My answer will probably get collapsed, because I was never in any mafia. All my observations come from an outsider's perspective. But here are my insights.

I was once invited aboard a yacht by a group of dudes who told me that they were "Austrian businessmen." I expressed some hesitation, saying that I had just bought a bus ticket.

"You will take the bus tomorrow. Today, you are our guest."

I was young and traveling alone in the Balkans, and I thought, “Okay! They seem friendly enough. This should be really fun. And if anything weird starts to happen, I'll just jump off the boat and swim away! It's not like I have any money or valuable possessions to lose.”

So, I got on the boat with them. The instant I set foot on it, I thought, “I should never take any pictures of anything on this boat. Ever.” I don't know why. That is just the first thing I thought.

Then, I noticed that they spoke to each other in what sounded like Russian. And their accents sounded Russian. And their passports were Russian. And they didn't have a good answer when I asked them what kind of businessmen they were.

And I vaguely remembered hearing a rumor that there was a "strong Russian mafia presence in this area."

This and other things convinced me that these were no "Austrian businessmen." But, they were nice guys. They completely respected our agreement that if I came with them, "Nothing weird would happen" (I thought I should probably directly tell them that, since I would be the only girl on a boat with 6+ guys). They laughed hard and loud. They ate well. They drank well, early and often. They were savvy and likable, even though I knew they weren't always telling me everything.

For example, why were there people being brought onto and off of the boat at all times of day (and night)? Did those two guys just exchange a briefcase? And why is everyone suddenly insisting that I go take out the jet ski now?

We sailed together for a few days. They set me up with my own bedroom, bathroom, and butler. They even brought in a bowl of lavender for my bedside table. I would swim and sail and make music all day. They participated in some of this with me, but business came first.

We would eat breakfast and lunch on the boat, and then go to port for dinner. It was kind of just like in a movie, where you walk into a restaurant without reservations, and they immediately recognize and hastily prepare a table for you. Once, this involved interrupting another group's meal.

One day, they got a phone call that they all had to go back to Russia right away. A helicopter was already on its way for them. They invited me to join, and I asked if I would need some kind of visa. One of them made a call, and a few minutes later it was taken care of.

Ultimately, I decided not to go with them, so we exchanged warm goodbyes.

So, like I said, they were all very nice guys. Some of them were even family men, although their families were at home. No one tried anything skeezy with me. They wanted me to feel at home. They were kind and friendly. Basically, they seemed like normal guys with a decent amount of money who were involved in some amount of shady business.