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Investigating organised human trafficking criminality is neither easy nor straightforward. Among the complexity is the need to balance and secure multiple, and often competing, investigative goals. Using case studies of actual human trafficking investigations in England, the present exploratory study provides insights into the tensions between safeguarding victims while also (at the same time) building up evidence against those who exploit them in order to secure a successful prosecution. Findings reveal that factors associated with the assessed level of risk of victims, the intelligence available at the start of the investigation and police resources (balanced with opportunities and risk to secure the investigative goals) influence the investigative approach followed and strategies implemented, particularly those aiming to engage with victims. The exploratory findings illustrate the importance of intelligence in risk assessment and decision-making processes during police operations, but also the need to conduct yet further research on risk assessment within the context of human trafficking investigations to inform policy and decision-making policing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an introduction to the articles submitted to the special issue of Trends in Organized Crime on 'Crime and Networks'. The aim of this special issue is to advance our relational understanding of organised crime, gangs and crime more generally by presenting six works exploring a diverse set of questions related to organised crime, street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, money laundering and groups operating in cyberspace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the structure of organised crime movement across local communities and the drivers underpinning such movement. Firstly, it builds on network analysis to offer a novel methodological approach to empirically and quantitatively study the movement of organised crime offenders across geographical areas. The paper then applies this approach to evidence from Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. It reconstructs the movement of organised crime members across local areas based on a large-scale police dataset that includes 41 months of recorded crime events. It identifies organised crime "turf" and "target" areas and then explores the drivers of movement from the former to the latter using Exponential Random Graph Models. Findings confirm that geographical distance matters; however, socio-demographic, urban, economic and crime-related characteristics of communities play a key role. Organised crime group members target urban communities with higher than average illegal market opportunities (proxied by drug-related activity). The work also finds the effect of socio-demographic homophily between turf and target communities, suggesting that organised crime group members might target territories that are similar to their own. While a high level of deprivation makes a community more likely to send organised crime members, its impact on a community's probability of being a receiver is less clear. Finally, the paper offers a way to identify communities (local areas) at risk of being targeted by criminal organisations, thus providing practitioners with a tool for early interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakhanate states or states reflecting tendencies of pakhanate, are a historically well-known phenomenon. These states are also referred to as Mafia states. Classic examples of states where tendencies of pakhanate occurred, were Russia and Japan. Currently many states are identified as pakhanate states, examples of which are Venezuela, Columbia, Kosovo, Syria, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Myanmar, Transnistria and Mexico, as prominent pakhanate tendencies are being observed there. Pakhanate states (or related tendencies) can be identified because of a lack of clear differentiation between the political and criminal elite in a particular state and their related decisions. This, according to Naim (2012:1), is referred to as "a fusing of government and criminal groups" in a world that is experiencing "a revolution of crime". Pakhanate tendencies, although unique within their own context, are developing throughout the world against the backdrop of a combination of factors, including a history of crime and the existence of established criminal syndicates; states that experienced fundamental change and where low levels of political institutionalisation and power vacuums occur; existing historical trends of patrimonialism and neo-patrimonial tendencies within states; nondemocratic tendencies in general, and sometimes an environment where neo-liberal values and a free trade environment provide the space for criminally orientated organisations to grow and establish their authority. Access to sophisticated technology, for example weapons, communication logistics and infrastructure, seems to be of critical importance in the development and growth of pakhanate tendencies. By making use of theoretical principles emphasising the Weberian "strong state" and "constitutional government" and related underlying principles and norms, this article critically assesses pakhanate states and related tendencies. Criteria related to the so-called Weberian strong state have been identified and qualified with normative criteria (democratic in nature), emphasising aspects such as constitutionalism, the public good, and the notion of responsible government and sound principles related to good governance. In a world that is currently experiencing fundamental change, weakening states, escalating conflicts and war, the prominence of non-state actors operating in an environment of freedom, and limited control, with access to modern and sophisticated technology, pakhanate tendencies seem to be on the increase. Against the background of extensive endemic corruption, state capture and concomitant investigations, it can be asked with good cause if South Africa belongs to this category of states. Several authors and writers such as Africa, Vegter and others have reflected on Mafia tendencies within the South African state and society. These perspectives are related to several recent works discussing endemic corruption and state capture within the South African context. This is related to the investigation of the Zondo Commission and its report linking influential politicians and the ruling ANC to endemic corruption and state capture. To support this perspective, the Global Organised Crime Index (2023) positions South Africa at number 7 within the category referred to as "mafia states". This is just below the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Nigeria. This article conceptualises and