"That organized crime, drug trafficking and terrorism are Russian (and Chinese) STATE operations is hard for people to accept and even harder to incorporate into their thinking and planning because of the long history of political, news, and academic leadership silence respecting these crimes of Communism."
Indeed.
In point of fact, the link between illegal drug trafficing and terrorism is yet another argument, and a very strong one, for immediate legalization of all or almost all drugs.
Removing the premium for being willing to trade in contraband and creating legal domestic competition would turn off the cash tap for all kinds of unsavory characters, both very nasty ordinary criminals and enemies of Western civilization alike.
Sure there'd be a downside in the few folks who are restrained from using the stuff only by its illegality possibly ruining their lives, but that can be approached the way we do with alcohol and tobacco.
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"The Soviets already had considerable experience in these operations. Since its inception, the Soviet Union has been synonymous with terror. As explained in "The New KGB" (William R. Corson and Robert T. Crowley, Morrow, 1986), "No nation in the world can claim parity with the USSR in this bloody arena.""
Of course, all this was before the Chechnya rebellion. Now the Russians are our allies in the war on terror. In fact, it has been pointed out to me that our own soldiers work hand in hand with the Russians now, sharing their expertise.
"As foreign intelligence operations grew, narcotics were used to both trap and corrupt foreign officials. Contraband smuggling, an organized crime activity, was actually facilitated because it provided an ideal mechanism for inserting intelligence agents, later spetsnaz (Russian special operations forces) professionals, under the cover of a common criminal activity."
This sounds potentially dangerous. I sure am glad Russia is "good" now, so this must have stopped.
Yes, there's a good deal to it.
The big mistake is to think of Communism as a (failed) effort to overturn social classes and put the workers in charge. It is, in fact, a carefully considered method of subversion and control. The whole purpose of Communism is for a small, self-elected group of people to amass wealth and power over everyone else. To achieve that end, all means are justified.
Around 1990 divided 5 Russian crimegroups the rackets in Moscow. In Moscow had the Ljubertsi the prostitution, the Dolgoproedny were the extortionists. There are also the Solntsevoskaya and the Kazanskaya. They concur with the Azeri who control the drugs and the markets. The Ingoesjen are the smugglers. And also there are the chechenians who are the most violent and who control the carsales market and work as assassins. The russian and Ukranian markets where flushed with opium from Afghanistan, Ukraine and Kirgizistan. Then there is also strong evidence that about 40% of the foreign cars that drive around in Russia are stolen in Western europe.
In april 1992 ended the DEA a Russian heroingang in Brooklyn. The undercover bought from Alexander Moysiff and Katz who also supplied the sicilians instead of the sicilians importing themselves. At every flight from West Berlin there was heroin worth a million dollars, the heroin came from Bangkok via Moscow and East Berlin in West Berlin, then it was send by plane to the USA. 9 Russians were convicted but many escaped. Every day goes from Kennedy Airport a plane to Moscow with 100 million dollars and even sometimes a billion dollars for the bosses in Russia, that is why they have become the biggest moneylaunderers of all international groups
Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport.,Semion Mogilevich
He controls everything that goes in and out of Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport, a "smugglers' paradise, " says Elson. Mogilevich bought a bankrupt airline in a former Central Asian Soviet republic for millions of dollars in cash so he could haul heroin out of the Golden Triangle.
Rosbiznesbank, Director Ivan Kivelidi killed 4 August 1995 was the banker Ivan Kivelidi (46) with his female secretary poisoned. Kivelidi was the director of the Rosbiznesbank one of the biggest banks of Russia. Also he was the head of an influential group of entrepeneurs called the Russian Round table for Businessmen of which he was the 9th murdered member. The last 3,5 years were 80 murder attacks at businessmen of which half died.
Duma member Sergej Markidonov killed At the end of november 1995 was the Duma member the liberal Sergej Markidonov (34) shot dead by a bodyguard. He is the 4th parliamentarian who since the elections of 1993 was killed.
Duma candidate Michail Leznjev killed 8 December 1995 was the Russian candidate Michail Lezjnjev (48) killed before the elections for the Duma on 17 december. He is from the party of prime minister Tsjernomyrdin.
Antwerp, Belgium
the Russian mafia officially lost the liquor import/export company Kremlyovskaya Group in November 1996, which had been used as its main cover in the port area. The company's chairman, mafioso Riccardo Marian Fanchini, is under investigation for allegedly laundering Moscow mafia money through Geneva to Antwerp for investment in residential real estate.The fall of Fanchini, tagged by the FBI as probably one of the biggest mafia drug bosses active in Western Europe, until 1996, began with the repeal of Russian president Boris Yeltsin's decree allowing the import of liquor duty free, with the tax going to sports associations. It was repealed in December 1995 and the Belgian company's financial crash came in April 1996. Media reports about the Kremlyovskaya Group's mafia ownership soon had its legitimate partners running for cover from the company and its representatives. The 1996 Monaco grand prix was one of the last big sporting events with which the group was associated; after that, its formula one partners dissolved their partnership with the Antwerp company. Peugeot was the first to bale out, and Eddie Jordan, another partner in the same sponsorship project, followed somewhat later.
21 March 1996 was Valentin Smirnov (62) in Jekaterinenburg shot dead, he was one of the most famous scientists for the Russian defence industry and the murder was possibly connected to the by him invented rocketcountersystem S 300V, the Russian counterpart of the American Patriot system, there was a 60 million dollar contract to the USA, later was found out that his businesspartner was behind his murder and had hired an assasssin.
After Korzjakov was fired Fjodorov took again his post at the national sport fund, later he told that general Korzjakov had tried to extort 40 million dollars from him and when he refused he was arrested for possession of a small amount of cocaine, he is soon free again but had to step down from his post as director of the national Sport Fund because of the planted cocaine, soon after this he was severely wounded in the summer when he was shot down near his house.
Bank of New York scandal
In februari 2000 confessed former manager for the Bank of New York, Lucy Edwards, that she and her husband Peter Berlin had laundered 7 billion dollars for russian bankers. Firstly there was said that it was connected to Semion Mogilevich and that there had been money deposted that was stolen from the IMF help for Russia. Now it was only announced that it was money from the russian banks Depozitarno Kliringovy Bank and the Sobinbank. The Sobinbank was largely owned by the SBS Agro Bank which is owned by 3 tycoons with close ties to Jelsin.
Bank of New York scandal #2
In august 1999 newspapers wrote that police had started an investigation against a laundering operation at the Bank of New York. The Inkom Bank paid 56 dollars per wire transfer which is 6 times as high as standard rate and Bank new York accepted the money from Semjon Mogilevitsj. Police investigate the firm Benex which was suspected of having ties with Semion Mogilevich. Mogilevich was born in the Ukraine and was connected to the Bank of New York launderingscandal to which were also connected the oilgigants Lukoil and Sibneft and carmaker Avtovaz. Also connected to this scandal was the russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, chairman of Yukos oil company who once led Menatep bank for which also Konstantin Kagalovski had worked as vice president. They had also stolen about 299 million dollars of IMF credits. The 4,2 billion dollars were laundered in 1998 in a short time by bankdirector Natasha Gurfinkel Kagalovski and her husband Konstantin Kagalovski. It becomes known as Kremlingate when the FBI finds out in august 1999. According to Jiggs the Mogilevich group infiltrated the Bank of New York and began laundering what has been estimated at 10 billion dollars, the contact was the wife of an associate who was the banks president.