INTRODUCTION
Good morning. It is an honor to be here today to address this distinguished international assembly.I would like to thank Commissioner Paul Evans and the men and women of the Boston Police Department for hosting this year's conference. Thanks especially to Detective Benjamin Leong, who has worked tirelessly to make this event come together.
I would also like to thank the many other Federal, State, local, and foreign law enforcement agencies that have helped organize this conference. It would not have been possible without their efforts.
This conference is highly regarded by the international law enforcement community as the most informative of its kind -- covering useful, topical issues related to the investigation and prosecution of Asian organized crime. I am told that it hardly resembles what began seventeen years ago.
Since the conference's inception here in Boston in 1978, interest in the challenging issues that Asian organized crime present to law enforcement has grown. When the first conference convened, 50 investigators met to discuss what, at that time, was described as an emerging crime problem -- Asian organized crime.
Today, well over a thousand participants from more than 20 countries have gathered here to participate in this conference. That response makes clear that law enforcement no longer considers Asian organized crime to be an emerging crime problem, but an established crime problem that threatens the security of many countries.
As the conference's theme states, we are here to "chart the future" -- to discuss how to best fight the threat of Asian organized crime. As we know too well, crime in this day and age knows no borders. Indeed, the international organized crime problem will challenge each of our organizations as we move from the twilight of this century into the next. We have come to this conference to learn about the Asian organized crime threat and share our past experiences in fighting it. We seek to avoid the mistakes of the past and combine our strengths so that we can make a difference.
This morning, I would like to discuss the FBI's perspective of Asian organized crime. My remarks are framed in the context of the growing threat of international organized crime.
Let me make one point clear at the outset: the vast majority of the Asians in the United States are law-abiding. They comprise an integral part of our nation. Like many other ethnic groups that have made the United States their home before them, the Asian community is dedicated to family values, possesses a strong work ethic, and strives to achieve the American dream.
Discussion about "Asian Organized Crime" is not meant to smear these decent people. The topic of this conference is of vital importance, however -- especially to members of the Asian community who have made their way in the United States, as well as those who seek to make their way. Too often, as a result of their financial and social gains, they have become the victims.
This phenomenon is remarkably similar to the early days of La Cosa Nostra in America, when its members preyed on successful Italian-Americans and Italian-owned businesses to perpetuate their greed and criminal aspirations. With the growth of Asian businesses in the United States and with continued interaction between Asian communities, it is likely that Asian organized crime groups will seek to exploit them. Organized crime, by definition, is opportunistic. Asian criminal enterprises undoubtedly will seize upon opportunities to invade legitimate businesses. Today, those invasions are armed assaults -- tomorrow they will be economic extortions of the work force.
In this regard, consider some demographic facts. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Asian population in the United States rose 108% between 1981 and 1991 -- from 3.5 Million to 7.2 Million. By the year 2000, it is estimated that America's Asian population will rise to 12 million. With this anticipated growth, I fear that Asian criminal enterprises will seek to expand their criminal influence over them.
If we are to chart a future course to dismantle Asian organized crime, we must reflect upon this enemy and consider its future desires.
Initially, the FBI's Asian organized crime program focused on groups believed to have the greatest potential to evolve into organizations which might rival the criminal influence of La Cosa Nostra. These included groups having the greatest criminal impact upon Asian-American communities, such as Chinese "Triads," criminally-influenced "Tongs" and their subordinate street gangs, as well as the Japanese "Boryokudan," commonly called the "Yakuza."
We know that Asian organized crime groups are highly-organized, well-structured, extremely profitable and often violent criminal enterprises which pose serious threats to communities across the United states -- from Boston to San Francisco. They have evolved into sophisticated criminal enterprises engaged in:
Due to obscene profit margins, many of these groups limit their criminal actions to drug trafficking and money laundering. Thus, the FBI recognizes Asian drug trafficking organizations as separate and distinct criminal enterprises.
Since Asian drug trafficking organizations are not typically structured on the basis of ethnic origin -- as are many of the Asian organized crime groups -- the FBI has adopted an all-encompassing term: "Asian criminal enterprises."
According to current intelligence, no single triad, tong, or street gang dominates the heroin trade and membership in a triad or tong is not a prerequisite to involvement in these illegal activities. Their members, however, have been identified as significant participants in international heroin trafficking networks. Indeed, such membership can be important -- in terms of criminal networking and determining who can be trusted.
