Pub Date : 2022-04-03DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2022.2087956
D. Décary‐Hétu, R. Boivin
This special issue is the third in a series of three to celebrate the contribution that Carlo Morselli made to the field of criminology before passing away in October 2020. In the first special issue that was published in Global Crime, we presented the history of social network analysis (SNA) in general, as well as in the field of criminology. Carlo Morselli was not the first to raise the importance of social ties for the development of criminal trajectories; many classical criminology theories such as differential association (Sutherland, 1947) and social learning (Akers, 1985) focus on the role of social ties after all. The social network analysis approach, however, builds on these theories, and provides much needed metrics on the structure of ties, and the ability to test hypotheses empirically.
{"title":"The criminology of Carlo Morselli II","authors":"D. Décary‐Hétu, R. Boivin","doi":"10.1080/17440572.2022.2087956","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2022.2087956","url":null,"abstract":"This special issue is the third in a series of three to celebrate the contribution that Carlo Morselli made to the field of criminology before passing away in October 2020. In the first special issue that was published in Global Crime, we presented the history of social network analysis (SNA) in general, as well as in the field of criminology. Carlo Morselli was not the first to raise the importance of social ties for the development of criminal trajectories; many classical criminology theories such as differential association (Sutherland, 1947) and social learning (Akers, 1985) focus on the role of social ties after all. The social network analysis approach, however, builds on these theories, and provides much needed metrics on the structure of ties, and the ability to test hypotheses empirically.","PeriodicalId":12676,"journal":{"name":"Global Crime","volume":"23 1","pages":"123 - 125"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42362985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-04-03DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2022.2086125
M. Soudijn, Irma J. Vermeulen, Wouter van der Leest
ABSTRACT The confiscation of the server of an encrypted telephone provider resulted in the retrieval of millions of text messages about covert activities that were overtly discussed between criminals. It provided a unique window into serious organised crime and the people involved. In this article, a social network analysis was carried out on accounts who communicated about synthetic drug trafficking. The sheer number of accounts (N = 4,158) and messages threads (12,085) allows for a meso level analysis of the structural characteristics of the networks involved. Three findings stand out. Firstly, the majority (58%) of the accounts active in the synthetic drug market is involved in poly-drug trafficking. Secondly, three-quarters of all accounts are interconnected in a giant component, resulting in a criminal small-world effect. Thirdly, the network appears to be robust. As a consequence, the removal of central accounts will hardly have any impact on the network as a whole.
{"title":"When encryption fails: a glimpse behind the curtain of synthetic drug trafficking networks","authors":"M. Soudijn, Irma J. Vermeulen, Wouter van der Leest","doi":"10.1080/17440572.2022.2086125","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2022.2086125","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The confiscation of the server of an encrypted telephone provider resulted in the retrieval of millions of text messages about covert activities that were overtly discussed between criminals. It provided a unique window into serious organised crime and the people involved. In this article, a social network analysis was carried out on accounts who communicated about synthetic drug trafficking. The sheer number of accounts (N = 4,158) and messages threads (12,085) allows for a meso level analysis of the structural characteristics of the networks involved. Three findings stand out. Firstly, the majority (58%) of the accounts active in the synthetic drug market is involved in poly-drug trafficking. Secondly, three-quarters of all accounts are interconnected in a giant component, resulting in a criminal small-world effect. Thirdly, the network appears to be robust. As a consequence, the removal of central accounts will hardly have any impact on the network as a whole.","PeriodicalId":12676,"journal":{"name":"Global Crime","volume":"23 1","pages":"216 - 239"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43462602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-04-03DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2022.2077330
Maria Jofre
ABSTRACT The present study aims to support existing risk assessment tools by proposing an innovative network-oriented methodology based on ownership information. The approach involves calculating company-level indicators that are then transformed into red flags and used to rate risk. To this end, we collect data on companies active in the division of gambling and betting activities in Malta, and further combine them with information on enforcement actions imposed on Maltese companies, their beneficial owners, intermediate shareholders and subsidiaries. Correlation analysis and statistical testing were performed to assess the individual relevance of company-level indicators, while machine learning methods were employed to validate the usefulness of the indicators when used collectively. We conclude that the intelligent use of ownership information and proper analysis of ownership networks greatly supports the detection of firms involved in financial crime, hence the recommendation to adopt akin approaches to improve risk assessment strategies.
