Black Market Billions: How Organized Retail Crime Funds Global Terrorists (Gal Zentner's Library) (36 page)

MS-13

A street gang. The number 13 refers to a street in Los Angeles. See
Mara Salvatrucha
.

Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK)

A militant Islamic-Marxist or Islamic-Socialist organization in Iran that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Founded in 1965 by a group of Iranian college students as an Islamic-Marxist political movement, MEK was originally devoted to armed struggle against the Shah of Iran, capitalism, and “Western imperialism.” In the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, at first the MEK and the Tudeh Party chose to side with clerics led by the Ayatollah Khomeini against the liberals, nationalists, and other moderate forces within the revolution. The MEK endorsed the taking of American embassy personnel hostage in 1979 and subsequently condemned Khomeini’s decision to release the hostages in January of 1981. A power struggle ensued, and by mid-1981, MEK was fighting street battles against the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. Since then, more than 10,000 people have been killed in fighting between the MEK and the Iranian government. During the Iran-Iraq War, the group was given refuge by Saddam Hussein and mounted attacks on Iran from within Iraqi territory. They continued to mount attacks inside Iran until 1999, when they assassinated the chief of staff of the Iranian military, Brigadier General Ali Sayad Shirazi. The group claims to have renounced violence in 2001. Today it is the main organization in the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an “umbrella coalition” calling itself the “parliament-in-exile dedicated to a democratic, secular, and coalition government in Iran.” The group has had thousands of members for many years in bases in Iraq, but according to the British Broadcasting
Corporation, they were disarmed in the wake of the U.S.-led invasion and are said to have adhered to a cease-fire.

National Retail Federation (NRF)

The world’s largest retail trade association. Its members include department store, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, and independent retailers, as well as chain restaurants and grocery stores. Members also include businesses that provide goods and services to retailers. The NRF represents an industry made up of over 1.6 million U.S. retail establishments with more than 24 million employees and 2005 sales of $4.4 trillion. The NRF is also an umbrella group that represents more than 100 associations of state, national, and international retailers.

National Security Law and Policy at the Investigative Project on Terrorism

The Investigative Project on Terrorism is a nonprofit research group founded by Steven Emerson in 1995. It is recognized as the world’s most comprehensive data center on radical Islamic terrorist groups. The IPT has investigated the operations, funding, activities, and front groups of Islamic terrorist and extremist groups in the U.S. and around the world.

Operation Blackbird

The FBI uncovered an ORC ring that specialized in reselling infant formula to warehouses. The proceeds were wired back to countries in the Middle East where Hezbollah and Hamas were active.

Operation Greenquest

Targeted financiers of al Qaeda and other international terrorist groups. The FBI identified and interviewed 18 people led by families of Middle Eastern origin who bought and sold (in addition to infant formula) razor blades, nicotine patches, and Viagra stolen from supermarkets in North Texas.

ORC Annual Report

A report created by the NRF that tracks organized retail crime developments and statistics throughout the year. Retailers that are members of the NRF fill out the Organized Retail Crime Survey. Its purpose is to understand the impact of organized retail crime on retailers across the country by measuring trends and operational methods of criminal enterprises.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

A forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. The OECD works with governments to understand what drives economic, social, and environmental change. It also measures productivity and global flows or trade and investment while analyzing and comparing data to predict future trends.

organized retail crime (ORC)

Organized retail crime tends to be discussed in terms of criminal networks engaged in large-scale theft. Descriptions of ORC also generally entail criminals fraudulently obtaining goods in quantities beyond what would normally be intended for personal consumption; reselling these ill-gotten goods; receiving, concealing, transporting, or disposing of these goods; or coordinating individuals to commit these retail crimes. Federal law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, tend to limit discussions of ORC to situations in which boosters steal merchandise from retail establishments and resell it. Currently, ORC is not a federal crime. For data collection purposes, Congress has defined ORC as the following:

• Violating a state ban on shoplifting or retail merchandise theft—if the quantities of items stolen are of an amount that would not normally be purchased for personal use or consumption—and stealing for the purposes of reselling the items or re-entering them into commerce

•
Receiving, possessing, concealing, bartering, selling, transporting, or disposing of any property that is known to have been taken in the violation just outlined

• Coordinating, organizing, or recruiting persons to undertake either of the two violations just outlined

Patriot Act

Established to help curtail terrorism by creating a federal law to prosecute criminals who finance terror.

