Feds shuffle forces to "ramp up" against international crime gangs

[alp227]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- Federal prosecutors battling organized crime and those fighting criminal gangs are being merged into a single unit in a move designed to "ramp up" the fight against international criminal organizations, the Justice Department announced Monday.

Increasingly organized gangs with international ties are trafficking drugs, weapons and illegal aliens, and posing a serious threat to communities in every one of the 50 states.

Authorities estimate about one million gang members belong to 20,000 gangs, including street and neighborhood gangs. In the past few years gang activity has spread from major cities to suburban areas and smaller communities.

Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer noted "the long and storied history" of the prosecutors of the Justice Department's organized crime unit who took on and largely broke the back of the mafia, sending mob bosses to prison.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/12/feds.crime.gangs/index.html

[Arctic Dave]

1. International crime gangs must be a euphemism for corporations.