Deep Dive: Exploring Organized Crime Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Scam call centres are a blight on the lives of anyone unfortunate enough to have any dealings with them. They come to you with promises of a short cut to wealth, to fix a non-existent issue with your computer, claiming to be from a charity, threatening you with arrest for unpaid taxes.
There are 70 million of these phone calls worldwide every day and they generate billions of dollars each year. Organized crime is very much a part of this industry from Mexico to India and from the Philippines to Ukraine.
In this episode we delve into the hundreds, possibly thousands of scam call centres based in Ukraine, where investment scams are mainly targeting Russians.
Links:
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
PORT IN A STORM: Organized crime in Odesa since the Russian invasion
New front lines: Organized criminal economies in Ukraine in 2022
Global Organized Crime Index
Additional Reading:...

For over half a century armed groups in Colombia have battled one another and the state across the country. The FARC, ELN, AUC, AGC, and the infamous drug cartels, have committed untold atrocities on everyday Colombians. These groups use violence to control the local population and to assert territorial control over illicit drug production and trafficking routes.
This episode is about the people who live in those areas, those that have suffered at the hands of armed groups and organized crime, and those who put themselves at risk to fight for a better future for their communities.
Speaker(s):
Felipe Botero Escobar, Head of Colombia Programmes, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime
Joshua Mitrotti - Director of Somos Comunidad (Resilience Community). Somos Comunidad is backed by USAID, and implemented by FUPAD Colombia and the PADF, who work alongside GI-TOC. Through a series initiatives in rural communities affected by violence, Somos Comunidad is trying to enhance community resilience and contribute to human security.
Community Leaders – Yolima, Yenis, Nancy, Luz, Luis
Initiative Beneficiaries – Jamileth, Dana, Dayanis, Nicole, Sofia
Links:
Somos Comunidad
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
PADF
Research Links:
https://www.eluniversal.com.co/sucesos/masacre-en-el-carmen-de-bolivar-mi-hijo-era-un-nino-venia-de-la-tienda-NF3447834
https://aldianews.com/en/culture/destinations/worlds-first-soda-pop
https://www.semana.com/nacion/cartagena/articulo/golpe-a-la-delincuencia-caen-13-presuntos-integrantes-de-la-subestructura-heroes-del-caribe/202204/
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/former-leader-violent-clan-del-golfo-drug-trafficking-organization-pleads-guilty
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5?locations=CO
https://colombiareports.com/assassinations-driving-increase-in-colombias-homicides-report/
a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/771130/The_mental_health_needs_of_gang-affiliated_young_people_v3_23_01_1.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

For around two years the Conti ransomware group rampaged across the internet. They attacked hospitals, educational institutions, businesses, governments, and many more, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransomware payments.
Business was booming for the cybercriminals. At least it was until the Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Conti leadership quickly pledged their loyalty to Russia and then everything began to fall apart.
This is the story of one of the most professional, prolific, and devastating organized cybercriminal groups in history.
Speaker(s):
Selena Larson – Senior Threat Intelligence Analyst and DISCARDED Podcast Co-host at Proofpoint - Twitter
Berk Albayrak, Threat Intelligence Analyst within the PRODAFT Threat Intelligence team and expert on Wizard Spider - Twitter
Conor Gallagher – Crime and Security Correspondent of the Irish Times - Twitter
Allan Liska, Threat Intelligence Analyst at Recorded Future and author of Ransomware: Understand. Precent. Recover. - Twitter
Juan Ignacio Nicolossi, the team leader for the Threat Intelligence Team at PRODAFT.
Zoë Brammer, Cyber & Information Operations Associate at the Institute for Security and Technology - Ransomware Ecosystem Map
Jake Moore, Global Cybersecurity Advisor for ESET.
Artwork by Paulina Rosol-Barrass
Additional Reading:
Reports/Papers:
PRODAFT - Conti Ransomware Group In-Depth Analysis
PRODAFT - Wizard Spider In-Depth Analysis
Google - Fog of War: How the Ukraine Conflict Transformed the Cyber Threat Landscape
DISCARDED Podcast (Proofpoint) - a href="https://www.proofpoint.com/us/podcasts/discarded?page=2" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

Throughout history soldiers have used drugs, sometimes to fight better or to stay alert, or perhaps to help cope with the extreme psychological situation and trauma they are faced with. The current conflict in Ukraine is no different.
Concerns around this led to the Ukrainian parliament passing a new law that authorizes random drug and alcohol tests on soldiers. Organized crime is nothing if not adaptable, even in this most extreme environment. The soldiers fighting to protect their homeland represent a new and relatively wealthy market, ripe for criminal networks to exploit. And they are doing just that.
So who is behind this market? This is a story about war, drugs, the darknet and corruption.
Speaker(s):
Ted
Sasha
Additional Reading:
(GI Paper) New front lines: Organized criminal economies in Ukraine in 2022
Business Insider - Russian lawmakers baselessly claim their army is up against biologically modified Ukrainian super soldiers
LiveScience - Nazis Dosed Soldiers with Performance-Boosting 'Superdrug'
History - G.I.s’ Drug Use in Vietnam Soared—With Their Commanders’ Help
The Atlantic - The Drugs That Built a Super Soldier
Journeyman Pictures - Sierra Leone's Cocaine-Drugged Child Soldiers
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime - Lebanon’s role in Syria’s Captagon trade
Washington Post - Zelensky takes on Ukraine’s top internal enemy
Legatum Institute - Looting Ukraine: The East, the West and the Corruption of a Country (Full Version)
Transparency International - Corruption Perceptions Index
US DoJ Press release - Justice Department Investigation Leads to Shutdown of Largest Online Darknet Marketplace
Chainalysis - OFAC Sanctions Hydra Following Law Enforcement Shutdown of the Darknet Market, As Well As Russian Exchange Garantex
National Institute on Drug Abuse - Synthetic Cathinones ("Bath Salts") DrugFacts
UNIAN.info - SBU busts major drug lab in Kyiv region in raid...

Part 2: "The truth will triumph".
The description of Ahmed's murder showed that the killers were professionals, trained in the use of firearms. But despite the crowds that witnessed the killing, no one has ever been prosecuted for the crime.
Since the assassination of Ahmed, press freedom in Ghana has suffered. He is one of a number that have been attacked, harassed and arrested over the last few years, sparking fears for the future of press freedom in the country.
Much of the violence has been committed by state forces, either the police or the military, and yet impunity reigns and consequences are minimal.
We will look at the organized crime landscape in Ghana, and how alongside the traditional illicit markets such as drug trafficking and illegal mining, organized crime is at the forefront of the commercialization of violence.
Speaker(s):
Anas Aremeyaw Anas – Multi-award winning Ghananian Investigative Journalist and founder of the TigerEye PI, an investigative organisation in Ghana – famous motto “name, shame and jail”.
Muheeb Saeed, the program manager for Freedom of Expression at the Media Foundation for West Africa, the MFWA, which is a press freedom and media development organization based in Accra, but working across the West African sub-region.
Gideon Ofosu-Peasah, Analyst at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.
Jonathan Rozen, Senior Africa researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Ana Paula Oliveira – Analyst and Manager of Assassination Witness Project, GITOC.
Liliane MOUAN – Senior Advisor on Corruption and Human Rights – West and Central Africa for Amnesty International.
Additional Reading:
Assassination Witness Project
Ahmed Divela - Faces of Assassination
Global Assassination Monitor
The Ripple Effect: the impact of contract killings (Podcast)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - Four years since murder of Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela, Ghana’s journalists still attacked with impunity.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Freedom of the Press Index
(GITOC Paper) The business of killing: Assassinations in South Africa
(GITOC Paper) Killing in silence: New research uncovers sheer magnitude of assassinations linked to organized crime
Murder of journalists in Mexico a threat to democracy: El asesinato de periodistas en México pone en peligro la democracia
(Deep Dive Podcast) Killing the Power of the Pen: Violence against journalists in Mexico - Part 1; Part 2.
(Deep Dive Podcast) a href="https://link.chtbl.com/DD_GITOC"...

Part 1: "Ahmed was no coward".
On World Press Freedom Day (3rd May) 2018, the Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo, took to the stage in Accra to deliver a speech on press freedom. Ghana, had long been a beacon for press freedom and was selected to host the celebrations.
Just a few weeks later, TigerEye PI, the world famous undercover investigative unit led by Anas Aremeyaw Anas released their latest investigation, Number 12, which looked at corruption in professional football.
Around the same time, an MP, who disapproved of the methods of TigerEye PI, outed one of its undercover journalists, Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela, live on air by showing his picture and calling for him to be attacked.
A few months later Ahmed was shot and killed in a targeted assassination on the streets of Madina in Accra.
In these two episodes we will tell the story of Ahmed, his death, what it means for press freedom in Ghana and how the commercialisation of violence is a perfect opportunity for organized crime.
Speaker(s):
Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Multi-award winning Ghanaian Investigative Journalist and founder of the TigerEye PI, an investigative organisation in Ghana – famous motto “name, shame and jail”.
Jonathan Rozen, Senior Africa researcher at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Additional Reading:
Assassination Witness Project
Ahmed Divela - Faces of Assassination
Global Assassination Monitor
The Ripple Effect: the impact of contract killings (Podcast)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - Four years since murder of Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela, Ghana’s journalists still attacked with impunity.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Freedom of the Press Index
(GITOC Paper) The business of killing: Assassinations in South Africa
(GITOC Paper) Killing in silence: New research uncovers sheer magnitude of assassinations linked to organized crime
Murder of journalists in Mexico a threat to democracy: El asesinato de periodistas en México pone en peligro la democracia
(Deep Dive Podcast) Killing the Power of the Pen: Violence against journalists in Mexico - Part 1; Part 2.
(Deep Dive Podcast) Killing in Silence: The Global Assassination Monitor.
(Deep Dive Podcast) Guinea-Bissau Part 2: Pau de Sangue (Blood Timber).
Kennedy Agyapong Says He...