The thing is, the criminals do tend, and when I say "tend to" I mean "as far as I can tell, always are, although obviously just because I've not seen a counter example doesn't mean one doesn't exist" always be from similar ethnic groups.
You've heard of the Italian Mafia? A criminal organization where ethnicity was literally a criteria for admission? Or, while not criminal, Jewish diamond merchants? Having a specific ethnic group specialize in a certain type of commercial activity isn't new.
When that activity is trafficking drugs from Morocco, against the wishes of the local state, it's not surprising that the organization is largely composed of people who happen to share a common language, culture and ethnicity with Morroco.
And if you're wondering why Morocco, well that's where all the hashish is grown.
You've possibly been to "Chinatown" in a large city (say NYC). Now remplace east Asian immigration with North Africa immigration, replace the stereotypical restaurants and dry cleaners with drug dealing, and you have north Marseille.
This unfortunate fact actually drives a lot of the racism. If you ignore it because it sounds racist well... The problem will remain, refusing to accept that there currently is an ethnic group that dominates illegal drug trafficking in a certain place, due to ties with the source of the drug doesn't make it any less true.
Similarly, of you're smuggling cocaine into the US, speaking Spanish is a really good trait to have. Because the country that produces most of the cocaine speaks that language.
How does naming the ethnicity of a group of criminals help in solving or preventing the crimes the commit?
If there's a clear, proven answer to that, one that works obviously better than other methods to solve or prevent it, then by all means: name this parameter.
In all other cases, it helps nothing. If anything, its counterproductive.
Let me give an example: a significant portion of Dutch heavy criminals, in the niche of harddrug trafficking were raised in poverty (relatively, its still the netherlands), in tough neighborhoods, by parents/families that often fall partly outside of the established social constructs.
If you look carefully, non of these parameters are "of certain ethnicity", but the enthnic group underlies many of these parameters. A populist politician, or racist, would say "they are all Marroccan". Which, except for the absolutists "all" is true, even. But it doesn't help one bit in preventing this crime, catching the criminals or preventing new kids to become the next generation.
What helps is finding the traits that do lead to them turning criminal; many of these traits may stem from their ethnic background. Mind you: these traits are by no means excuses, merely traits that allow a clearer and more effective treatment of the societal illness that these criminals are.
(Source: my ex treated a.o. criminals at a TBS. Where phyches "dissect" these people in order to treat them so that some might some day return to society)
You've heard of the Italian Mafia? A criminal organization where ethnicity was literally a criteria for admission? Or, while not criminal, Jewish diamond merchants? Having a specific ethnic group specialize in a certain type of commercial activity isn't new.
When that activity is trafficking drugs from Morocco, against the wishes of the local state, it's not surprising that the organization is largely composed of people who happen to share a common language, culture and ethnicity with Morroco.
And if you're wondering why Morocco, well that's where all the hashish is grown.
You've possibly been to "Chinatown" in a large city (say NYC). Now remplace east Asian immigration with North Africa immigration, replace the stereotypical restaurants and dry cleaners with drug dealing, and you have north Marseille.
This unfortunate fact actually drives a lot of the racism. If you ignore it because it sounds racist well... The problem will remain, refusing to accept that there currently is an ethnic group that dominates illegal drug trafficking in a certain place, due to ties with the source of the drug doesn't make it any less true.
Similarly, of you're smuggling cocaine into the US, speaking Spanish is a really good trait to have. Because the country that produces most of the cocaine speaks that language.