Most Asian drug trafficking groups are established on the basis of experience, expertise, contacts, or wealth.These enterprises are opportunistic, taking advantage of the capabilities of their members to obtain a source of heroin in southeast Asia, and to facilitate its financing, subsequent transportation and ultimate distribution.
Asian criminal enterprises are becoming increasingly more significant in the United states. Indeed, some are moving into criminal activities once thought to be the sole province of La Cosa Nostra.
During the past few years, the FBI, together with our federal, state, local, and international partners, have enjoyed some successes against major Asian criminal enterprises. Often, our investigations have employed the most sophisticatedinvestigative techniques available to law enforcement: undercover operatives and court-authorized electronic surveillance. Aggressive use of the Rico Statute has helped ensure that the leadership of these Asian criminal enterprises are permanently dismantled.
I must stress that these investigations have involved tremendous cooperation, both domestically and internationally. In particular, I want to thank our traditional foreign enforcement partners, including: the royal Hong Kong police; the Royal Thai police; the National Police Agency of Japan; the Australian Federal Police; the National Police Agency of Korea; the National Police Administration of Taiwan; and, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, just to name a few. The collaborative efforts of all of these agencies have been of critical importance to much of our work in this area.
I would like to highlight some of the more notable investigations and prosecutions that have involved multi-agency cooperation:
In november, 1990, arrests were made as the Green Dragons prepared to battle the rival "White Tigers" gang. Six months later, a superseding Rico indictment was returned, charging the leader of the Green Dragons and thirteen of its members with seven murders, two home invasion robberies, numerous extortions of Asian businesses, kidnapping, bribery of a New York City corrections officer, operating an illegal gambling den, and conspiracy.
Subsequently, seven Green Dragon members were convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. Another gang member was found guilty of murder conspiracy and sentenced to 17 years in prison. The remaining gang member, who was not charged with any murder counts, was found guilty of racketeering and sentenced to ten years in prison. The leader of the Green Dragons was recently arrested in the People's Republic of China and will be prosecuted in China.
This major investigative accomplishment was made possible through the concerted efforts of the New York City Police Department, the Royal Hong Kong Police, the Ministry of Public Security for the people's Republic of China, and the FBI.
The Fuk Ching gang was responsible for committing numerous murders to protect and further their enterprise. Thanks to our partners at the Royal Hong Kong Police, the leader of the Fuk Ching gang -- Guo Liang Qi -- was arrested in Hong Kong andlater extradited to the United states. Ultimately, 23 Fuk Ching members and associates were convicted of various charges relating to their participation in this violent criminal gang.
That monumental seizure was made possible through an extraordinary joint investigation conducted by: the FBI; the United States customs service; DEA; the Royal Thai Police; the National Police Agency of Korea; and, the Australian Federal Police.
For over 40 years, the FBI has maintained posts in American embassies known as legal attache offices. These offices enable the FBI to receive a constant and prompt exchange of criminal data and other related information. Legal attaches develop and maintain close liaison with relevant and duly authorized law enforcement agencies and other agencies of the countries covered to ensure the timely exchange of investigative information, which will assist in the development and investigation of cases.
In essence, the FBI's legal attaches -- like DEA's country attaches -- are a "first line of defense" to protect the people of America against foreign criminals. Today, the FBI and DEA enjoy unprecedented cooperation in the foreign arena. For example, the FBI has assigned an agent to the DEA to work drug investigations in Bangkok.
A prime example of how well the FBI and DEA are working together overseas is the recent capture in Pakistan of top ten fugitive Ramzi youself for his role in the bombing of the world trade center. Indeed, his capture illustrates the critical importance of having personnel on the ground in foreign countries.
At present, FBI legal attaches are posted in 23 countries around the world. Last July, I opened the FBI's newest legal attache office in Moscow, Russia.
Expansion of the FBI's investigative efforts against Asian criminal enterprises will require the FBI to further expand the scope of its international liaison activities. That expansion is necessary in order to engage in meaningful law enforcement partnerships with the foreign governments that face this common enemy.
In Asia and the Pacific rim, we anticipate expanding our presence by increasing the FBI legal attache complements in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Canberra. We are also considering the establishment of permanent Legal Attache Offices in Seoul, Taipei, and Beijing.
