How does the Corona virus contribute to the empowerment of organized crime?

The spread of the Corona virus and the general closure confused organized crime and its activities in its infancy as it did with many other activities, but it appears that organized crime has not only adapted to the current reality, but is preparing to create a profitable future from this crisis.

A week before the general closure in the UK, many drug traffickers have noticed a significant increase in the demand for cocaine, heroin and marijuana. The popularity of buying drugs in the criminal world in Britain was similar to the popularity witnessed in the sales of toilet paper.

The British newspaper "The Guardian" published a lengthy report by journalist Misha Ghulny entitled "From drug traffickers to moneylenders ... How has the Corona virus enabled organized crime", in which he highlighted the flourishing of organized crime under the exceptional circumstances imposed by the spread of the Corona virus around the world.

According to the report, a drug dealer working in the west of the capital, London, explained the reason for the increased demand for drugs, that as soon as the government ordered people to stay at home, the drug networks were closed, because the move was a risky process for drug traffickers whose work required mobility.

Cocaine and heroin prices increased dramatically in the pre-closing period, due to expectations that supply from abroad would be interrupted.

Rising prices

A drug dealer said that the prices of heroin and coke had risen in his city, and said, "All of the people I know have had trouble getting the supplies they need, but they are paying more," while marijuana sales have been little affected.

Another business stated, "Business is booming for me ... People are basically going to buy cannabis and drugs, and hashish I sell is grown in the UK, so the price has remained the same so far."

The drug trade over the Internet has also witnessed a noticeable increase, as sellers in those markets - headquartered in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands - are doing fast business.

According to the author, the National Crime Agency has had great success in slowing the traffic in first-class drugs (mainly cocaine), as it has managed to seize 25 tons and 15 million pounds in cash since the closure.

According to the agency's statement, "The restrictions imposed by the Corona virus have caused criminal groups to take additional risks to transfer funds, and the closure of many financial companies in recent weeks has deprived organized crime groups of opportunities to launder and conceal their funds, and therefore it has become difficult for criminals to hide the proceeds of their crimes." .

And when the severity of the Corona virus became clear, there was an immediate decrease in the level of organized criminal activity in the United Kingdom, Germany and France by about 20%.

Criminals are human too

Commenting on that, the agency's Economic Crime Officer Graeme Biggar said, "Criminals are also human and abide by the rules," adding that a high percentage of those targeted by the agency suffer from health problems and take the issue of self-isolation seriously.

The Guardian report indicated that the first indications of the adaptation of organized crime to the new circumstances related to the Corona epidemic were on the Internet.

Crime levels through cyberspace have seen a steady rise a few years ago, but the Corona virus contributed to the acceleration of this trend, after only two weeks after the closure, the agency recorded a significant increase in deception sites related to the Corona virus, where 70 thousand sites appeared to market various goods from Personal protection equipment and disinfectants to snake oil medications, and those goods are either stolen, counterfeit, or absent, meaning simple scams to attract money from desperate people to protect themselves from the virus.

The writer pointed out that the major political or economic crises have always represented a great opportunity for organized crime, and that a pandemic - like Corona - with a catastrophic impact on the global economy, represents the greatest opportunity, as the state’s resources - including the police - are diverted to counter the consequences of the epidemic, as officers are busy blocking the masses From gathering in public parks do not have the time to track down criminals.