contextualises the concept pakhanate state (or related tendencies) and evaluates the South African context with reference to theoretical criteria identified in the discussion. Focus points of the article include: • characteristics and functions of the traditional nation state;. • normative criteria referring to the concept of a strong and constitutional state; • a conceptualisation and operationalisation of the pakhanate phenomenon; • the identification of the pakhanate phenomenon as a worldwide tendency; • application and assessment of the application of the pakhanate phenomenon within the Sout African context; and • concluding perspectives. From a methodological perspective, this study is qualitative and deductive in nature, with an application with reference to identified case studies - particularly South African. An assessment of the South African context will be made by using the criteria associated with pakhanate states and the related phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two images dominate discussion of money laundering. Investigative journalists and politicians stress the variety and sophistication of methods that have been used to launder money of corrupt officials and white collar offenders. The research literature, largely dependent on criminal cases, emphasizes how unsophisticated and routine are the laundering methods used by drug dealers and other illegal market participants. The discrepancy may reflect the incapacity of police to detect sophisticated money laundering but it may also represent the reality; different groups of offenders choose different methods. This paper presents a theoretical framework to explain how offenders choose to launder their criminal earnings. Specifically it asks: what determines the sophistication of the method chosen? Among the variables that we suggest influence the choice are: (a) the type of predicate crime and of crime proceeds, (b) the type of offender (age, education, social status), (c) his/her motivations, (d) the AML environment and the level of AML controls. The paper provides arguments from criminological and economic theory for how these variables might play a role. Without claiming that individual cases can test the theory, we offer some case narratives to suggest the plausibility of the factors that we propose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High End Money Laundering (HEML) was first introduced as a concept in the UK in 2014 and has since been held up, along with Cash Based Money Laundering (CBML), as the UK's top money laundering risk (National Crime Agency (NCA), (2014). High End Money Laundering Strategy and Action Plan, accessed via: file (nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk), on 16/07/2023; HM Government, (2023). Economic Crime Plan 2, accessed via: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-crime-plan-2023-to-2026, on 16/07/2023). Whilst most writing on CBML and HEML define these terms as relating to the nature of the original criminal proceeds (i.e., whether they were originally generated as cash or as electronic money) there is blurring and ambiguity in the terms (National Crime Agency (NCA), (2014). High End Money Laundering Strategy and Action Plan, accessed via: file (nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk), on 16/07/2023). People also talk about HEML and CBML methods, which do not necessarily relate to what form the original criminal proceeds were in (HM Government, (2023). Economic Crime Plan 2, accessed via: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-crime-plan-2023-to-2026, on 16/07/2023). This definitional confusion is underpinned by a near total absence of empirical investigations of the phenomena. In this paper I use unique access to case level detail from 31 of His Majesty's Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) Fraud Investigation Service money laundering investigations, to explore the hypothesis that high-end vs. cash-based is a meaningful disaggregation. I find that what form the original criminal proceeds were generated in does meaningfully impact patterns of subsequent money laundering and is therefore conceptually useful. I also find co-occurrence between HEML methods and CBML methods and use of cash in cases where the original proceeds were electronic. However, I argue for more precise terminology, both to enhance our understanding of these phenomena and to increase our ability to identify interdiction opportunities. This paper is an original and unpublished extension of research originally conducted by (Matanky-Becker and Cockbain, Crime, Law and Social Change 77:405–429, 2021)). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to elucidate the fundamental components of the mechanism for formulating criminological policy in the context of combating transnational organised crime. In addition, it aims to analyse the subjective composition of the counteraction to such criminal offences and to identify the measures that are necessary to neutralise threats and risks to national security. The article presents a scientific discussion of the mechanism of formation and implementation of criminological policy. It is determined that the nationwide system of combating transnational organised crime can counteract the systemic threats reflected in the Strategy for Combating Organised Crime. This necessitates the establishment of a singular entity: a state body endowed with distinctive status, entrusted with the requisite authority over other entities, including competence related to the budget allocation process and control over its implementation in terms of combating such crime. This entity must possess a sufficient information and analytical component, the result of which should be both the assurance of the agency's ongoing activities and the preparation of strategic programme documents on combating transnational organised crime in general and in its individual areas. These documents must then be approved by the President of Ukraine, who serves as the guarantor of national security. Results. The author develops a scientific concept of the criminological policy of combating transnational organised crime based on the system of coordinated measures to ensure criminological security. This concept has been tested by domestic and foreign practice, with the development and implementation of a set of strategic legal, economic and social measures in the activities of entities involved in combating transnational organised crime (decisions, recommendations, and methodologies) at the legislative and governmental levels. These measures are aimed at identifying criminogenic factors and making effective legal and regulatory, organisational and managerial decisions, including departmental (and interdepartmental) decisions, by authorised entities on this basis.