The world today has changed drastically in just the past few years. There have been dramatic changes in the political, social, and economic foundations of many countries. These changes -- combined with technological advancements in communication and transportation capabilities -- have made it easier for people throughout the world to engage in unprecedented, widespread international contacts. Unfortunately, the easing of international travel, communications and commerce has also benefitted international organized crime. That is what all of us must address cooperatively. The new freedom of international movement has afforded new and expanded criminal opportunities for sophisticated, highly structured, international organized crime groups to broaden their spheres of influence.
Business enterprises in countries undergoing radical economic change have become lucrative targets for international organized criminal enterprises. Today, we see various organized crime groups with footholds in Asia, Eastern Europe, and throughout the former Soviet Union. The South American drug cartels and traditional European heroin trafficking organizations have developed new means and routes by which to ship their products, and are constantly seeking new markets. Foreign crime bosses have entered the United States to expand the territories of their criminal organizations and increase their criminal profits.
Asian criminal enterprises have developed rapidly in the United States. With this rapid development, we have seen an ability to adapt and change. Whether they can continue to flourish depends in great part on the response and cooperation of law enforcement in this country and throughout the world. We know that Asian organized crime is a problem in 16 states. We also know, as I said at the outset, that the Asian-American population in this country will continue to increase -- thus providing a target-rich environment.
To date, Asian street gangs have concentrated on street crimes, engaged in erratic behavior, internecine squabbling and competitive warfare over turf, and demonstrated relatively crude leadership. One of the most important signals that they are maturing into a growing problem occurs when they develop cooperative ties to other groups. When "diplomacy" of this kind surfaces, two things have happened: first, the size of the problem in an area has probably doubled; and second, the leadership of the group has matured.
We have seen several instances in which Vietnamese gangs have joined forces with Chinese gangs to support each other's business shakedowns in specific neighborhoods. The added evil of this arrangement is obvious: it allows each gang to increase its insulation against law enforcement by using the other group for enforcement. And it keeps the peace as leaders of both groups become more powerful and entrenched. In addition, there is the old axiom that only the strong survive. Just as companies must survive in a competitive market through good leadership, crime groups stabilize only when competent leadership emerges.
As international cooperation among criminal groups continues to increase, global cooperation among law enforcement agencies must also grow. No single police agency acting alone will be able to control the spread of organized crime. Although our legal systems may vary, we must work together, because the adverse social and economic impact that organized crime has on each of our societies presents a common enemy.
Meaningful partnerships with other law enforcement agencies are essential to achieving these goals. Indeed, concerted mutual efforts by the agencies of the world law enforcement community are critical to successfully negating the impact of international organized crime. In this regard, the FBI has established and is actively pursuing bilateral and multilateral working relationships with our counterparts throughout the world. Along with the Department of Justice and the Department of State, we are seeking the development of mutual legal assistance treaties where none exist. In the interim, we are seeking executive agreements and extradition arrangements with those countries to facilitate interaction between United States law enforcement agencies and those other nations. These efforts benefit all law enforcement, from investigators to prosecuting attorneys, and are proving to be highly effective at curbing the international criminal activities of organized crime groups.
The FBI's goal for international training is to provide mutual assistance through education, personnel exchanges, investigative cooperation, and technical assistance. The ultimate aim of this training is to ensure that the managers of foreign law enforcement agencies have the skills necessary to thwart criminal activity in their own countries, thereby preventing escalation of that activity there and in the United States. International training also benefits the United States law enforcement community by enabling it to learn of the capabilities and limitations imposed upon these nations because of their established legal systems.
To that extent, the FBI can assist in upgrading the law enforcement functions of interested countries in the areas of organized crime and drug investigations. This assistance will enable development of a strategy to better identify and dismantle these powerful Asian criminal enterprises. Thus, all of law enforcement benefits.
Joint law enforcement efforts between countries, which focus on mutual problems, can have a dramatic impact on diminishing international criminal activity. The goal of achieving effective working agreements and relationships between countries begins with a mutual understanding of the other country's laws, organizational structure, personnel, and mission, and continues through the aggressive identification and pursuit of joint investigations and intelligence-sharing opportunities. By understanding and respecting each country's law enforcement abilities and limitations, we will avoid unrealistic expectations and focus on attainable investigative goals.
I am confident that, working together, we can and will make a difference in the fight against Asian organized crime.