{"title":"Network analysis for financial crime risk assessment: the case study of the gambling division in Malta","authors":"Maria Jofre","doi":"10.1080/17440572.2022.2077330","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2022.2077330","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The present study aims to support existing risk assessment tools by proposing an innovative network-oriented methodology based on ownership information. The approach involves calculating company-level indicators that are then transformed into red flags and used to rate risk. To this end, we collect data on companies active in the division of gambling and betting activities in Malta, and further combine them with information on enforcement actions imposed on Maltese companies, their beneficial owners, intermediate shareholders and subsidiaries. Correlation analysis and statistical testing were performed to assess the individual relevance of company-level indicators, while machine learning methods were employed to validate the usefulness of the indicators when used collectively. We conclude that the intelligent use of ownership information and proper analysis of ownership networks greatly supports the detection of firms involved in financial crime, hence the recommendation to adopt akin approaches to improve risk assessment strategies.","PeriodicalId":12676,"journal":{"name":"Global Crime","volume":"23 1","pages":"148 - 170"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42441065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-04-03DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2022.2086124
Hernan Mondani, A. Rostami
ABSTRACT Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) have received increased attention from both law enforcement agencies and the research community. This study investigates the criminal collaboration patterns of two OMGs with a long history of hostilities. We use government data on individuals registered as belonging to Hells Angels MC, Bandidos MC and individuals with multiple OMG memberships, and suspicion data from 2011 to 2016 to build co-offending networks. Our results show that members of multiple OMGs tend to have higher centrality and clustering. These members also have the highest levels of suspicions per capita, and most of the co-offending is related to nexus links involving multiple membership individuals. They can be described as ‘criminal nomads’, collaborating with individuals from different organisations. Our results suggest that core members tend to engage in white-collar crime to a greater extent than those on the periphery, which tend to engage more in violence and drug crime.
{"title":"Criminal nomads: The role of multiple memberships in the criminal collaboration network between Hells Angels MC and Bandidos MC","authors":"Hernan Mondani, A. Rostami","doi":"10.1080/17440572.2022.2086124","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2022.2086124","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) have received increased attention from both law enforcement agencies and the research community. This study investigates the criminal collaboration patterns of two OMGs with a long history of hostilities. We use government data on individuals registered as belonging to Hells Angels MC, Bandidos MC and individuals with multiple OMG memberships, and suspicion data from 2011 to 2016 to build co-offending networks. Our results show that members of multiple OMGs tend to have higher centrality and clustering. These members also have the highest levels of suspicions per capita, and most of the co-offending is related to nexus links involving multiple membership individuals. They can be described as ‘criminal nomads’, collaborating with individuals from different organisations. Our results suggest that core members tend to engage in white-collar crime to a greater extent than those on the periphery, which tend to engage more in violence and drug crime.","PeriodicalId":12676,"journal":{"name":"Global Crime","volume":"23 1","pages":"193 - 215"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43999647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-02-23DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2022.2031152
Lonie Sebagh, Jonathan Lusthaus, Edoardo Gallo, Federico Varese, Sean Sirur
ABSTRACT Cybercriminal markets serve as hubs for offenders and enable the sale of illegal goods and services. Thus far, the primary tactics that have been employed against these sites are arrests of cybercriminals and takedowns of marketplace infrastructure. This research note examines a different genus of disruptive strategy: attacks on user reputation. In this area, there has been some scholarly discussion of slander and Sybil operations as a means of fostering distrust. But carrying out empirical work on the effectiveness of these tactics is challenging. This research note presents a possible method for investigating this topic: social laboratory experiments. It reports on a feasibility pilot study inspired by cybercrime disruption, but which speaks to a broader range of extra-legal markets.
