Crime is on the rise too, and where there are black markets, mafia-type protection rackets probably follow.

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To be fair, the Mafia would get the same treatment if they could legitimize their protection rackets.

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Crime syndicates have seen a decline in some of their traditional sources of income, such as protection rackets.

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The mundaneness of most protection rackets is no reason to be sanguine.

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The threats posed by cybergangs to corporate Web sites and databases, or the protection rackets formed in Russia and Brazil, indeed seem to be very serious.

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Johann Lamont (Labour) asked the first minister to act to tackle the increased problem of organised criminals using a range of unregulated private security firms which are operating protection rackets in areas of Scotland.

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