Девиантность, преступность, социальный контроль в обществе постмодерна - [87]

There were two levels of racketeering: tribute money extracted from small kiosks and shops («black racket») and that obtained from commercial enterprises. In the latter case one can distinguish various indirect, disguised types of racket: payments for «guarding», for «service in the field of marketing» in compliance with the contract for «cooperation», or for «services» (for example, recovering debts). The «taking care» by the criminal organizations of commercial structures includes having their representatives on the administrative and managerial bodies.

Based on the information from our respondents, we are in a position to identify the typical situations where businessmen are forced to commit crimes.

One has to bribe in the following situations: when registering business; when renting premises from state bodies; when acquiring licenses for their utilization from state bodies; for obtaining low-interest bank credit; when reporting to tax inspectors; when completing customs formalities; etc.

One has to conceal revenues, since with the current taxation rate amounting to 80-85 %, one cannot survive the competition with other firms if one honestly reveals all revenues.

Most of the state-owned business enterprises operating under current conditions find themselves «under the protection» of bandits: they are «guarded» by some gang (band) against other gangs and have to pay «tribute» for that and render (obligatory) services. In particular, criminal organization includes their «representatives» on boards of directors, boards of business enterprises, organizations and banks. Thus legal and illegal business merges.

The rigid normative regulations in some kinds of economic activity and the absence of such regulations in other fields result in businessmen ignoring the law in some cases, and making their own «laws» in others. The synthesis of legal and illegal elements in the country's economy engenders such absurdities as fake goods and services.

Hi-tech crimes are connected with computer engineering, such as bank frauds, but new technologies are also used in such prosaic areas as the counterfeiting of alcoholic beverages, the manufacture of drugs, the theft of automobiles, or the development of new weapons. To some extent it is possible to show that new developments in the field of computer engineering initially pass through criminal structures. Growing attention is being given to attracting scientific staff (chemists, programmers, economists, and lawyers), who today are engaged in criminal business.

The narcotics business is one of the least visible, well-established forms of organized crime in Russia. The struggle against the narcotics mafia is complicated by widespread corruption within the law enforcement and power organizations and the political games Russia plays with the countries which export drugs (Azerbaijan, Chechnya, and the nations of Middle Asia).

Here are some fragments from the interviews of Dr. Yakov Kostjukovsky (the Center of Deviantology) with representatives of the criminal organizations about them activity.

I. (interviewer): What types of criminal business are most popular?

R. (respondent): I think only in 1994 half of the whole metal from Russia was illegally exported. And the other half was sold by official. This was good business! People earned in two-three months enough to last them until now. Truly it was hard work for 25 hours in the day. But the play was worth the candles. The difference in prices here and in Estonia, for instance, was enormous.

Theft and resale of cars is one of the kinds of criminal activity.

I.: Do you get in touch with foreigners?

R.: Yes, of course. We have joint business of cars. It is exchange.

I: Is it?

R.: Natural. Somebody drives car here, in St. Petersburg, and then the car goes to Holland, andsometimes from Holland here… Generally, it is a whole system in Germany, Poland, France, Hungary, Holland and Russia. It is good exchange! There is international contact.

Here are some specifics in the organization of gambling. In the city functioned «dens» («katran»), where clients play simple gambling games (card games, dice, backgammon, etc.). Gambling involves very big money. Half or more clients are representatives of the «criminal world». Another big part of this business is street gambling. There are «thimbles», «three cards», street raffles. Regardless of the rules of the game, the client never wins… Modern organizers of street raffles pay about 20 % of their revenues to their criminal group («krysha» – roof) and contractually pay a percent to PPS (patrol service of police). Casinos also join enters the gambling organization.

I.: What about gambling organizations?

R.: If we are talking about casino as a gambling organization… This is very fitting. I can invite a person who is interesting for me to the casino and he will win. He can win so much as I want. This whole situation is pure and beautifully – no bribes, no corruption. A person is lucky, no problems. It is possible to make a great amount of money through the casino without any control. Every time, when there is an action controlling the functioning of any casino (police control) it is possible to find breaches. It is possible to find law-breaking irregularities in all casinos. But who will check it if some governor assistant sits there? In general, it is a win-win situation…