounted Police | Gendarmerie royale du Canada Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) | Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité (SCRS) U.S. Department of Homeland Security #illiciteconomies #illicittrade #fentanyl #narcotrafficking #corruption #organizedcrime #terrorism #terroristfinancing #threatintelligence #strategicforesight #threatfinance #threatconvergence #authoritarianism #nationalsecurity #Toronto #Montreal #Ottawa #Edmonton #QuebecCity

➡️ Law on Amendments to the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism On 📅 6 December 2024, the Law on Amendments to the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism and the Law on Amendments to the Law on Public Notaries enter into force. These two laws were adopted by the #National #Assembly of the Republic of #Serbia and published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia on 28 November 2024. 📅 Starting tomorrow, #solemnization of #loan agreements between natural persons in the amount of EUR 10,000 and higher, calculated in accordance with the middle exchange rate of the National Bank of Serbia (#NBS) on the date of the solemnization, will be mandatory. ➡️ In addition, public notaries will be obliged to submit such agreements to the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering. ➡️ More on this by our Katarina Rosić ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ #PreventionMoneyLaundering #PreventionFinancingofTerrorism #Law #legal #JPMPartners

Côte d'Ivoire Legal Alert: The Council of Ministers has adopted a Bill that provides for the establishment of a register of beneficial owners of legal entities and legal arrangements. It will set up a system for the identification of business partners and people who exercise effective control over legal entities. The Bill provides for a central register of beneficial owners at the registry of the Abidjan Commercial Court, which will bring together all the national data contained in various registers which are kept in each court, with a view to ensuring availability of this information and to guarantee the transparency and security of the business environment. The Council of Ministers has also adopted a decree relating to the implementation of targeted financial sanctions for financing terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Afriwise #beneficialownership #aml #legalalert #terrorismfinancing #cotedivoire #effectivecontrol #financialsanctions #wmd #beneficialowner #transparency

🔴⚪ #Monaco #Compliance On December 20, 2024, the Principality of Monaco updated its list of states or territories identified as having strategic deficiencies in their measures to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and corruption (ETHR). 🗺️ The following countries were added: + Algeria + Angola + Côte d'Ivoire + Iran + Lebanon + North Korea + Venezuela ➡️ Key points: 1- Turkey has been removed from the list. 2- The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sénégal, and Jamaica remain on the list, despite being delisted by the FATF. 🔄 Complete updated list of countries and territories concerned: https://lnkd.in/daCJxFgd This update underscores Monaco's ongoing efforts to align its practices with international standards in combating financial crimes. #MUAMFO #MultiFamilyOffice #AML #FinancialCrimes #MoneyLaundering #TerrorismFinancing #Corruption #GlobalCompliance #FATF #InternationalRegulations #Governance #TheMonacoAdvisor

Did you know Iraq ranks 8th globally in the Global Organized Crime Index? Criminal markets tied to armed groups are fueling drug trafficking, smuggling, and corruption—and their impact goes far beyond Iraq's borders. Our latest blog delves into how hybrid and non-state actors exploit Iraq's strategic position, the staggering $1–3 billion Iran-linked proxies earn annually from oil smuggling, and the UK-Iraq Security Agreement and its potential to combat organized crime. 💡 Why should the international community pay attention? Iraq’s unchecked illicit economy isn’t just a local issue—it’s a regional destabiliser with global repercussions. 👉 Read the full analysis here: https://lnkd.in/ePDd8YpG

The global footprint of criminal groups from China has expanded along with China’s economic and geopolitical presence around the world. North America’s fentanyl crisis thrust China-linked criminal networks and their expanding international connections, such as with the Sinaloa Cartel, to U.S. policy forefront. However, the scope of organized crime from China extends far beyond global drug trafficking and money laundering. Internationally, Chinese criminal groups engage in poaching and wildlife trafficking, cybercrime, and elaborate fraud and scams, also featuring people trafficking and enslavement. Long experienced in illegally bringing people to the United States and Canada, criminal networks from China have intensified activities at the U.S.-Mexico border. https://lnkd.in/ghTrgfHQ

