Sociology

Organized crimes are highly organized enterprises that are operated by criminals where they engage in illegal dealings with highly organized operations with the main aim of making profits. The association and activities of the criminal groups have high level of coordination and discipline. Mafia is used all over the world to describe criminal syndicate.

Like any other society, organized crime has existed in the United States for many decades. This is partly because of the diverse American society with elements from different parts of the world. Organized crime syndicates have involved themselves in various criminal activities for economic gains.

In the modern American society, criminal syndicates have increased their cooperation as opposed to competition between different criminal groups evident in the 1960s and 1970s. The criminal groups do not only cooperate with other syndicates in the region but also international criminal organization. This has increased the rate of international crime with federal security agencies estimating that organized criminal syndicates all over the world make up to a trillion dollars in a year. 
 
Modern organized crime syndicates have very advanced skills and are involved in activities that require high technical and academic knowledge. This includes smuggling of drugs and weapons, illegal trading and disposal of nuclear materials, identity fraud, human trafficking and smuggling of endangered species. They are also involved in racketeering business activities such as monopolizing industries, rigging bids, money laundering, corruption and clamping of ideologies.

The United States government has had several attempts of making laws that deter the activities of organized crime syndicates. One of these laws is the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organization Act. This made it a crime for anyone to be associated with a criminal syndicate. However, organized crime syndicates have been a great problem to the law enforcers as a result of their level of organization.