Zany Rose A.
Sabado
CRI 214 – 321
September 1, 2024
Challenges Brought by Globalization to Law Enforcement
1. Vast increase in the number of economic and social transactions across
national borders.
Globalization has led to an increase in economic and social interactions
across borders, which organized crime has exploited. Criminals can now
carry out illegal activities internationally, making it harder for law enforcers
to track them.
For example, drug cartels in South America can coordinate with
distributors in Europe or Asia, creating complex networks that evade
national jurisdictions. Cases like the international drug trade illustrate how
criminals use global logistics to transport contraband, forcing law
enforcement agencies to collaborate across countries.
Example: The case of Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel demonstrates how
Colombian drug traffickers were able to extend their operations globally,
making it difficult for law enforcement to shut them down without
international cooperation.
In the Philippines, drug syndicates collaborate with foreign counterparts,
making it difficult for local law enforcement agencies to track and
dismantle these networks without international cooperation. Cases such as
the smuggling of shabu (methamphetamine) from China into the
Philippines highlight the challenge of transnational crime.
2. The evolution of the “global village”.
The "global village" concept refers to the way technology has made the
world more interconnected. Legitimate businesses and criminal
organizations alike use the internet for transactions that can be difficult to
trace. Cybercrimes, such as online fraud and hacking, have grown
because criminals can target victims worldwide without leaving their home
country. These crimes often involve multiple countries, making them
challenging to investigate and prosecute.
For instance, Filipino authorities have dealt with cases involving online
scams, where criminals based in other countries target Filipinos, making
investigation and prosecution challenging due to jurisdictional issues.
Example: Cybercriminal groups like "REvil" conduct ransomware attacks
on businesses worldwide, making millions in profits. This crime
demonstrates how criminals operate across borders, taking advantage of
weak cybersecurity in different countries.
3. Growth of transnational economic transactions complicates the ability of
governments to regulate and control monetary movements across
boundaries.
What are the monetary capital controls?
- The monetary capital controls put limits on allowable daily cash
withdrawals at banks and placed restrictions on money transfers and
overseas credit card payments.
The growth of transnational economic transactions complicates
governments' ability to regulate monetary movements. Criminals exploit
loopholes in financial regulations, moving money across borders to fund
illegal activities like terrorism, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Law
enforcers must work with financial institutions and international bodies to
trace these illicit funds.
In the Philippines, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) works to
track and prevent such activities, but with international networks involved,
it requires collaboration with foreign governments and agencies. The
involvement of foreign banking systems complicates the process of tracing
illegal transactions.
Example: The Panama Papers revealed how wealthy individuals and
criminal organizations used offshore accounts to launder money, evading
taxes and legal scrutiny.
4. Rise of Cosmopolitan World Cities as the repositories of capital and wealth
and as major facilitators of cross border transaction.
Once again, Norway was declared the world's most progressive country in
2022, with Denmark and Finland ranking second and third respectively.
Global cities like New York, London, and Dubai have become major
centers of capital and trade, attracting both legitimate businesses and
criminal organizations. These cities serve as hubs for money laundering,
drug trafficking, and other illegal activities due to their international
connections and financial infrastructure.
Example: Dubai has been cited as a key money-laundering hub where
criminals buy property to clean their illicit funds, taking advantage of the
city's global financial networks.
Major global cities like Manila are hubs for finance and trade, which also
attract criminal organizations seeking to exploit these economic centers.
These cities provide an environment where criminals can blend into the
crowd, conduct illicit transactions, and move assets globally. For example,
Manila has been a base for various international drug trafficking
operations, where criminals use the city's infrastructure to coordinate with
overseas partners.
5. Accessibility of consumers to information about goods and services
around the world.
Countries today are more connected than ever before, due to factors such
as air travel, containerized sea shipping, international trade agreements
and legal treaties, and the Internet. In the world of business, globalization
is associated with trends such as outsourcing, free trade, and international
supply chains.
Example: Shipping company, air travel through internet access or
websites.
The ease of accessing information about goods and services online has
allowed criminals to sell illegal products, such as counterfeit goods or
drugs, through global marketing channels. The rise of the dark web and
online marketplaces like Silk Road (before it was shut down) enables
criminals to reach consumers worldwide without being detected by
traditional law enforcement.
Example: The Silk Road marketplace facilitated the global sale of illegal
drugs and other illicit items until law enforcement successfully dismantled
it, highlighting the challenge of policing global online crime.
In the Philippines, counterfeit goods, like fake luxury brands and pirated
media, are often sold online and through physical markets, which makes
enforcement difficult. This global trade in illicit goods involves not only local
enforcement but also international cooperation to track down suppliers
from abroad.
6. Increase in migration and growth of ethnic groups.
Emigration means to leave one's country to live in another.
Immigration is to come into another country to live permanently.
Migrate (dayuhan) is the movement of a person or people from one
country, locality, place of residence, etc., to settle in another or to move
from one country, place, or locality to another.
The increase in migration and the growth of ethnic communities worldwide
have contributed to the creation of global networks that facilitate the trade
of illicit goods, such as drugs, arms, or human trafficking. Criminal groups
often exploit ethnic ties to build trust and cooperation in their illegal
operations.
Example: The Albanian mafia is known for leveraging ethnic ties to control
drug trafficking routes across Europe, using their community networks to
evade law enforcement in multiple countries.
In the Philippines, Chinese and African drug syndicates have been linked
to illegal drug trade operations, using migrant communities as networks to
distribute their products. The case of the "Golden Triangle" region in
Southeast Asia, where drugs are trafficked through ethnic networks,
illustrates this global challenge.
Globalization presents numerous challenges to law enforcement, particularly in the
Philippines. From transnational organized crime to the global marketing of illicit
goods, law enforcers must navigate complex international networks and collaborate
with foreign agencies to effectively address these issues. Examples such as drug
trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering, and the illicit trade of counterfeit goods
illustrate the real-world impacts of globalization on law enforcement efforts.
