Political Science and JPPL Grad John Wojcik on his journey to tackling organized crime with the UN

When he was studying at McMaster, John Wojcik BA ’17, MA ’18, always knew he was going straight into corporate law. So how did he land his ‘dream’ job for the United Nations in Thailand, part of a team tackling drug and human trafficking and cybercrime.

Well, that involves one inspiring political science course, supportive faculty members, and an internship with Global Affairs Canada and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in Laos.

But first, let’s look at the work Wojcik does for the UN.

A career in the field

Wojcik got his first big break through his internship in Laos with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Since then, Wojcik has worked throughout Southeast Asia, across organized crime portfolios including drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime.

Based in Bangkok, Thailand, he is currently an Organized Crime and Threat Monitoring Analyst with the UNODC regional headquarters where he covers a variety of portfolios.

Firstly, he works with UN member states and other stakeholders to research and analyze the patterns of organized crime across the region, such as drug trafficking routes and the locations and configurations of clandestine drug laboratories. He also helped gather strategic criminal intelligence and data in the spheres of cybercrime, money laundering and underground banking.

To facilitate the exchange of this information and create jointed-up strategies, the team gathers the various police, military, and intelligence agencies from across the region and around the world, which helps to design and adopt a harmonized regional response to tackle the illicit economy.

To bolster the work of the local agencies, Wojcik’s office offers technical assistance and capacity building to local organizations, providing training and support with crime scene, laboratory and computer forensics, crypto tracing, and a broad range of criminal investigations and other methods to tackle crime.

Finally, the team works to examine and update legislation in a race to fight against the ever-evolving threat of cybercrime and high-tech money laundering.

So what is his proudest achievement? That’s the number of major publications he’s lead, examining the intersection of organized crime and technological innovation.

It was his last two that made a big splash, which analyzed underground banking and organized crime in in Southeast Asia, and cyber-enabled fraud. It’s important research that he got to lead, leveraging the vast amounts of data available to a body like UNODC.

Hard work makes the dream work

When Wojcik was studying for his Justice, Political Philosophy & Law degree, he, like many other students, had a big dream: to one day work for the UN. But, he admits, the barriers seemed too high and it felt too inaccessible.

Instead, he decided to work towards getting a job in corporate law, taking the LSAT and applying to law school.

But one fateful class with Dr. Tony Porter– Global Political Economy– made Wojcik think that the Master’s route through the department of Political Science could be for him.

“I figured that a Master’s in International Relations and Global Political Economy would provide a platform through which I could really dive into a subject I felt passionate about while also helping me secure more scholarship funding through a stronger law school application that year,” he said.

“It was a no brainer, really. Little did I know that this decision would not only prove to offer one of the most formative academic experiences of my life but would fundamentally reshape my life and career path.”

Taking advantage of the various funding opportunities available to students, he enrolled in the MA in International Relations, specializing in global political economy and transnational criminal law.

And he knew right away that he had made the correct decision. For one thing, the faculty was incredibly supportive, he said, and he developed a strong rapport with Netina Tan, who helped Wojcik nail down his research topic: Transnational Criminal Law, Human Trafficking and Digitization in South East Asia.

The faculty’s support was instrumental to my early career success. I was immediately presented with exciting opportunities I hadn’t known existed and was firmly enabled by my supervisor and mentor who helped me take stock of my career goals and learning objectives which would lead me towards focusing on various issues in Southeast Asia,” he said.

“I can truly say that I wouldn’t have found my way to where I am today without Dr. Tan’s guidance, expertise, and relentless support and belief in me.”

Alongside the academics, Wojcik took advantage of the careers and experiential education opportunities that were provided by the faculty. He undertook two credit-bearing internships in two law firms, focussing on human rights and criminal defence.

Then, with help from McMaster, he landed the internship of his dreams, with Global Affairs Canada in Vientiane, Laos, working on the field office’s human trafficking and money laundering portfolios.

From then, he moved into the regional HQ of UNODC, and the rest is history.

And Wojcik would recommend an MA in International Relations to anyone interested in working for the UN, which requires the ability to research, write, think analytically, and understand the transnational nature of modern criminal justice.

“No matter what your niche, the skills and knowledge you develop in a political science degree leave you very well off to examine the policy-based dimensions of some of the most pressing global problems,” he said. “I came out of the programme as a sharp, capable analyst and diplomat, prepared to understand and break down the nature of the loopholes and policy gaps exploited by organized crime groups while advancing agendas to respond and address these rapidly evolving threats.”

And if you don’t know your niche already? No problem, said Wojcik.

“The political science MA looks at lots of different thematic areas, and one of them will light the spark for you to find your passion and pursue it.”