Pacific islands are crime magnets

Criminal gangs from China, Russia, Japan and South Korea have found new addresses in the Pacific Ocean.

Criminal hot-beds in the Pacific could impact US

A recent US government report has identified Mariana Islands and Guam in the Pacific as hot-beds for criminal activities and classifed the two as high-risk security areas.

According to the report the Chinese Triad gangs, the Japanese Yakuza, Russian Mafia and the Korean Mafia, are increasingly operating from the two territories.

Excerpted on Wednesday by Mariana’s Variety newspaper, the report was authored by RG Meissner, a regional security specialist for the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Drug peddling, money laundering, gambling, prostitution and people-smuggling have been reported to be rampant in both territories.

Drug peddling, money laundering, gambling, prostitution and people-smuggling have been reported to be rampant in both the territories.

Guan, 2500 km south of Tokyo, has a population of around 152,000 and hosts major US naval and air bases.

Marianas is a chain of islands north of Guam with a population of about 70,000.

“If the present high risk environment is allowed to stand, it will continue to threaten federal and public interests and seriously jeopardize the national security of the United States,” the report said.

The report also stressed that the criminalisation in the Pacific was a source of concern for US security.

“We cannot lose sight of the fact that the homeland extends into the far reaches of the Pacific Guam, the Commonwealth of the Marianas Islands, Micronesia and other Pacific locations require special security attention and consideration,” it said. 

Source: AFP