Organized Crime a Remaining Threat to Port Security

It takes only one corrupt official to look the other way to jeopardize security at one of the nation’s main gateways for goods from all over the world, according to some law enforcement officials, referring to the stretch between Port Newark and Newark Liberty International Airport, which the article describes as "the most dangerous two miles in America."

A series of recent court cases shows that despite a larger focus on airport security since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, another security concern — organized crime — persists at the ports.

An article on The Daily Caller explores this issue, noting that the billions of dollars in cargo that passes through the Port makes it a tempting target for criminals, especially those of the organized crime type.

"Experts differ on what mob infiltration of the ports means in a post-9/11 security climate, or how large and influential organized crime syndicates remain after decades of law enforcement efforts to root them out," the article reads.

"Some say a badly diminished mob has waning influence on the docks, as modernized technology, stricter identification requirements, and improved federal maritime security-related legislation have significantly undermined the traditional strongholds of organized crime.

"Others say it takes only one corrupt official paid to look the other way to jeopardize security at one of the nation’s main gateways for goods from all over the world.

“We pursue the mob wherever they may be, but it just so happens that the port is rife with organized crime,” said Stephen Taylor, the director of New Jersey’s Criminal Justice division. The recent spate of federal indictments — and those unsealed this week in New Jersey in an ongoing investigation of port corruption — concern law enforcement, even though they did not directly implicate port security, Taylor said.

Read more.