2010 in organized crime
Encyclopedia
Around the world are countless groupings of individuals who deal exclusively or through a mix of legitimate and illegal activities. These Organized crime groups or criminal organizations are a transnational grouping of highly centralized enterprises run by criminal
s for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary
profit
. The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (federal statute - Public Law 09-351) states, "Organized crime means the unlawful activities of members of a highly organized, disciplined association..." They are called a number of different names including: Mafia (US
, Italy
), Yakuza
(Japan), Chinese Triads, the Irish Mob
, the Neapolitan Camorra
, the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta, the Indian Mafia
, the Unione Corse
, Serbian Mafia
, and the Bulgarian mafia
.
There are also a number of localized mafia organizations around the world bearing no link to any specific racial background. One example of a criminal organization that bears no specific racial background is the United Nations gang
; the name alludes to the various ethnic origins of the members and its welcoming of all nationalities into its membership.
Around the world in 2010 a number of events have taken place in the Organized crime world. On the very first day of the year reporter Jose Luis Romero was kidnapped for reporting on the Mexican mafia. While investigating the kidnapping police man Jesus Escalante was killed. Due to the Mexican Drug War
Mexico is one of the most active countries for organized crime activity. The Mexican Drug War is an armed conflict
taking place between rival drug cartel
s and government forces in Mexico
. Although Mexican drug cartels, or drug trafficking organizations, have existed for quite some time, they have become more powerful since the demise of Colombia's Cali
and Medellín
cartels in the 1990s. Mexican drug cartels now dominate the wholesale illicit drug market
in the United States
. Arrests of key cartel leaders, particularly in the Tijuana and Gulf cartels, have led to increasing drug violence as cartels fight for control of the trafficking routes into the United States.
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
s for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
profit
Profit (economics)
In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total opportunity costs of a venture to an entrepreneur or investor, whilst economic profit In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total...
. The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (federal statute - Public Law 09-351) states, "Organized crime means the unlawful activities of members of a highly organized, disciplined association..." They are called a number of different names including: Mafia (US
American Mafia
The American Mafia , is an Italian-American criminal society. Much like the Sicilian Mafia, the American Mafia has no formal name and is a secret criminal society. Its members usually refer to it as Cosa Nostra or by its English translation "our thing"...
, Italy
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
), Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
(Japan), Chinese Triads, the Irish Mob
Irish Mob
The Irish Mob is one of the oldest organized crime groups in the United States, in existence since the early 19th century. Originating in Irish American street gangs of the 19th century — depicted in Herbert Asbury's 1928 book The Gangs of New York — the Irish Mob has appeared in most...
, the Neapolitan Camorra
Camorra
The Camorra is a Mafia-type criminal organization, or secret society, originating in the region of Campania and its capital Naples in Italy. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century.-Background:...
, the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta, the Indian Mafia
Indian mafia
The term Indian mafia refers to certain criminal organizations found in some of India's major cities. The "Indian Mafia" also refer to powerful families that have criminal aspects to it.- Mumbai underworld :...
, the Unione Corse
Unione Corse
The Unione Corse is a secretive criminal organization operating primarily out of Corsica and Marseilles in France. Unlike the Sicilian Mafia, it has not attempted to gain a foothold in the United States, and thus does not have the other organization's notoriety...
, Serbian Mafia
Serbian mafia
Serbian Organized Crime or Naša Stvar are various criminal organizations based in Serbia or composed of ethnic Serbs in the Serbian Diaspora. Serbian mafiosos are very active in European Union countries...
, and the Bulgarian mafia
Bulgarian mafia
The Bulgarian mafia is an informal term to describe any number of organized crime groups originating from Bulgaria.-Organised crime groups and activities:...
.
There are also a number of localized mafia organizations around the world bearing no link to any specific racial background. One example of a criminal organization that bears no specific racial background is the United Nations gang
United Nations (gang)
The United Nations Gang or Global United Nations Syndicate is a criminal gang active in the Vancouver, British Columbia area...
; the name alludes to the various ethnic origins of the members and its welcoming of all nationalities into its membership.
Around the world in 2010 a number of events have taken place in the Organized crime world. On the very first day of the year reporter Jose Luis Romero was kidnapped for reporting on the Mexican mafia. While investigating the kidnapping police man Jesus Escalante was killed. Due to the Mexican Drug War
Mexican Drug War
The Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict taking place among rival drug cartels who fight each other for regional control, and Mexican government forces who seek to combat drug trafficking. However, the government's principal goal has been to put down the drug-related violence that was...
Mexico is one of the most active countries for organized crime activity. The Mexican Drug War is an armed conflict
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
taking place between rival drug cartel
Drug cartel
Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the largest trafficking...
s and government forces in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Although Mexican drug cartels, or drug trafficking organizations, have existed for quite some time, they have become more powerful since the demise of Colombia's Cali
Cali Cartel
The Cali Cartel was a drug cartel based in southern Colombia, around the city of Cali and the Valle del Cauca Department. The Cali Cartel was founded by the Rodríguez Orejuela brothers, Gilberto and Miguel, as well as associate José Santacruz Londoño...
and Medellín
Medellín Cartel
The Medellín Cartel was an organized network of "drug suppliers and smugglers" originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The drug cartel operated in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Central America, the United States, as well as Canada and Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded and...
cartels in the 1990s. Mexican drug cartels now dominate the wholesale illicit drug market
War on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Arrests of key cartel leaders, particularly in the Tijuana and Gulf cartels, have led to increasing drug violence as cartels fight for control of the trafficking routes into the United States.
January
- January 1 - Jose Luis Romero, a crime reporter for the Linea Directa radio station, is kidnapped in Los Mochis, a city in the MexicanMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of SinaloaSinaloaSinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
, allegedly due to his reporting on Mexico's drug production and trafficking. Jesus Escalante, the chief of investigations for the Sinaloa state police, starts an investigation later that day, and is killed by gunmen a few hours later. - January 2 - Indian Police ServiceIndian Police ServiceThe Indian Police Service , simply known as Indian Police or IPS, is one of the three All India Services of the Government of India...
Assistant Commissioner of Police Prakash Wani , along with four other police officers, is suspended after a video circulated showing them dancing with underworld members at a Christmas EveChristmas EveChristmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
party hosted by IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
crime boss Chotta Rajan in MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
's ChemburChemburChembur is a suburban neighbourhood in eastern Mumbai, India. It is 22 km from downtown Mumbai and 20 km from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport...
suburb. - January 2 - The funeral is held for Nick Rizzuto Jr ., who was shot to death on December 18, 2009. His father, reputed MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
mob boss Vito RizzutoVito RizzutoVito Rizzuto , known as Montreal's Teflon Don, was alleged to be the leading Mafia boss of the Sicilian Mafia in Canada and heads the Rizzuto crime family.-Family:...
, was not permitted to attend because he was serving a prison sentence in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Police videographers filmed every guest at the funeral. - January 3 - A homemade bomb exploded at the entrance to a court in the southern Italian city of Reggio CalabriaReggio CalabriaReggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...
. Nobody was injured. Authorities say the 'Ndrangheta launched the attack, targeting the prosecutor's office due to its work confiscating mafia assets and ongoing appeals in cases against organized crime. - January 3 - Carlos Beltrán LeyvaCarlos Beltrán LeyvaCarlos Beltrán Leyva is an incarcerated Mexican drug lord with the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. The cartel was created by the four Beltrán Leyva brothers: Héctor, Alfredo and Arturo...
, a drug lord with the Mexican Beltrán-Leyva CartelBeltrán-Leyva CartelThe Beltrán-Leyva Cartel was a Mexican drug cartel and organized crime syndicate founded by the four Beltrán Leyva brothers: Marcos Arturo, Carlos, Alfredo and Héctor....
, is arraigned following December 30 arrest in CuliacánCuliacánCuliacán is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiacán. With 675,773 inhabitants in the city , and 858,638 in the municipality, it is the largest city in the state of Sinaloa...
, after he was stopped while driving with a forged license. The arrest came two weeks after Leyva's brother, cartel leader Arturo Beltrán Leyva, was killed in a gun battle with police. - January 4 - A Weng'anWeng'an CountyWeng'an County is a county in Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou, China.Weng'an has an area of 1973.8 square kilometers and a population of 460,600 as of 2003.-External links:*...
court sentenced 18 people to up to 20-year prison terms for their involvement in organized crimes in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's GuizhouGuizhou' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...
province. Twelve of the arrested were members of the Yushan Gang, who were convicted of organizing racketeering, illegal mining, operating gambling dens, intentional injuring, rape and other offenses. - January 4 - A total of 29 people are killed in 13 separate drug-related attacks over a 24 hour span in Chihuahua, including two state police officers who were shot by six attackers. Among the slain are a female activist who led protests against alleged rights abuses by police and military deployed to fight organized crime.
- January 4 - Seven TijuanaTijuanaTijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
policemen are detained for alleged ties to organized crime. The arrests stemmed from the interrogation of Luis Gilberto "El Gil" Sanchez Guerrero, an ex-officer arrested December 29, 2008, who allegedly led more than 10 kidnap and murder crews for Tijuana CartelTijuana CartelThe Tijuana Cartel is a Mexican drug cartel based in Tijuana. The cartel has been described as "one of the biggest and most violent criminal groups in Mexico"...
lieutenant Teodoro García SimentalTeodoro García SimentalTeodoro García Simental is a former lieutenant of the Mexican criminal organization known as the Tijuana Cartel.- Biography :...
