scholarly journals Interdicting International Drug Trafficking: a Network Approach for Coordinated and Targeted Interventions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Giommoni ◽  
Giulia Berlusconi ◽  
Alberto Aziani
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Edge Betweenness ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Social Network Approach ◽  
The Impact ◽  
International Trafficking

AbstractThere is a relative dearth of literature on both the effects of cross-border interdictions and the impact of different types of interventions on international drug trafficking. This study identifies the main trafficking routes for cocaine and heroin, along with comparing the disruptive effects induced by targeted and non-coordinated interventions. It adopts a social network approach to identify the routes along which cocaine and heroin are trafficked, and then simulates the impact of different interdiction strategies on these two trafficking networks. The findings indicate that targeting countries based on their respective positions in the networks, as opposed to on the basis of the quantity of drugs exchanged, is more likely to disrupt drug flows. More specifically, concentrating law enforcement resources on countries with several incoming or outgoing trafficking connections, or those countries that mediate between producer, transit and consumer countries, would appear to be particularly effective in this regard. Interventions focused on specific trafficking routes are also likely to be effective if these routes have high edge betweenness centrality scores. This study contributes to extant understanding on the vulnerability of cocaine and heroin international trafficking networks, and, moreover, demonstrates that empirically-driven strategies are potentially more effective at interdicting international trafficking than non-strategic and non-coordinated interventions.

Cloudy days ahead: Cross-border evidence collection and its impact on the rights of EU citizens

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-250
Author(s):  
Lawrence Siry
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Cloud Storage ◽  
The United States ◽  
Legal Assistance ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Evidence Collection ◽  
The Impact

In recent years, the development of cloud storage and the ease of cross-border communication have rendered the area of evidence collection particularly difficult for law enforcement agencies (LEAs), courts and academics. Evidence related to a criminal act in one jurisdiction might be stored in a different jurisdiction. Often it is not even clear in which jurisdiction the relevant data are, and at times the data may be spread over multiple jurisdictions. The traditional rules related to cross-border evidence collection, the mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) regimes, have proved to be out-dated, cumbersome and inefficient, as they were suited for a time when the seeking of cross-border evidence was more infrequent. In order to tackle this problem, the United States has enacted the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act, which gives extraterritorial e-evidence collection powers to US courts. Simultaneously, the European Union (EU) has proposed similar sweeping changes which would allow for LEAs in Member States to preserve and collect cloud-based evidence outside of the MLAT system. This article critically evaluates these developments from the perspective of the impact on the rights of EU citizens.

scholarly journals Measuring the scope of pro-Kremlin disinformation on Twitter

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yevgeniy Golovchenko
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Network ◽  
News Media ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Russian State ◽  
Region I ◽  
Social Network Approach ◽  
News Outlet ◽  
Combined Impact ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis article examines the scope of pro-Kremlin disinformation about Crimea. I deploy content analysis and a social network approach to analyze tweets related to the region. I find that pro-Kremlin disinformation partially penetrated the Twitter debates about Crimea. However, these disinformation narratives are accompanied by a much larger wave of information that disagrees with the disinformation and are less prevalent in relative terms. The impact of Russian state-controlled news outlets—which are frequent sources of pro-Kremlin disinformation—is concentrated in one, highly popular news outlet, RT. The few, popular Russian news media have to compete with many popular Western media outlets. As a result, the combined impact of Russian state-controlled outlets is relatively low when comparing to its Western alternatives.

scholarly journals Role of Victim in the Criminal Justice System

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 30-36
Author(s):  
MEERA MATHEW
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Crime Victims ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Victims Of Crime ◽  
The Impact

