| Founded | Early 1980s[1] |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Detroit, Michigan, United States[1] |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Territory | Primarily theDetroit metropolitan area, as well asSan Diego, California andPhoenix, Arizona[2] |
| Ethnicity | Chaldean American[1] |
| Activities | Racketeering, murder, arson, weapons trafficking, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, fraud, theft, counterfeiting, alien smuggling, assault, kidnapping, and armed robbery[1] |
| Allies |
TheChaldean mafia, orChaldean organized crime, is a collective ofcriminal organizations composed ofChaldeans which emerged in the United States during the 1980s. Chaldean organized crime is active primarily inDetroit, as well as inSan Diego, California, andPhoenix, Arizona.[1][2]
Chaldean mafia groups are composed almost exclusively of members ofChaldean descent originating from Iraq. Such groups are typically small, highly exclusive organizations, with members reporting to leaders known as "godfathers".[4] The Chaldean mafia has a presence in cities in the United States with large Chaldean populations, such asDetroit,San Diego andPhoenix.[2][4] Chaldean organized crime groups are involved in murder, arson, weapons trafficking, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, fraud, theft, counterfeiting, racketeering, alien smuggling, assault, kidnapping, and armed robbery, with links to theDetroit Partnership of theAmerican Mafia, theSinaloa Cartel and theMexican Mafia.[1][3] The role of Chaldean organized crime groups in the drug trade involves the transportation and distribution of large quantities ofmarijuana,cocaine andMDMA.[4][5] In Detroit, Chaldean criminals are involved in distributing Canadian MDMA, Mexican marijuana, and powder cocaine andcrack cocaine that is purchased from other criminal groups. Chaldean mafia-owned gas stations and convenience stores throughout the Detroit area are used to launder illicit proceeds from the drug trade.[5]
The Chaldean mafia originated inDetroit,Michigan in the early 1980s.[1] TheMetropolitan Detroit area is home to the largest population of Chaldeans outside Iraq.[5] Louis Akrawi, known as the "Godfather of the Chaldean Mafia", fled Iraq in 1968 following an unsuccessful attempt to overthrowSaddam Hussein'sBa'ath Party and settled in Detroit, where he became acrime boss and an influential figure in the city's Chaldean community. Akrawi headed a crime syndicate which operated drug dealing, illegal gambling, and extortion rackets, using his restaurant, LA Ribs & Chicken, as afront. When he was given akey to the city by MayorColeman Young in 1980, Akrawi organized an anti-Hussein protest outsideSacred Heart Catholic Church.[6]
In 1989, Chaldean drug kingpin Harry Kalasho, a nephew of Louis Akrawi, was killed in a drive-by shooting, causing a Chaldean gang war which resulted in numerous shootings and bombings.[6]
In 1991, two associates of Louis Akrawi, Hatim Zakar and Najah Konja, were convicted in a conspiracy case inOakland County, while Akrawi was acquitted.[6]
Following an attempt on his life by a rival gang in 1993, Louis Akrawi hired two men to kill the owner of a Detroit party store. The assassination went awry, however, and an innocent bystander, Michael Cogborn, was shot dead. Akrawi was convicted of second-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to 15-to-25 years in prison. Akrawi was paroled in November 2011, but spent three months in jail waiting for deportation proceedings against him. Since Iraq did not accept deportees from the United States that had no travel documents, theMichigan Department of Corrections revoked Akrawi's parole and returned him to prison. After he was paroled again in February 2017, Akrawi, along with his former associates, Hatim Zakar and Najah Konja, were among over a hundred Chaldean Iraqi illegal immigrants with criminal records who were arrested in the Detroit area byImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations and targeted for deportation.[6]
The Chaldean mafia operatednarcotics distribution networks fromPhoenix andSan Diego toDetroit. The work of the Detroit Metropolitan Violent Crime Task Force—with representatives from theFBI, theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); theDrug Enforcement Administration (DEA), theDetroit Police Department, theMichigan State Police Department, and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office—resulted in the conviction of 111 subjects and the seizure of $5.3 million, 6.5 tons ofmarijuana, 25 kilograms ofcocaine, five pounds ofcrystal methamphetamine, and 78firearms.[7]
In 2011 "Operation Shadowbox", a joint investigation betweenEl Cajon, California police and the U.S.Drug Enforcement Administration into the trafficking of narcotics, firearms and explosives, allowed for the seizure of more than 13 pounds ofmethamphetamine; more than 5 pounds ofecstasy,pharmaceuticals,crack cocaine,heroin andcocaine; and more than 3,500 pounds ofmarijuana, most of which was likely smuggled through mastermind Furat Kalasho of Sterling Heights partnered with the Sinaloa Federation. Investigators also seized more than $630,000 in cash, three luxury cars, 34firearms and fourimprovised explosive devices.
"Operation Shadowbox" was a joint investigation betweenEl Cajon Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. On August 18, 2011 sixty Chaldeans were arrested at a Chaldean Social Club in El Cajon, near San Diego. This operation targeted mastermind BenKalasho of El Cajon, California. SWAT teams served search warrants on the club late Wednesday night, seizing more than $160,000 in cash as well as evidence of illegal gambling.[8]
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