{"title":"Cooperation and distrust in extra-legal networks: a research note on the experimental study of marketplace disruption","authors":"Lonie Sebagh, Jonathan Lusthaus, Edoardo Gallo, Federico Varese, Sean Sirur","doi":"10.1080/17440572.2022.2031152","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2022.2031152","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Cybercriminal markets serve as hubs for offenders and enable the sale of illegal goods and services. Thus far, the primary tactics that have been employed against these sites are arrests of cybercriminals and takedowns of marketplace infrastructure. This research note examines a different genus of disruptive strategy: attacks on user reputation. In this area, there has been some scholarly discussion of slander and Sybil operations as a means of fostering distrust. But carrying out empirical work on the effectiveness of these tactics is challenging. This research note presents a possible method for investigating this topic: social laboratory experiments. It reports on a feasibility pilot study inspired by cybercrime disruption, but which speaks to a broader range of extra-legal markets.","PeriodicalId":12676,"journal":{"name":"Global Crime","volume":"23 1","pages":"259 - 283"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48595580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2022.2028622
Marie Ouellet, D. Décary‐Hétu, Andréanne Bergeron
ABSTRACT Criminal capital theory suggests more experienced offenders receive higher returns from crime. Offenders who accrue skills over their criminal career are better able to minimise detection, increase profits, and navigate illegal markets. Yet shifts in the offending landscape to technologically-dependent crimes have led some to suggest that the skills necessary to be successful in conventional crimes no longer apply, meaning ‘traditional’ criminals may be left behind. The recent turn of drug vendors to online markets provides an opportunity to investigate whether ‘street smarts’ translate to success in technologically-dependent crimes. This study surveys 51 drug vendors on online drug markets to compare individuals who began their drug-selling career in physical drug markets with vendors whose onset began on digital platforms. The findings suggest vendors who broker between online and offline drug markets are better positioned to maximize profits. The results inform potential spillover effects from offline drug-selling into online marketplaces.
{"title":"Cryptomarkets and the returns to criminal experience","authors":"Marie Ouellet, D. Décary‐Hétu, Andréanne Bergeron","doi":"10.1080/17440572.2022.2028622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2022.2028622","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Criminal capital theory suggests more experienced offenders receive higher returns from crime. Offenders who accrue skills over their criminal career are better able to minimise detection, increase profits, and navigate illegal markets. Yet shifts in the offending landscape to technologically-dependent crimes have led some to suggest that the skills necessary to be successful in conventional crimes no longer apply, meaning ‘traditional’ criminals may be left behind. The recent turn of drug vendors to online markets provides an opportunity to investigate whether ‘street smarts’ translate to success in technologically-dependent crimes. This study surveys 51 drug vendors on online drug markets to compare individuals who began their drug-selling career in physical drug markets with vendors whose onset began on digital platforms. The findings suggest vendors who broker between online and offline drug markets are better positioned to maximize profits. The results inform potential spillover effects from offline drug-selling into online marketplaces.","PeriodicalId":12676,"journal":{"name":"Global Crime","volume":"23 1","pages":"65 - 80"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46934587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2022.2069934
R. Boivin, D. Décary‐Hétu
The idea that social relationships are central to the understanding of human phenomena draws its roots from Jacob Moreno’s work in 1934. He suggested that social ties between youths could explain a series of runaways in an American school for girls. That contribution, among others made at about the same time, paved the way for social network analysis (SNA), a set of methods and approaches that studies dyadic relationships and their connections to other dyads in the same network (Scott & Carrington, 2011). SNA has by now proven to be a fruitful way to understand a variety of phenomena, especially in sociology (Borgatti, Mehra, Brass, Labianca, 2009). Surprisingly enough, SNA was not widely adopted in criminology until the end of the 20 century (McGloin & Kirk, 2010), even if the notion that individuals are interdependent could be found in specific contexts, such as the study of victims and offenders in the context of domestic violence, for example, (Beck, Newton, Berk, 1986). It took researchers like Carlo Morselli to apply the principles of SNA and graph theory to criminological objects (see, Morselli (2009) for a review). As a researcher, Morselli embodied SNA: he was a so-called ‘broker’ in his network of social scientists, linking dozens of excellent researchers that he collaborated with, directly or not. Granovetter’s (1973) showed that ‘weak ties’ – or acquaintances – were important in the diffusion of new ideas, and