PPK

Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan (Kurdistan Workers’ Party). Also known as KGK, and formerly known as KADEK or Kongra-Gel. A Kurdish militant separatist organization that fights an armed struggle against the Turkish state for the creation of an independent Kurdistan. The group was founded on November 27, 1978 and was led by Abdullah Öcalan. The PKK’s ideology is founded on revolutionary socialism and Kurdish nationalism. The PKK’s goal has been to create an independent Kurdish state. Kurdistan is a geographic region that comprises southeastern Turkey, northeastern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and northwestern Iran, where the Kurdish population is the majority. This goal has now been moderated to claiming cultural and political rights for the ethnic Kurdish population in Turkey. In 2010, however, after the PKK stepped up its military activities, Murat Karayilan threatened that the PKK would declare independence if their demands were not met by the Turkish state. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization internationally by a number of states and organizations, including the U.S.

Red House

An alleged 50-acre Muslim commune in Charlotte County, Virginia.

remittance

A transfer of money by a foreign worker to his home country. Money sent home by migrants constitutes the second-largest financial inflow to many developing countries, exceeding international aid.

Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)

A U.S. trade association headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, that promotes consumer choice and economic freedom through public policy and industry operational excellence. Executives participate in RILA for its educational forums, public policy advocacy, and advancement of the industry.

retail returns fraud

Returning merchandise by presenting receipts that have been falsified, stolen, or reused.

RICO

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. A U.S. federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. The RICO Act focuses specifically on racketeering. It allows the leaders of a syndicate to be tried for crimes they ordered or helped others to carry out. This closed a perceived loophole that, for example, allowed someone who told a man to murder someone to be exempt from trial because he didn’t commit the crime himself.

runner

An alternative name for
booster
.

shell store

Many fences who run nonlegitimate warehouses also own or are affiliated with stores geared toward tourists who want to buy inexpensive batteries, electronics, clothing, and household appliances.

shell warehouse

A location where mid- and high-level fences sell their stolen merchandise. These warehouses, which seem like legitimate businesses from the outside, are actually fronts for the sale of stolen goods.

Shipper’s Export Declarations (SED)

Generally required by the U.S. Census Bureau for shipping single commodities valued at more than $2,500, or for commodities requiring a license or license exception.

specially designated global terrorist (SDGT)

In effect since December 6, 2006 under Executive Order 13224. Empowers the U.S. Secretary of State to designate certain individuals or entities as having committed or who pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten national security.

stored value card (SVC)

Monetary value on a card not from an externally recorded account. Differs from prepaid cards, where money is on deposit with the issuer, similar to a debit card. One major difference between stored value cards and prepaid debit cards is that prepaid debit cards are usually issued in the name of individual account holders, whereas stored value cards are usually anonymous. The funds and/or data are physically stored on a stored value card. With prepaid cards, the data is maintained on computers affiliated with the card issuer. The value associated with the stored value card can be accessed using a magnetic strip embedded in the card, on which the card number is encoded; using radio frequency identification (RFID); or by entering a code number, printed on the card, into a telephone or other numeric keypad.

Street Vendor Project

A membership-based project with more than 750 active vendor members who are working together to create a vendors’ movement for
permanent change. They reach out to street vendors and storage garages and teach them about their legal rights and responsibilities. They hold meetings to plan collective actions for making their voices heard. They publish reports and file lawsuits to raise public awareness about vendors and the enormous contribution they make to a city. Finally, they help vendors grow their businesses by linking them with small-business training and loans. The Street Vendor Project is part of the Urban Justice Center, a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation and advocacy for various marginalized groups of New Yorkers.

Taliban

Arabic for “students.” An Islamist militia group that ruled large parts of Afghanistan starting in September 1996. Although in control of Afghanistan’s capital (Kabul) and most of the country for five years, the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan gained diplomatic recognition from only three states: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. After the 9/11 attacks, the Taliban regime was overthrown by Operation Enduring Freedom. The Taliban mostly fled to neighboring Pakistan, where they regrouped as an insurgency movement to fight the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (established in late 2001) and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

TOMCATS

Due to the significant increase in organized commercial cargo theft in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and its negative impact on commerce, the Cargo Crimes Section (CCS) took on a leadership role. It joined with the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to form a South Florida cargo theft task force called the Tactical Operations Multi-Agency Cargo Anti-Theft Squad (TOMCATS).

Tri-Border Area

The South American border intersection of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

TSA

Transportation Security Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Responsible for the safety and security of the traveling public in the U.S.

Tupas

The Tupamaros street gang, which originated in Caracas, Venezuela. Today, its primary center of operations is on the west side of Caracas. This is a decidedly political gang. It identifies with a kind of Robin Hood mythology that surrounds how peasants and the urban poor in Uruguay and elsewhere romanticize the exploits of the original Tupamaros based in Uruguay.

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16, 1945. Its purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture. It hopes to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights, along with fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the UN Charter.