The victims of crime are those who have formerly endured injury or are possibly suffering as an outcome of crimes having been committed. The direct family or dependants of the direct victims, who are harmfully affected, are also included within the meaning of the term “Victims”. The predicament of the victims does not finish with the crime but it persists. It may even increase, following the crimes; since they have to face the rigors of the actuality, such as deficient support system, dearth of social backing, and sense of anxiety. They also experience the intricacy of police inquiry, magisterial investigation and criminal trial. The impact of victimization on different kinds of victims due to different types of crimes has been varied such as physical, psychological and financial. Through this paper writer has endeavored to check the situation of victims of crime in India and the criminal justice system. It is apparent that the desolation of the victims have not been effectively addressed or even gone out of contemplation. Victims are disregarded, may, forgotten. The paper also stresses the need to provide support to crime victims. The author of the present paper has also recommended some of the imperative steps that are to be implemented by the law enforcement agencies in India to improve the position of victims in the criminal justice system.

scholarly journals How Do Illicit Drugs Move Across Countries? A Network Analysis of the Heroin Supply to Europe

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Giommoni ◽  
Alberto Aziani ◽  
Giulia Berlusconi
Keyword(s):  
Network Analysis ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Geographical Proximity ◽  
Critical Component ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Contradictory Evidence ◽  
Specific Factors

Illicit drugs are trafficked across manifold borders before ultimately reaching consumers. Consequently, interdiction of cross-border drug trafficking forms a critical component of the European Union’s initiative to reduce drug supplies. However, there is contradictory evidence about its effectiveness, which is due, in part, to a paucity of information about how drugs flow across borders. This study uses a network approach to analyze international drug trafficking both to and within Europe, drawing on several perspectives to delineate the factors that affect how drug shipments move across borders. The analysis explicates how drug trafficking is concentrated along specific routes; moreover, we demonstrate that its structure is not random but, rather, driven by specific factors. In particular, corruption and social and geographical proximity are key factors explaining the configuration of heroin supply to European countries. This study also provides essential insights into the disruption of traffickers’ illicit activities.

scholarly journals U.S. Arrest of Former Mexican Defense Minister on Drug Charges Poses Challenges for Future Counter-Narcotics Cooperation

2021 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-340
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
The United States ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
Legal Assistance ◽  
Mutual Legal Assistance ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
The U.S

In October 2020, the United States arrested former Mexican Defense Secretary General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda on drug conspiracy charges, accusing him of accepting bribes to aid a Mexican cartel in evading law enforcement and transporting drugs into the United States. Cienfuegos's arrest sparked diplomatic protests from Mexico, which negotiated to gain Cienfuegos's release before exonerating him and publicizing the U.S. investigation file in what the United States called a breach of the countries’ mutual legal assistance treaty. The incident also prompted Mexico to pass a new law curtailing cooperation with foreign agents and potentially imperiling the long-standing U.S.-Mexico alliance in the fight against cross-border drug trafficking.

scholarly journals Hindering and supportive factors of cross-border information exchange

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-69
Author(s):  
Gábor Kemény
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Information Exchange ◽  
Exchange Process ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Theoretical Evaluation ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Transformational Leadership Style ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this paper is to provide a well-detailed insight into the theories of international law enforcement information exchange and by this to provide guidance to strategic level decision makers how to improve their work and efficiency. The author tries to achieve this goal by introducing the relevant scientific theories in the field of organisational cooperation and adapting  these ’civilian’ concepts to the specific law enforcement context. The theoretical  evaluation identifies three main environments, organisational, legal and technological (Yang and Maxwell, 2011), to find the supporting and hindering factors of law enforcement cross-border information exchange. Within the organisational environment the author examines how the bureaucratic organisational structure, the diverse organisational culture, trust, reciprocity and leadership influences the information sharing process. Under the policy environment, the impact of the national and EU legislation is introduced. Furthermore, the consequences of various data protection and privacy regulations, lack of harmonised national legislation and diverse interpretation of the policies are outlined under this section. Lastly, the characteristics of the hindering and supporting technological environment is detailed. Here we discuss the issue of interoperability, homogeneity and the state of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) system and its impact to the exchange process. Based on the findings, the necessary conclusions are deducted and recommendations are elaborated which helps to eliminate barriers and thereby to create a supportive organisational environment. The most important recommendations are: to avoid coercive bureaucracy; to promote transformational leadership style and shared organisational culture; to establish a unified and harmonized legal background for cross-border information exchange; to create an information exchange friendly ICT environment and to ensure interoperability, homogeneity.

