In August 2024, King Mohammed VI pardoned over 4800 Cannabis farmers in Morocco. This came as part of the country’s wider legalization efforts to tap into the economic potential of the booming global cannabis market.

Morocco is one of the world's leading cannabis producers, and in 2021 it approved a bill regulating cannabis cultivation for medical, pharmaceutical and industrial purposes.

According to the Global Organized Crime Index, this step towards better regulation has contributed to Morocco’s increased resilience score for National Policies and Laws from 6.0 to 6.5.

However, the vast majority of Morocco's territorial areas of cultivation remain in the hands of the illicit economy. With a score of 9 out of 10, Morocco currently sits at the top of the OC Index for Cannabis Trade.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Speaker(s): Raouf Farrah, Senior Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Links

Webinar - Morocco’s regularization of cannabis production: Anticipated impacts on the illicit cannabis economy

Morocco Country Profile

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

In Canada, Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs, often referred to as a "1%" Club, include infamous names like the Hells Angels, The Outlaws, Bandidos.

The Hells Angels are reported to have over 450 chapters across almost 60 countries around the world – many of those are in Canada.

According to Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the RCMP, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, are involved in a range of illicit markets – fraud, counterfeiting, money laundering, extortion, corruption, drug trafficking, illicit firearms trafficking, violence and murder.

According to the Global Organized Crime Index, Canada has very high levels of resilience to organized crime, with a score of 7.21 out of 10 – placing it 23rd globally.

On the other side of the coin, Canada has low levels of criminality – with 3.88 out of 10 – sitting 160th out of 193 countries.

The Criminal Actor score is 3.9 out of 10, BUT mafia style groups is the highest form of criminal actor at 5/10, and outlaw motorcycle gangs are the most widespread in Canada, with Nova Scotia of particular interest due to its port of entry for illegal drugs.

In this episode, Thin sits down with Conor King, from the Victoria Police Department to discuss the role of outlaw motorcycle clubs in the illicit economies of Canada.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Speaker(s): Conor King, Detective Inspector, Victoria Police Department, Canada

Links

Canada Country Profile

The Global Organized Crime Index

Washington Post - Iran turns to Hells Angels and other criminal gangs to target critics

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

In August police in Vietnam uncovered an infant trafficking ring which had purchased and resold at least 16 infants, ages ranging from just days to a few months old, leading to further investigations that uncovered 84 suspected trafficking cases across 32 provinces.

In this episode, we delve into the harrowing realities of human trafficking in Vietnam. For more than two decades the country has been a source, destination, and transit point, with a troubling score of 7 out of 10 on the Global Organized Crime Index. Criminal actors involved include local recruitment agencies, family members and acquaintances of victims, and foreign actors such as Chinese and Korean ‘bride recruitment’ brokers. Criminals are increasingly professional, and form closed interprovincial, transnational and international networks.

Vietnam's resilience to human trafficking, more specifically, Victim and Witness Support and especially Non-State Actors scores were critically low in the 2023 OC Index assessment.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Speaker(s): Hai Thanh Luong, Research Fellow, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University

Links

Vietnam Country Profile

The Global Organized Crime Index

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime