Answer

• An Empirical Examination of the Interconnection of Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking in Detroit

  Introduction

  The city of Detroit has a rich history of organized crime as elicited by various literature books and films. It dates back to as far as the early 1900’s when various Mafias started being formed including the popularly known Detroit Partnership (Thompson, 1999). Detroit has been known to be the epicenter of organized crime activities. The criminal activities are often perpetrated by highly centralized criminal groups that engage in criminal activities for profit. The Detroit partnership for one is an Italian organized crime family whose headquarters were primarily located in Detroit. Several other organized criminal groups have also existed in the city. One is said to have been comprised of Jewish thugs who came to be described as the Purple gang. This group similarly assisted in seeing that Detroit became one of the epicenters of organized crime within the country (Buccellato, 2015). Whereas steps have been taken by the government to curb organized crime, some of the organized criminal groups that have existed in the years past (including the Detroit Partnership) have still managed to remain in existence during the 21^st Century (Kenney, 2007). Additionally, other organized criminal groups have been formed within the African American communities in the city thus increasing the rate of organized crime in the city (Decker & Pyrooz, 2014). The increased rate of organized crime in Detroit has been precipitated by a multiplicity of factors including; the control of prostitution rings, the carrying out of human trafficking activities, gambling, bootlegging, and the trafficking of narcotics (Draus, 2009). Whereas all these factors play a role in precipitating the heightened rate of organized crime in Detroit, little attention has been placed on the substantial role that the latter factor plays in this respect. In line with the foregoing, the aim of this paper is to provide an empirical examination of the interconnection between organized crime and drug trafficking in Detroit.

   

  The purpose of this research process is three-fold;

  • To examine the extent to which drug trafficking in Detroit is perpetrated by organized criminal groups;
  • To provide an in-depth understanding of the individuals, groups and operations of the organized criminal groups that engage in drug trafficking in Detroit; and
  • To make available a collection of drug trafficking cases that have federally been prosecuted by making reference to online databases.

   

  Background Research

  From as far back as the 1950’s the issue of organized crime in Detroit has been understood as perennial. The significance of the extent to which drug trafficking heightens the rate of organized crime within the area has not been fully appreciated. The aim of this paper is to substantially draw an interconnection between drug trafficking and organized crime in Detroit.

  Based on an empirical study that was conducted in the city of Detroit, various slow-motion disasters such as crime disparities have substantially contributed to the heightened rate of crime, including drug trafficking (Draus, 2009; Decker & Pyrooz, 2014). Various studies have shown that most drug trafficking activities are conducted by organized criminal groups (Kenney, 2007; Mieczkowski, 1990; and Natarajan, 2000).

  The research questions that will be answered in this regard include the following;

   

  Theory

  This paper is grounded on the theory that the rate of organized crime remains high in Detroit due to drug trafficking.

   

  Conclusion

  The city of Detroit is one of the most populous cities in the country and it equally has a rich history of organized crime. The heightened rate of organized crime has mainly been precipitated by drug trafficking.