Why Does Money Change Hands Over A Dumpsite?

I've begun a bit of a study of organized crime, as related to the waste disposal industry; and am piecing together info on the Internet attempting to picture what this might look like today. My study was sparked by a quote to this effect: Radioactive waste disposal is taken care of by Mafia-related companies which exist because Republicans (pro-business types) put up the money!
Well, that got me thinking about what I'd read about rich Republicans greasing the palms of Texas legislators in return for a low level rad waste site in West Texas-with weird laws being passed and aquifer bounderies disputed and re-drawn!

Wait a minute! I'm not sure organized crime exists any more, so this is what I've READ and am weighing for truth and reality:
Organized crime does exist, but drains money mostly from the federal government now.
Working with cities is not lucrative enough and is too obvious; bigger bucks and less oversight exist at the higher federal level. Cyber crime is one current activity that channels funds toward the unscrupulous; making false claims for services-like health services - is another.
Drug production (meth, for example) and explosives manufacturing are possible organized crime past times especially if connected to a "front" chemical company. Such companies need a trusty place to dump waste as they
hide activities that could, as one article phrased it, "contribute to the downfall of the United States."

Organized crime does not equal big Sicilian families-anyone making money illegally can qualify!
Organized crime in the waste industry was publicized and addressed in NYC in the 90s by Mayor Giulliani. One big waste company controlling the NYC market changed hands after Giulliani's crack-down, and was bought by a major Texas company; which I cite to make the point that, when companies change hands, past crimes "disappear." The slate is wiped clean. Reborn and renamed companies "lay low"-off the radar screen-until new charges can be proved. Who knows if the new company is fundamentally different than the old one.
In other countries such as Italy, the mob has dumped well over a hundred canisters of radioactive waste into the sea, and is presently being charged with that crime. Fortunately, this travesty was discovered-at least once! Who knows how long the activity had gone on.

More to come on this, but let me leave you with a thought:
One can be so driven to make money, that one wants to make big, expensive problems like toxic waste go away fast and cheaply! There have always been people who'll hire others to do this dirty work and keep a sizable profit-people who don't care about the health risks to workers or the public.
When we see cash from an individual or PAC changing hands over a dumpsite, we need to ask why. Why would you pay legislators for a legitimate business opportunity that would be beneficial to our state? WHY? WHY? WHY?

Note: I would be the last person on earth to have first-hand knowledge of organized criminal activities, but I am a reader and student, someone who is trying to connect general knowledge with what I see in the world. Two plus two may be five, but maybe not. If we think and work together, it won't take fifty years for the truth about rad waste storage to come out!