Whatever Happened to the War on Organized Crime?

In the 1980s, it felt like every month brought a new blockbuster about organized crime. Goodfellas, The Godfather, Scarface, The Untouchables—Hollywood was obsessed. But these movies mirrored something real: the Reagan-era war on organized crime and drugs.

I was just a kid back then, so I didn’t think too deeply about what was going on. I watched all the movies like everyone else. Most people I knew hated Ronald Reagan—his harmful policies and that “I don’t know anything” smirk. But what strikes me now is this: Why doesn’t the government talk about organized crime anymore?

You’ll hear politicians like Trump go on about immigration, but organized crime? Crickets. It’s odd, especially since the GOP was obsessed with the mafia and drug cartels in the ’80s. Where did all that go? Did organized crime disappear? Or has it just changed forms—morphed into something less visible? Maybe the war on organized crime wasn’t about justice, but consolidation.

Follow the Money

Back then, our taxpayer dollars went toward chasing down marijuana and cocaine cartels. We’d see it on the nightly news—drug lords like El Chapo and Pablo Escobar getting busted. The stories were outrageous. Escobar was so rich, he bought nuclear submarines to smuggle drugs. This was in Colombia, a country where most people were impoverished in the ’80s. Yet Escobar made $60 million a day at his peak in 1989. Adjusted for inflation, he was worth around $70 billion.

Escobar reportedly killed 4,000 people—including 200 judges and 1,000 police officers. He offered to pay off Colombia’s national debt—$10 billion—in exchange for immunity. You could call him a monster, but he also represented something else: the ultimate capitalist. He broke the rules and didn’t care. And part of me—non-violent as I am—wonders: if our government is corrupt, why do we still play by the rules? He was a drug-addled Robinhood.

From Cartels to Corporations

Here's another weird twist: Philip Morris, one of the biggest tobacco companies in the world, is now a major investor in the legal marijuana industry. Funny how that works. In the past, cannabis and cocaine were outlawed—partly, perhaps, because they were grown in poor countries by people of color. Meanwhile, legal drugs like sugar, nicotine, and alcohol thrived. Now Big Tobacco wants in on weed profits too. It’s a full-circle moment.

Who’s the Kingpin Now?

So, who are the Escobars of today? Who are the modern overlords of cocaine, human trafficking, and the dark web? Why don’t we hear about them? The silence is deafening. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe the best way for the oligarchy to win is to legalize everything—or at least normalize it under corporate control.

Cybercrime: The New Global Gangland

Today’s organized crime isn’t just about drugs and guns—it’s online. Scams are the new cartels. In 2024 alone, Americans lost $47 billion to identity fraud and scams. Of that, $20 billion came from psychological manipulation. The Federal Trade Commission reported a 25% increase in fraud-related losses from the previous year, hitting $12.5 billion.

Common scams include:

Phishing: Fake emails or websites tricking people into giving up personal info.

Romance scams: Online “relationships” built for the sole purpose of requesting money.

Merchandise scams: Goods that never arrive or are misrepresented.

Fake sweepstakes, tech support, and government impersonation schemes.

It gets worse. Criminal gangs are now trafficking humans to work in scam call centers. This is especially rampant in Southeast Asia, where thousands are reportedly being held captive and forced to run online scams.

One especially insidious scheme is called “pig butchering.” It involves scammers building fake romantic relationships with victims online, gaining their trust, and then luring them into fraudulent investment schemes. The name comes from fattening a pig before slaughter. That’s what they do to their victims—emotionally and financially.

A Dangerous Silence

Why doesn’t the government talk about this with the urgency it had in the ’80s? It’s like the lines between Big Tech and organized crime have blurred. The internet is both the crime scene and the getaway car. Big Tech opens the door to vulnerable people, and criminal groups walk right in.

There’s something almost nostalgic about the old gangsters—Capone, Escobar, even El Chapo. At least they were out in the open. Escobar famously said, “You get the gun or you get the money. Your choice.” Brutal? Yes. But honest, in its own twisted way.

Compare that to today, where the underground economy may be more profitable than the legal one, and where right and wrong are dictated by whoever controls the system.

Sources:

Donald Trump’s Alleged Mob Ties: 5 Most Damning Revelations

TheWrap

https://www.thewrap.com/donald-trump-mob-mafia-ties/

Organized Crime Has Gone High Tech

Police Chief Magazine

https://www.policechiefmagazine.org/organized-crime-has-gone-high-tech/

The Rise of Geocriminality: Global Organized Crime in a Shifting World

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/the-rise-of-geocriminality/

What If the World’s Biggest Tobacco Company Entered the Cannabis Industry? Oh Wait, It Just Did…

Cannabis.net