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned the former President of Haiti, Michel Joseph Martelly (Martelly), pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059 of December 15, 2021, “Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade.” “Today’s action against Martelly emphasizes the significant and destabilizing role he and other corrupt political elites have played in perpetuating the ongoing crisis in Haiti,” said Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley T. Smith. “The United States, along with our international partners, is committed to disrupting those who facilitate the drug trafficking, corruption, and other illicit activities fueling the horrific gang violence and political instability.” The existence of widespread gang activity and human rights abuses in Haiti creates a permissive environment for drug trafficking activities, and the country is a transit point for illicit drugs entering the United States. Many of Haiti’s political and business elites have long been involved in drug trafficking and have been linked to the gangs responsible for the violence that has destabilized Haiti. The United States is committed to promoting accountability and charting a more prosperous, democratic, and secure future for all Haitians. Martelly abused his influence to facilitate the trafficking of dangerous drugs, including cocaine, destined for the United States. Additionally, Martelly engaged in the laundering of illicit drug proceeds, worked with Haitian drug traffickers, and sponsored multiple Haiti-based gangs. Martelly was previously sanctioned by the Government of Canada on November 17, 2022. #HaitianLadiesNetwork #HLN #Haiti #Sanctions #Ayiti #President

#panamaisnotataxhaven Panama Foreign Affairs Minister Javier Martínez-Acha emphasized the importance of clarifying that Panama is not a tax haven. "Instead, we are an investment paradise, thanks to our legal security and our financial and economic stability", he stated. He demanded that the European Union (EU) remove Panama from its list of non-cooperative nations in tax matters and with deficiencies in their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regimes. 📌 Background Context: Panama was included in the EU's list of "high-risk third countries" on October 1, 2020. However, in mid-March 2024, following the country's removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list (27/10/2023), the European Commission removed Panama from its list of high-risk countries for strategic deficiencies in preventing money laundering and terrorist financing. The EU recognized that Panama no longer had strategic deficiencies in its AML/CFT regime. Despite this progress, this year, the European Parliament opposed removing Panama from the EU's list of high-risk jurisdictions for money laundering, as proposed by the European Commission. In addition, Panama remains in the list of of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes. More in La Estrella de Panama: https://lnkd.in/eeST2XdW #Panama #InvestmentParadise #FinancialStability #LegalSecurity #AML #CFT #EU #EconomicStability

🌍 Recent Wins of the UNODC: Advancing Global Peace, Security, and Justice The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) continues to lead the charge in tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from drug trafficking and organized crime to corruption and terrorism. Their recent efforts are proving that progress is not only possible, but within reach. With global cooperation, the UNODC is creating impactful solutions that bring us closer to a safer and more just world. 🌟 Here’s a look at some of the UNODC’s recent achievements that are making waves in the fight for global peace and security: 🌐 1. Expansion of Anti-Corruption Initiatives The UNODC’s work in supporting anti-corruption efforts globally has seen impressive results. With the launch of the “UNODC Global Programme against Corruption,” nations are strengthening their legal frameworks, improving transparency, and enhancing enforcement capabilities to combat corruption at all levels. 🚔 2. Major Crackdown on Drug Trafficking Networks The UNODC has successfully coordinated multinational operations to disrupt major drug trafficking routes. Through initiatives like Operation "Thunderball" and "Horizon," global law enforcement agencies have dismantled transnational criminal organizations, confiscating large quantities of illicit drugs and arresting key players in the global drug trade. 💪 3. Advancements in Counter-Terrorism Efforts The UNODC has also made strides in improving counter-terrorism measures, helping member states strengthen their capacity to prevent terrorism financing and other related crimes. Their comprehensive training programs for law enforcement and judicial systems ensure that countries have the tools to tackle these threats effectively. 🌿 4. Focus on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) The UNODC has successfully aligned its mission with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). Through initiatives that promote rule of law, justice access, and peace-building efforts, the UNODC is creating lasting change and ensuring that sustainable solutions are at the heart of its operations. 👥 5. Empowering Vulnerable Communities The UNODC has also made great strides in empowering vulnerable communities, particularly in regions suffering from the effects of conflict and organized crime. By providing educational and economic opportunities, they’re giving at-risk individuals the tools they need to break the cycle of violence and poverty. The UNODC’s recent wins are proof that global collaboration, innovation, and persistence can lead to significant strides in improving global security and justice. As we continue to face challenges, these successes remind us that change is possible – and it starts with collective action. 🙌 #UNODC #GlobalSecurity #PeaceBuilding #AntiCorruption #CounterTerrorism #DrugTrafficking #SustainableDevelopment #RuleOfLaw