When California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris released her report on Transnational Organized Crime, we didn’t expect to read that “more narcotics, weapons and humans are trafficked in and out of California than any other state.”

This new report, Gangs Beyond Borders: California and the Fight Against Transnational Organized Crime, heralds three pillars of transnational criminal activity; the trafficking of drugs, weapons and human beings; money laundering; and high-tech crimes, such as digital piracy, hacking and fraud.

According to the report, the numbers are so high for the same reasons the world is enamored by California;  large ports, a vast interstate system, economic development and job creation.  We can’t forget that California is widely known as one of, if not the most, progressive states in the country.

California is fighting back against the ills that threaten to weaken its reputation and safety. According to the report released by Harris:

In the 2012-2013 fiscal year, California state drug task forces disrupted or dismantled 140 drug, money-laundering and gang organizations, arrested nearly 3,000 individuals, rescued 41 drug-endangered children, confiscated 1,000 weapons, and seized nearly $28.5 million in U.S. currency in anti-narcotic law enforcement actions statewide. Federally-sponsored High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (“HIDTA”) program task forces also identified 305 drug-related transnational criminal organizations operating in California, and 18 street and prison gangs with ties to these organizations.

 

READ MORE about California’s plan to secure the safety and health of its residents.