. - January 5 - Boris "Bobi" Tsankov, a BulgarianBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
radio presenter and crime writer who wrote about local mafia affairs in a book published in November, is shot to death outside a fast food restaurant. Top Bulgaria crime bosses Krasimir Marinov and Stefan Bonev are arrested later that day. - January 5 - Andrew Merola, the reputed leader of a North New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
faction of the Gambino crime familyGambino crime familyThe Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. Merola admitted he headed an organization involved in gambling, loan-sharking, scams and labor racketeering during a NewarkNewark, New JerseyNewark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
hearing. He faces up to 20 years in prison. - January 5 - ItalianItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
police arrest 14 alleged members of Mafia clans fighting to seize control of drug trafficking and extortion rackets in some of NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
's northern suburbs. - January 6 - Piero Grasso , Italy's top anti-mafia prosecutor, announces a new "Mafia campaign" in response to the bombing of a Reggio Calabria courthouse by 'Ndrangheta on January 3. Grasso called for the strengthening of national investigation procedures to arrest criminals and seize their assets.
- January 6 - Convicted racketeer Mark Strodtman is sentenced to 31 years in prison in GreeleyGreeley, ColoradoThe City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme. Strodtman was the first man convicted in Weld CountyWeld County, ColoradoAs of the census of 2000, there were 180,936 people, 63,247 households, and 45,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 66,194 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
under the state's organized crime statute. - January 6 - Bing Yi Chen , the lieutenant of a Chinese organized crime organization, is sentenced to 35 years in prison for helping arrange the July 1994 murder of two TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
men as a favor for a Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
drug lord. Chen, also known as "Ah Ngai", was convicted on October 23, 2007. - January 7 - Three Chinese mob leaders and four criminal gang members are executed in ShijiazhuangShijiazhuangShijiazhuang is the capital and largest city of North China's Hebei province. Administratively a prefecture-level city, it is about south of Beijing...
through lethal injectionLethal injectionLethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
. The executions were the result of convictions for murder, gun sales, gambling and other crimes that were considered among the worst in the HebelHebelHebel can refer to:* An alternative transliteration of the Hebrew name of the Biblical figure Abel* Johann Peter Hebel , German poet* Hebel, Queensland, Australia* A brand of aerated autoclaved concrete from CSR Limited...
province in six decades. - January 8 - Li Zhuang , a Chinese lawyer for suspected mafia boss Gong Gangmo , was sentenced to 30 months in prison for falsifying evidence and jeopardizing testimony in Gangmo's trial. State media previously said Gangmo's trial underscored major flaws in China's judicial system.
- January 8 - Pradeep SharmaPradeep SharmaPradeep Sharma is a serving officer in the police force of Mumbai, India. Sharma attained notability as an "encounter specialist" with the Mumbai Encounter Squad and was involved with the deaths of as many as 112 criminals...
, Mumbai's former police shootout specialist, and several other police officers were arrested for allegedly staging the death of VashiVashiVashi is an upmarket residential as well as commercial township in the city of Navi Mumbai. It is a premier city in Navi Mumbai and was one of the first "nodes" developed by CIDCO.-Populace:...
gangster Ramnarayan Gupta. Authorities say Gupta was kidnapped and brought to a VersovaVersova (Mumbai)Versova is an upmarket neighbourhood in the Andheri area of northern Mumbai. It is located at 19°7'60N 72°47'60E and is known for its beach and the Versova Fort...
park, where Sharma shot him to death. - January 8 - Kenneth Dunn, a disbarred South FloridaSouth Florida metropolitan areaThe South Florida metropolitan area, also known as the Miami metropolitan area, and designated the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area by the U.S...
lawyer, was sentenced to 43 months in prison for laundering money and committing other crimes for a local mafia crew affiliated with the Bonanno crime familyBonanno crime familyThe Bonanno crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia ....
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. - January 9 - The dead bodies of Yulian "Kunfuto" Lefterov, a former member of the Bulgarian Mafia group SIC, and Ivaylo "Yozhi" Evtimov, leader of "The Impudent" gang, are found in the Plana MountainPlana MountainPlana is a mountain in western Bulgaria, bounded by Sofia Valley to the north, Iskar River to the east, Samokov Valley to the south and southwest, and Vitosha Mountain to the northwest. The summit Manastirishte is rising to 1338 m....
in western Bulgaria. - January 9 - A planned extradition to Italy of Marisa Merico, daughter of Calabrian godfather Emilio di Giovine and wife of henchman Bruno Merico, is delayed when she receives death threats.
