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Penn State and the College of Charleston. A decade apart, drug trafficking and drug distribution schemes continue to weave through American colleges and universities. Drugs have historically been a hot commodity on college campuses nationwide. Investigations over the past decade have spotlighted the pervasive work of drug trafficking rings on or near college campuses, and their operations tend to involve fraternities. Today, there are over 1,500 Greek organizations (fraternit

The United Nations. Parliament. Central Banks. Religious Organizations. Militaries. What roles do institutions play in the wider anti-corruption discourse? Although there remains no singular, official definition of the term, corruption can be understood as the abuse of public office or entrusted power for private gain. The actions of corrupt individuals affect millions of people worldwide, as they increase costs, reduce public services, extort individuals, and much more. Ever

Seven months into 2026, a wide array of transnational criminal activity has occurred across the globe, impacting a plethora of communities and jurisdictions. Photo Credit: Global Organized Crime Index According to the Global Organized Crime Index’s 2025 report, the global criminality score was 5.08 out of 10, a slight increase of 0.05 from the year prior. The 2025 criminality scores indicated that Myanmar, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Paraguay, the Democratic Republic of the C

Yes, you are reading this correctly. The Patriot Games are real and apparently happening next month. In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, President Donald Trump has announced the first annual Patriot Games, which is a televised athletic competition and scholarship program. The Freedom 250 nonpartisan organization organized this event for high school students between the ages of 14 and 17, as they will compete in a series of athletic and mental challenges to win a $250,

Women in Male-Dominated Fields: Drug Trafficking, Money Laundering, and Cartel-based Violence In her book, Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America’s Cartels, Deborah Bonello breaks down the myths, legends, and hidden accounts of the women involved with drug trafficking, money laundering, cartel violence, and a wider array of components of their region’s criminal enterprise. Investigative journalist Deborah Bonello details the lives and legacies of women involved in

Triumph, athleticism, community support, and national identity. How do these aspects of culture collide in our understanding of ourselves and nations? Beyond being an outlet for physical activity, sports have always been an entertaining pastime full of joy, excitement, and at times despair. Athletes around the world train and compete in arenas, on fields, on courts, and a variety of other unique venues. Their triumps and defeats highlight the immense passion and dedication ne

Billions of people currently live in countries plagued with corruption. The harmful components of corruption destroy lives and undermine human rights all around the world. Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash Generally speaking, corruption is the abuse of a position of power for personal gain, which ultimately erodes the trust of an organization, community, or entire country. Corruption can involve anyone, including politicians, businesspeople, public servants, and members o

How a leaked memo from a British intelligence agency shined an alarming light on the U.S. and U.K.'s approach to the 2003 Iraq War. In early 2003, the British translator, Katharine Gun, leaked an NSA memo soliciting British intelligence collusion in eavesdropping on diplomats from several nations about to participate in the upcoming United Nations Security Council vote on whether to sanction a US/UK-led invasion of Iraq. On January 31st, 2003, at 12:16 am, the chief of staff

Corruption has maintained an extensive legacy in the ecosystem of South Africa’s political economy, with the ripple effects reaching its population of approximately sixty-five million people. Photo by Kathrine Heigan on Unsplash In 2021, Human Rights Watch reported that South Africa failed to take necessary steps to improve the protection of its citizens’ social and economic rights. Violent riots erupted due to the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of c

With the 2026 Men's World Cup taking place in Canada, the United States, and Mexico this summer, how will geopolitics affect the upcoming global soccer tournament? Photo by Fauzan Saari on Unsplash Beginning on June 11th, 48 national soccer teams will compete across North America for the 23rd edition of the FIFA Men’s World Cup. Numerous stadiums in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will host a plethora of sports fans, players, coaches, and more over the next month and a

The "Wildest Show in the South" uses incarcerated individuals as a Roman Colosseum style spectacle in Louisiana. "Offenders compete in the Guts and Glory event."; Credit: The Angolite, 2018. The Angola Prison Rodeo currently holds the title of the longest-running prison rodeo — yes, you heard that right. Getting its start in 1965, the penitentiary’s rodeo arena now accommodates over 10,000 attendees in Western Louisiana. With events hosted once in April and every Sunday in Oc

Similar to the art, jewelry, and other luxury industries, real estate purchases have been used to move and hide illicit funds as a means of “washing” laundered money. Opaque financing schemes overvalued or undervalued prices, non-transparent companies, trusts, and third parties operating as the legal owners of property work together to camouflage the illicit funds of criminal actors within the economy. Although most illicitly financed properties are houses and buildings, any

The UK Foreign Affairs Committee previously determined that the city of London was like a "laundromat" for corrupt assets flowing in from Russia. “The City of London was acting as a laundromat for fortunes acquired from misuse of power, political connections, or outright criminal activity.” - Edward Lucas (Center for European Policy Analysis) Over the past decade, the allies of Russian president Vladimir Putin have worked to exploit existing gaps in the sanctions and anti-mon

A continuation of previous research which explores the phenomenon of democratic backsliding through the lens of organized crime and populist politics. “Corruption to the degree and intensity we are now witnessing is an affront. It also brings down economies, ignites wars, exterminates people and species, and tears irrevocable scars across the face of the earth. It is an existential threat not just to the democratic principles we claim to revere, but to the very survival of ou

Tajikistan, as a nation facing state capture, has a political-criminal nexus that allows its political elites to be the primary beneficiaries of the country's crime and corruption activity. Transnational crimes like money laundering, drug trafficking, smuggling, and other cross-border crimes have seemingly been exacerbated in Central Asia due to globalization, state and non-state actors, and the criminal structures that remain active in the region. In many ways, the region’s

An exploration of Anne Applebaum's book "Autocracy Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World", and the way in which authoritarianism has been growing worldwide. What are we talking about? Democracy is broadly understood as ‘rule by the people’. In practice, it often equates to people/citizens choosing their leaders in free and fair elections. Democracy, thus, gives citizens the right to influence the important decisions that affect their lives, and also provides them with

Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder is responsible for trafficking multi-ton quantities of cocaine through Colombia and Mexico for distribution in the United States and Canada. Editor’s Note: The individual discussed has been charged with alleged offenses. These are accusations only, and the person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Information in this article is drawn from court records, previously published news articles, and law enforcement statemen

An exploration of how religious conflict manifests in a unique way throughout the Balkans, due to the close linkage between religious identity and national identity. Religious conflict, unfortunately, persists as a prominent crisis around the world, with many conflicts having solid roots in historical clashes between religious groups. In Yugoslavia, and its current identification as the Balkans, religious conflict has manifested into a core facet of nearly all modes of confli

How does INTERPOL's Red Notice system get exploited for nefarious purposes? How can INTERPOL better insulates its system, while maintaining its effectiveness? What is INTERPOL? INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization, is an intergovernmental organization with 196 member countries. INTERPOL is responsible for providing a secure and easily accessible venue for its member countries to share and access data on crimes and criminals operating in the international m