Middle
Eastern Criminal Enterprises
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, we have taken a new look at the
various threats originating in the Middle East and from Middle Eastern
communities in the U.S. Contrary to a prevailing notion prior to
9/11, the FBI and law enforcement in general have come to recognize
that some Middle Eastern criminal groups have no nexus to terror.
Instead, these groups have the same goals as any traditional organized
crime ring—to make money through illegal activities.
The groups have been active in the U.S. since the 1970s in areas
with significant Middle Eastern or Southwest Asian populations. These
organizations are typically loosely organized theft or financial
fraud rings formed along familial or tribal lines. They typically
use small storefronts as bases for criminal operations.
What kinds of crime schemes do these enterprises engage in? Many
kinds: automobile theft, financial fraud, money laundering, interstate
transportation of stolen property, smuggling, drug trafficking, document
fraud, health care fraud, identity fraud, cigarette smuggling, and
the theft and redistribution of infant formula. These enterprises
rely on extensive networks of international criminal associates and
can be highly sophisticated in their criminal operations. Organizations
often engage in joint criminal ventures with one another.
In the U.S., Middle Eastern Criminal Enterprises are most prevalent
in Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York. Internationally, they
thrive in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates,
and Canada.
Middle Eastern Criminal Enterprises include criminals from Afghanistan,
Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria,
Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
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