Morselli put that insight to practice in criminology. He started with discussions about the sociology of deviance with his mentor, Pierre Tremblay, and turned it into a research agenda that covered a wide range of topics, from criminal achievement (Morselli & Royer, 2008; Morselli, Tremblay, McCarthy, 2006) to organised crime (Morselli, 2009; 2010). Both the editors of this issue had the opportunity to work with Carlo Morselli, even if, at the time, we worked on completely different topics: the social organisation of cyberoffenders for David Décary-Hétu, and international drug trafficking for Rémi Boivin. Morselli brought us to use similar methods and find commonalities. When we started discussing the production of a special issue to commemorate the legacy of Carlo Morselli in criminology, we were surprised by the number and diversity of researchers that wanted to contribute. Of course, we expected positive responses from Morselli’s social ties within his own institution, the Université de Montréal. These included the editorial team, Frédéric Ouellet and Martin Bouchard, all alumnis of the School of Criminology of the Université de Montréal. We also received dozens of propositions from across the world. The production of this special issue, along with the two others that will
{"title":"Introduction: the criminology of Carlo Morselli","authors":"R. Boivin, D. Décary‐Hétu","doi":"10.1080/17440572.2022.2069934","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2022.2069934","url":null,"abstract":"The idea that social relationships are central to the understanding of human phenomena draws its roots from Jacob Moreno’s work in 1934. He suggested that social ties between youths could explain a series of runaways in an American school for girls. That contribution, among others made at about the same time, paved the way for social network analysis (SNA), a set of methods and approaches that studies dyadic relationships and their connections to other dyads in the same network (Scott & Carrington, 2011). SNA has by now proven to be a fruitful way to understand a variety of phenomena, especially in sociology (Borgatti, Mehra, Brass, Labianca, 2009). Surprisingly enough, SNA was not widely adopted in criminology until the end of the 20 century (McGloin & Kirk, 2010), even if the notion that individuals are interdependent could be found in specific contexts, such as the study of victims and offenders in the context of domestic violence, for example, (Beck, Newton, Berk, 1986). It took researchers like Carlo Morselli to apply the principles of SNA and graph theory to criminological objects (see, Morselli (2009) for a review). As a researcher, Morselli embodied SNA: he was a so-called ‘broker’ in his network of social scientists, linking dozens of excellent researchers that he collaborated with, directly or not. Granovetter’s (1973) showed that ‘weak ties’ – or acquaintances – were important in the diffusion of new ideas, and Morselli put that insight to practice in criminology. He started with discussions about the sociology of deviance with his mentor, Pierre Tremblay, and turned it into a research agenda that covered a wide range of topics, from criminal achievement (Morselli & Royer, 2008; Morselli, Tremblay, McCarthy, 2006) to organised crime (Morselli, 2009; 2010). Both the editors of this issue had the opportunity to work with Carlo Morselli, even if, at the time, we worked on completely different topics: the social organisation of cyberoffenders for David Décary-Hétu, and international drug trafficking for Rémi Boivin. Morselli brought us to use similar methods and find commonalities. When we started discussing the production of a special issue to commemorate the legacy of Carlo Morselli in criminology, we were surprised by the number and diversity of researchers that wanted to contribute. Of course, we expected positive responses from Morselli’s social ties within his own institution, the Université de Montréal. These included the editorial team, Frédéric Ouellet and Martin Bouchard, all alumnis of the School of Criminology of the Université de Montréal. We also received dozens of propositions from across the world. The production of this special issue, along with the two others that will","PeriodicalId":12676,"journal":{"name":"Global Crime","volume":"23 1","pages":"1 - 4"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43399199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2022.2047654
David Bright, C. Whelan, Marie Ouellet
ABSTRACT The current study aims to expand the geographic breadth of co-offending research by providing one of the first examinations of co-offending within Australia. We find co-offending was more common for some crimes than others. Individuals arrested for homicide had some of the highest co-offending rates and were more frequently observed in the core of the co-offending network. Females had higher rates of co-offending than males, and differences between sexes were most pronounced for sexual assault. However, females were underrepresented in the core of the network as compared to males. Lastly, co-offending declined with age, with the exception of drug offences for which co-offending was slightly more common among older age groups. Despite declines in co-offending overall, all age groups were equally represented in the network’s core. Results emphasise the importance of disaggregating co-offending by crime type and examining co-offending across international contexts to better inform theory and policy.