Social Networks

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk A. Foster ◽  
Victoria A. Charles
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Relational Patterns ◽  
Social Network Approach ◽  
Flow Through

Social networks are structures composed of relational patterns of interactions among a set of actors. These actors may be individuals, families, groups, or organizations connected through expressed ties that allow information and resources to flow through the network. Considering a social network approach in research and practice shifts the focus from the attributes of actors within the network to the relations between them. In understanding how the relational ties influence issues of concern, we may better understand phenomena and devise targeted interventions effectively and efficiently. In this article we discuss the types of social networks, provide an overview of social network analysis, use social capital to contextualize the effects of networks, and provide implications of social networks for social work research and practice.

scholarly journals Rules of the Road: Compliance and Defiance among the Different Types of Cyclists

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (9) ◽  
pp. 34-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Chaloux ◽  
Ahmed El-Geneidy
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
North American ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
The Road ◽  
Rule Compliance ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Attractive Option ◽  
Rule Breaking ◽  
American Cities

Although cycling has become a more attractive option to commuters in many North American cities recently, significant apprehension remains around its safety. Though risks experienced by cyclists are diverse, the idea that they are because of scofflaw cyclists—cyclists who regularly ignore the rules of the road—remains prevalent. Improving cycling safety requires countering this idea, and therefore an understanding of how different cyclists act under the existing rules. Using a survey of 1,329 cyclists in Montreal, Canada, this study generated a typology of cyclists based on cycling motivations and behaviors and conducted comparisons based on their responses to four cycling rule-breaking scenarios. Our study shows that all cyclist types contravene traffic laws in similar ways, and 0.6% of respondents consistently follow the traffic laws. Breaking the law was often considered the safest option by respondents, which reflects a disconnect between the safety goals of traffic laws and the reality on the streets based on the perspectives of different cyclist types. Although cyclist types may act similarly in response to existing laws, they still respond uniquely to policies aimed at increasing rule adherence. Targeted interventions aimed at educating young cyclists, improving dedicated infrastructure, and prioritizing cycling traffic could increase rule compliance across all types. Through our study, planners, policy makers, and law enforcement could improve cycling safety by better understanding the behavior and rationale taken by cyclists.

Myanmar military will retain edge over key opponent

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
Military Regime ◽  
Political Support ◽  
National Unity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Impact

Significance The military regime continues to crack down on anti-coup protesters. The National Unity Government (NUG) -- a parallel administration established by ousted lawmakers and other protest leaders -- has formed a People’s Defence Force (PDF) and seeks the support of ethnically based insurgents involved in long-running conflicts with the military. Impacts Rising violence will make it harder for Myanmar to contain its upsurge in COVID-19 cases. Cross-border drug trafficking will increase as the military eases up on local cartels in return for political support. Western powers will ramp up sanctions on the military while continuing to strive to limit the impact of these measures on wider society.

scholarly journals West Africa – the Region’s Pivotal Role in International Drug Trafficking

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-32
Author(s):  
Richard Rousseau
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
Illicit Drug ◽  
Drug Trade ◽  
African Continent ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Criminal Organizations ◽  
Drug Traffickers ◽  
Drugs And Crime ◽  
The Impact

Africa is a pivotal continent for international drug traffickers and criminal organizations. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates, approximately 40 to 50 tons of cocaine destined for the European market passes through the African continent each year.1 The illicit profits from such activities amount to at least 1.8 billion dollars, but it could be much larger according to some estimates. Such profits provide drug traffickers with the financial means to destabilize already weak governmental structures and law enforcement institutions in various African countries. This massive profits fuel a trade that has far reaching consequences for Africa and the destination countries for these illegal drugs. What is the impact of the illicit drug trade on Africa?

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