The idea of an overreaching syndicate controlling all aspects of illegal service delivery is, at least, improbable. In addition, in order to deliver illicit goods and services on a regular and continuous basis to millions of customers, organized crime must conduct its business in a public way. People cannot place bets if bookmakers are inaccessible and hidden in the deep recesses of a criminal underworld. Customers cannot find illegal drugs if drug traffickers are so concealed from the police that they cannot be located. Inevitably, this means that where organized crime exists, and it exists and flourishes almost everywhere in the United States, some form of official accommodation must also exist.
Corruption is integral to the organization of crime.
As we explore the different types of goods and services engaged in by organized crime and the scope of those activities, keep these basic principles of organization in mind.