ARMENIAN POWER

Organized Crime and Human Trafficking



Organized Crime and Human Trafficking

Introduction

Organized crime is a complex pattern of illegal activity that includes the gambling, prostitution, loan sharking, narcotics trafficking and different types of planned and coordinated acts of fraud, theft and extortion. Organized crime uses the techniques and organizational structure of legitimate business to facilitate its illegal activities. Thus, an organized crime organization will manage financial resources and labor to maximize profit. Because organized crime is tightly controlled and secretive, it is difficult for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute (Abadinsky, 1981).

Since the 1960s, an increasing diversity of criminal groups has augmented the more traditional forms of organized crime, such as those represented by the Mafia and similar groupings. Motorcycle and youth gangs and black, Asian and Hispanic crime groups have expanded in the USA and elsewhere. Youth gangs have often served as a recruiting ground for more organized crime syndicates, where juvenile delinquents grow up to be full-fledged mobsters, as well as providing muscle and other low-key work. Increasingly, especially in the United States and other western countries, street gangs are becoming much more organized in their own right with a hierarchical structure and are fulfilling the role previously taken by traditional organized crime (Abadinsky, 1981).

Group Details

Gang Name: Armenian Power

Sub Names: AP 424, AP 818, AP 13, and Armenian Power/Pride Gang.

Affiliation: helped by the Armenian Mob (outside prison) and Affiliated to the eMe (Inside prison)

Since: Founded in the 90's, in Vinewood

Group Type: Street gang / Organized crime

Ethnicity: Caucasian (Armenians)

Current locations: Jefferson

Criminal activities: kidnapping, human trafficking, robbery, identity theft, theft, Drive-by shooting, assault, gang warfare, murder, Drug trafficking.

Territory: Hollywood intersections, Normandie Avenue, Hollywood Blvd, Little Armenia.

Allies: Mexican Mafia, Russian Mafia, 18th Street gang

Rivals: Mara Salvatrucha, Tooner Ville Rifa 13, White Fence

History of the Group

The disintegration of the Soviet Union provoked an enormous wave of Armenian immigrations into Los Angeles, California in the early 1990s, primarily in communities of Jefferson, North Hollywood, and Inglewood. Confronted with difficulties from Salvadorian and Mexican group members in that region, Armenians youth in East Hollywood united together to form Armenian Power; originally for community protection but spiraled out of control when the crack-cocaine epidemic hit the streets, causing a sure in organized crime among young Armenians.

Armen Petrosyan was originally the leader of Armenian Power; Petrosyan was also known as 'Silent' - known for his numerous gang-lands slaying over the years, including those of his family. When fifteen-year-old Armen Petrosyan arrived in Hollywood from Armenia during the late eighties, he was thrust into the complex urban environment where large, long-established street gangs in this case. Mexican American and Salvadoran often preyed on a smaller group of new immigrants; extorting was common during the first few years of the so-called “Armenian invasion” as many smaller Armenian groups were set up across the Californian state. The Mexican and Salvadoran sought to expand through these newly establish gangs (Coleman, 1996).

Petrosyan and two friends formed a defense alliance, sick of the street tax; they grew into the notorious Armenian Power street gang, ...