The article focuses on the definition of the concept of environmental crimes, it is noted that there is no single normative instrument in international law that contains a definition of such a concept. It is stated that international institutions, in particular: United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, European Commission, Europol, etc. provide different interpretations of these unlawful acts. And universal and regional international acts criminalising illegal acts in the environmental sphere (the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques (1976), Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (1980) and its Additional Protocols, Lusaka Agreement on Co-operative Enforcement Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora (1994), Directive (EU) 2024/1203 on the protection of the environment through criminal law and replacing Directives 2008/99/ EC and 2009/123/EC, etc.), mainly contain a list of offences, obligations to criminalise them by the parties to the relevant international agreements, to impose sanctions, to cooperate, etc. It is noted that the factors that increase the danger to natural objects and the survival of humanity as a whole are the ways of committing illegal acts (e.g., destruction, large-scale uncontrolled fishing, chemical pollution of water and land, large-scale uncontrolled and irreversible deforestation, etc.). There is also a combination of different forms of crime, namely, crimes committed by transnational organised groups, the use of administrative resources, corruption schemes, money laundering, etc., which facilitate the commission of crimes, increase the level of latency, etc. Another negative trend is the close connection of environmental crime with international conflicts, which increase the danger to all environmental objects and individuals. The subjects of illegal acts include individuals, companies, governments, informal criminal networks and organised criminal groups. The victims of environmental crimes are individuals, communities and the population of the state. The article classifies environmental crimes on the basis of the objects of encroachment and the methods of committing the illegal acts, and accordingly proposes to distinguish between such types as: fisheries crime, forestry crime, pollution crimes, illicit trade in natural resources and wildlife crime. Conclusions and recommendations are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a significant gap in drug market literature by examining high-level drug trafficking networks in Japan. We focus on three aspects: the structure of drug importation networks, the impact of transport methods on these structures, and the role of Japan's mafia, the yakuza. Using novel statistical techniques that extend exponential random graph models (ERGMs) to multi-network samples, we analyse 573 Japanese trial documents on wholesale drug importation. We test the theory that trafficking operations with higher information-processing demands exhibit more efficiency-oriented network structures, while governance-type groups avoid expanding into trade activities. Our findings support these theories, showing that networks with higher information-processing demands are more efficiency-oriented but maintain security. Conversely, smaller networks with simpler transport methods prioritise security and concealment. Additionally, the yakuza do not organisationally engage in drug trafficking; when involved, yakuza members act as independent entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the wide reach of anti-money laundering legislation worldwide and increasing media attention, fostered by journalistic leaks such as Panama Papers, empirical knowledge on how criminals launder their illicit proceeds is still scarce. The few available empirical studies show that money laundering (ML) schemes are often less sophisticated than they are depicted in the political and media debate. To contribute to the empirical knowledge of ML behaviour, and test this hypothesis, the present study analyses the ML activities related to 2818 Italian offenders included in the ML section of the LexisNexis' WorldCompliance database. Through a quantitative content analysis of textual information related to each offender's profile, it highlights the characteristics of the ML offenders, the methods (or 'typologies' in FATF terms) employed, the assets seized, the business sectors involved and the countries in which ML was conducted. The results confirm that criminals tend to employ unsophisticated typologies, as well as prefer Italy or jurisdictions that are close (geographically and culturally) to Italy for laundering their illicit proceeds. Tangible assets (first real estate and registered vehicles) are more frequent than financial assets. Finally, differences exist between the laundering by mafia-related ML offenders and non-mafia ones. The study provides empirical ground to progress in the knowledge of how ML offenders behave, and supports the idea that criminals, when laundering their proceeds, do not act as legitimate entrepreneurs, but may be driven by other constraints and drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will explore how the current narratives (and corresponding changes) in Dutch organised crime