There is considerable discussion of what criteria should be employed to distinguish organized crime from opportunity ventures. For example, criminologist Joseph Albini has long argued that the American mafia were never as organized as government agencies or mafia informants would have had us believe. In other words, the organization works more like a business, particularly one within cultures in which nepotism and bribery are more commonplace. For example, they rarely work together to attempt to control markets or set prices. On the other hand, most gangs are typically run by a group of relatives, leading to stability despite attempts to decapitate leaders.
World governments are most concerned about three major areas of organized crime activity.
Drug trafficking Guns and arms trafficking Money laundering Below are a number of key Web sites that refer to these topics. He points out a number of issues that document why money laundering is so difficult to stop. For one, many otherwise legitimate businesses do it to avoid taxes. Second, there is currently no global agreement about financial obligations and responsibilities. Tax sheltering countries welcome the influx of escaping currency, even when it means that other societies are losing needed and valuable revenues.