{"title":"Assessing variation in co-offending networks","authors":"David Bright, C. Whelan, Marie Ouellet","doi":"10.1080/17440572.2022.2047654","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2022.2047654","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The current study aims to expand the geographic breadth of co-offending research by providing one of the first examinations of co-offending within Australia. We find co-offending was more common for some crimes than others. Individuals arrested for homicide had some of the highest co-offending rates and were more frequently observed in the core of the co-offending network. Females had higher rates of co-offending than males, and differences between sexes were most pronounced for sexual assault. However, females were underrepresented in the core of the network as compared to males. Lastly, co-offending declined with age, with the exception of drug offences for which co-offending was slightly more common among older age groups. Despite declines in co-offending overall, all age groups were equally represented in the network’s core. Results emphasise the importance of disaggregating co-offending by crime type and examining co-offending across international contexts to better inform theory and policy.","PeriodicalId":12676,"journal":{"name":"Global Crime","volume":"23 1","pages":"101 - 121"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48929063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-01-02DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2022.2042261
Paolo Campana, Federico Varese
ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore the determinants of co-membership in organised crime groups in a British police force. We find that co-membership of OCGs is higher among individuals who share the same ethnicity and nationality; who have committed acts of violence; and who perpetrate the vast majority of their crimes in the same area. We also find a homophily tendency in relation to age and gender, and that task specialisation within groups is driven by the type of activity. We interpret some results as conforming to the argument that recruitment from a small area and similar ethnic/national background increases cooperation and reduces the likelihood of opportunistic behaviour in a context of rather effective policing. Our findings do not conform to the suggestive image of OC members as ‘urban marauders’ and OCGs as large and powerful multinationals. OCGs tend to be small, localised and formed by people with the same background.
{"title":"The determinants of group membership in organized crime in the UK: A network study","authors":"Paolo Campana, Federico Varese","doi":"10.1080/17440572.2022.2042261","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2022.2042261","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore the determinants of co-membership in organised crime groups in a British police force. We find that co-membership of OCGs is higher among individuals who share the same ethnicity and nationality; who have committed acts of violence; and who perpetrate the vast majority of their crimes in the same area. We also find a homophily tendency in relation to age and gender, and that task specialisation within groups is driven by the type of activity. We interpret some results as conforming to the argument that recruitment from a small area and similar ethnic/national background increases cooperation and reduces the likelihood of opportunistic behaviour in a context of rather effective policing. Our findings do not conform to the suggestive image of OC members as ‘urban marauders’ and OCGs as large and powerful multinationals. OCGs tend to be small, localised and formed by people with the same background.","PeriodicalId":12676,"journal":{"name":"Global Crime","volume":"23 1","pages":"5 - 22"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2022-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47688577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-12-09DOI: 10.1080/17440572.2021.2012460
G. Berlusconi
ABSTRACT This paper investigates the impact of the targeting of key players by law enforcement on the structure, communication strategies, and activities of a drug trafficking network. Data are extracted from judicial court documents. The unique nature of the investigation – which saw a key player being arrested mid-investigation but police monitoring continuing for another year – allows to compare the network before and after targeting. This paper combines a quantitative element where network statistics and exponential random graph models are used to describe and explain structural changes over time, and a qualitative element where the content of wiretapped conversations is analysed. After law enforcement targeting, network members favoured security over efficiency, although criminal collaboration continued after the arrest of the key player. This paper contributes to the growing literature on the efficiency-security trade-off in criminal networks, and discusses policy implications for repressive policies in illegal drug markets.
{"title":"Come at the king, you best not miss: criminal network adaptation after law enforcement targeting of key players","authors":"G. Berlusconi","doi":"10.1080/17440572.2021.2012460","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2021.2012460","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper investigates the impact of the targeting of key players by law enforcement on the structure, communication strategies, and activities of a drug trafficking network. Data are extracted from judicial court documents. The unique nature of the investigation – which saw a key player being arrested mid-investigation but police monitoring continuing for another year – allows to compare the network before and after targeting. This paper combines a quantitative element where network statistics and exponential random graph models are used to describe and explain structural changes over time, and a qualitative element where the content of wiretapped conversations is analysed. After law enforcement targeting, network members favoured security over efficiency, although criminal collaboration continued after the arrest of the key player. This paper contributes to the growing literature on the efficiency-security trade-off in criminal networks, and discusses policy implications for repressive policies in illegal drug markets.","PeriodicalId":12676,"journal":{"name":"Global Crime","volume":"23 1","pages":"44 - 64"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2021-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43444058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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