policing relate to ethnic profiling of minorities in the Netherlands. It will do so by developing a theoretically informed narrative understanding of what we would like to conceptualise as ethnic profiling of organised crime (in the Netherlands), digging deeper into the connection between the role of ethnicity in organised crime studies inasmuch as it relates to the history of the mafia concept and, even further, lingering colonialism in law-and-order approaches. By focusing on (assumed) socio-historical connections between Italy, mafia and organised crime and on the social construction of Italian mafia as organised crime, based on narrative criminology, this article discursively and interpretatively understands the dominant and hidden Dutch narratives on (policing) organised crime. The discovered narratives will be critically discussed in light of the juxtaposition between mafias and ethnic organised crime and post-colonial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article conducts a comparative analysis of Italian and UK legislations concerning the infiltration of organised crime into the economy. Considering (among other things) the concerns about allegedly weakened cooperation between judicial authorities of Italy and the UK in a post-Brexit era, the study evaluates the alignment of legal frameworks of the compared systems in combating the integration of organised crime and economic crime. The analysis is conducted on four levels: direct criminalisation of organised crime, the use of (also) anti-terrorism legislation to tackle organised crime, measures against wealth accumulation through crime, and provisions for corporate liability. By comparing the legal systems of Italy and the UK, which represent civil and common law traditions respectively, this study aims to identify convergences and divergences in legal approaches. The findings could inform strategies for enhancing mutual trust and fostering more effective international cooperation in combating the infiltration of organised crime into legitimate businesses, particularly in the post-Brexit context.

The subject of the study is the methodological foundations and applied approaches to assessing the impact of organised crime on economic relations in the country. Methodology. The study uses two key approaches to the criminological analysis of organised crime: statistical (based on state statistics) and sociological (risk assessment based on expert surveys). The purpose of the article is to compare analytical approaches and results of data analysis on the activities of organised crime in the economic sphere in Ukraine. The activity of organised crime in the economic sphere in Ukraine has been analysed on the basis of state statistics and sociological surveys conducted in recent years under various research projects. With a focus on the comparative interest of these two criminological approaches, the authors highlights the problem of identifying manifestations of organised economic crime not as individual non-systemic cases, but as a criminal phenomenon of a systemic nature which permeates various areas of economic activity. At the same time, it was found that the state statistics do not objectively reflect the problems of organised crime in the country, and that they are levelling the real state. Among the various sociological methods of criminological analysis, the authors focused on the risk-oriented approach to the assessment of crime, considering the risk of the spread of organised crime in the economic sphere on the basis of an expert assessment of the probability and consequences of the spread of these threats. This approach and its results point to critical gaps in criminological research based on state statistics and suggest promising approaches for future research. Conclusion. The risk-oriented approach points to systemic manifestations of the phenomenon of organised crime and the high risk of organised crime groups in the economy of Ukraine. Using a unique empirical base formed by research projects, significant threats to the country's economy and high-risk threats in the form of various manifestations of organised crime were identified: according to law enforcement agencies – 62.30%; in the system of hybrid threats – 41.38%-44.74%; in the field of forestry – 55.67%; in the field of fiscal security, in the section of individual branches of the economy, the most significant level of risk is in the range of 60-70%.

In many developing countries where formal institutions fail to guarantee rule of law, criminal organisations have emerged as intermediaries between citizens and the state. In some cases, these armed non-state actors adopt repressive strategies to govern their territories and local populations. This study asks under what circumstances local actors mobilise against criminal governance. Focusing on the case of Michoacán, Mexico, I argue that the emergence of vigilante groups, known as autodefensas, was prompted by the breaching of a social contract - a set of formal and informal agreements and obligations - between organised crime and civil society. As criminal governance spread in Michoacán, so did predatory behaviour against local communities, which gave way to an elite-organised social movement structured by rural inequalities.