- January 11 - Nicolo Romeo, a 72-year-old owner of an animal feed business, is shot to death outside the Italian town CorleoneCorleoneCorleone is a small town and comune of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, Italy....
, allegedly because he refused to pay a pizzoPizzo (extortion)In Southern Italy, the pizzo is protection money paid by a business to the Mafia, usually coerced and constituting extortion. The term is derived from the Sicilian pizzu . To wet someone's beak is to pay protection money...
to local mafia bosses. - January 12 - Seventeen men with suspected ties to the 'Ndrangheta are arrested around Italy, including RosarnoRosarnoRosarno is a comune in the province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region of Calabria. It is about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. Rosarno stands on a natural terrace cloaked in olive plantations and vineyards on the left bank of the river Mesima, overlooking...
and BolognaBolognaBologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
. Some were arrested for their alleged roles in violent clashes with immigrant workers, whereas others were already in prison on different charges. Among those arrested are suspected members of Pesce-BelloccoBellocco 'ndrinaThe Bellocco 'ndrina is a clan of the 'Ndrangheta, a criminal and mafia-type organisation in Calabria, Italy. The 'ndrina is based in Rosarno, on the Tyrrhenian coast.-Powerful 'Ndrangheta clan:...
clan, one of the most powerful 'Ndrangheta clans, who were suspected of taking orders from clan ringleader Carmello Bellocco, who is serving a prison term for racketeering. - January 12 - Alleged Chinese gang boss Yue Ning and 30 accomplices faces trial for a prostitution business inside ChongqingChongqingChongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
. Ning also faces charges of firearms possession and bribery, among other crimes. - January 13 - Alleged mobster Nikolai Marinov, also known as "The Little Margin Brother", is officially declared a wanted man after he fails to appear in court on charges of conspiring to murder three people. His brother, Krasimir Marinov, was previously arrested for the murder of Boris Tsankov and his younger brother Nikolai Marinov has been missing ever since.
- January 14 - Anggodo Widjoj, a Chinese businessman, is arrested on suspicion of bribing two deputies with IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
's anti-mafia Corruption Eradication Commission. The commission announces $2.2 trillion have been lost from embezzlement within the organization. - January 14 - United States federal prosecutors announce they will not retry alleged mafia don John A. Gotti on racketeering charges. Gotti had been free on $2 million bail since December 1, 2009, when a jury deadlocked during a fourth trial against him.
- January 27 - Paolo Di Mauro of the Camorra, wanted since 2003 and on the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy, is arrested in BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
(SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
).
November
- November 18 - Kiyoshi TakayamaKiyoshi Takayamais a yakuza, the founding head of the Nagoya-based Takayama-gumi, the president of the 2nd Kodo-kai, and the number-two boss of the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest known yakuza syndicate in Japan....
, the head of the Kodo-kaiKodo-kaiThe Kodo-kai is a yakuza criminal organization based in Nagoya, Japan. It is a secondary organization of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest known yakuza syndicate in Japan...
and the "de facto leader" of the Yamaguchi-gumiYamaguchi-gumiis Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe pre-WWII....
, the largest yakuzaYakuza, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
syndicate in Japan, was arrested.
December
- December 1 - Tadashi IrieTadashi Irieis a yakuza, the head of the Osaka-based 2nd Takumi-gumi and the grand general manager of the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi. He is regarded as the number-three leader of the 6th Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest known yakuza syndicate....
, the head of the Takumi-gumiTakumi-gumiThe Second Takumi-gumi is a Japanese yakuza gang affiliated with the powerful Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate.The Kansai-based gang was founded in 1967 by Masaru Takumi, the longtime second-in-command and financial overseer of the Yamaguchi-gumi....
and the number three leader of the Yamaguchi-gumiYamaguchi-gumiis Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe pre-WWII....
, the largest yakuzaYakuza, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
syndicate in Japan, was arrested.
Arts and literature
- January - Gomorrah (2008) is released on Blu-ray through The Criterion CollectionThe Criterion CollectionThe Criterion Collection is a video-distribution company selling "important classic and contemporary films" to film aficionados. The Criterion series is noted for helping to standardize the letterbox format for home video, bonus features, and special editions...
See also
- Timeline of the Mexican Drug WarTimeline of the Mexican Drug WarThe timeline of the most relevant events in the Mexican Drug War is set out below. Although violence between drug cartels had been occurring for three decades, the Mexican government held a generally passive stance regarding cartel violence through the 1980s and early 2000s...
- List of years in organized crimeTimeline of organized crimeThis is a timeline of the history of organized crime.Note: Sources included are Carl Sifakis's The Mafia Encyclopedia, Herbert Asbury's The Gangs of New York and others. Online references also include Thomas P...