This article presents a theoretical and methodological argument for employing a narrative-based approach to explore criminal organisations' (COs) claims to political authority, accompanied by an empirical example. International Relations scholarship is increasingly interested in the role narratives play in political meaning-making processes, with violent non-state actors (VNSAs) beginning to occupy a central space in such investigations. This work has contributed important insights into how VNSAs, such as terrorists and insurgents, mobilise narratives to challenge state authority. However, this literature still needs to take stock of groups that do not directly challenge the state but rather live within it. Drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin's literary theory and using the Sicilian Mafia as a case study, I show that COs exercise and construct their narratives of political authority by reappropriating the state's key constitutive narratives of space, time, and identity. By reflecting the same form of (statist) political imagination via alternative spatial, temporal, and identity configurations, these groups simultaneously reject and reproduce modern articulations of political authority in their spatio-temporal and identity dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In large commercial seaports policing and security efforts to counter the drug trade, especially cocaine, do not appear to be effective beyond a mere displacement effect. In the port of Piraeus, Greece, (perceived) rising quantities of cocaine have led to calls for further securitisation of the port to curb illicit trafficking. This article will present the current trends of countering and disrupting cocaine at the port of Piraeus and question how these efforts, together with the growth of the port, are affecting the overall territory of and around the port. This article will first argue that the (perceived) increase in cocaine trade towards/in the port of Piraeus has activated a 'utopia of security' in the policing and security responses at the port. This utopia of security leads to paradoxes when it comes to being effective against organised crime in the port. The article will conclude by discussing the possibility of a different approach, one of displacement of countering efforts rather than of cocaine flows. This different approach can also rebalance the focus of policing and security authorities on the relationship between the port and its territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study asserts that the repatriation of foreign fighters from the conflict in Ukraine poses a significant threat to the peace and stability of the Southeast Europe within the realm of organized crime. It contends that Southeast Europe serves as fertile ground for foreign fighters during times of war crises, facilitating their exploitation by organized crime for illicit purposes. Regarding the context of the Southeast Europe, the study argues, firstly, that serious organized crime groups demonstrate a propensity to recruit individuals with military experience. Secondly, it underscores the historical roots of foreign fighter presence in the region, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Lastly, it highlights the inadequate response and policies at both national and European Union levels to address this concern in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annuals of the Administration & Law / Roczniki Administracji i Prawa is the property of Oficyna Wydawnicza Humanitas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Thinking about organised crime as an ecosystem is not only novel but also offers much potential to add to the theoretical and policy-based literature in this area. While organised crime is often analysed as relationships between criminal groups and consumers of illicit goods/services, little work has analysed specific forms of organised crime activities as ecosystems where different constituent parts are dependent upon each other for the crime activity to occur. This paper analyses the organisation of sexual exploitation by entrepreneurial organised crime groups selling sex in the United Kingdom. Based upon 30 interviews with 23 law enforcement forces in England and Wales and five interviews with Adult Service Website Operators; it identifies how an ecosystem is built that ensures (a) profit generation and (b) avoidance of legal prosecution. Our analysis not only illustrates how a market 'supply' and 'demand' ecosystem is generated through mutually convenient 'organiser', 'marketer' and 'buyer' relationships, but also how the roles of these actors ensure sexual exploitation continues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation and modern slavery have experienced an unprecedented boom over the past decade due to the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly in digital and networked environments. These developments have created new opportunities for human exploitation and illegal profiteering. Adult Services Websites (ASWs), online platforms on which sex workers post profiles advertising their services, are a key conduit for human traffickers to exploit their victims. Alongside profiles of independent sex workers, traffickers are posting false ASW profiles, advertising the forced services of their victims and camouflaging these false profiles amongst legitimate adverts. In response, police practitioners are proactively investigating ASWs to identify suspect profiles. A key obstacle for practitioners, however, is to distinguish between ASW profiles posted by independent, consenting sex workers advertising their services, and those posted by traffickers exploiting their victims. The exploratory study presented in this paper seeks to address this particular challenge. Working with a British police force, the researchers in this study gathered existing knowledge on the traffickers' use of ASW profiles to create a bespoke tool of analysis, the Sexual Trafficking Identification Matrix (STIM). The aim of this tool has been to identify 'risk indicators' on ASW profiles and to flag these for potential police investigation. This paper presents the results of this exploratory study and its four stages. Furthermore, more broadly, it reflects on the use of evidence-based tools by law enforcement to tackle complex domains of offending such as those of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminal capitalism, fuelled mainly by drug trafficking, creates social consensus and determines a social order that plays a not-always marginal role in the fragmented social reality of the contemporary capitalist mode of production. Drug trafficking not only feeds the sophisticated machine of corruption that reaches the highest institutional spheres, but, in some regions, also represents the only form of subsistence economy. The growing importance of criminal capitalism is in large part the consequence of financial liberalisation, which has facilitated the mechanisms for the laundering and illegal investment of accumulated wealth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative case study investigates the financing typologies of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Turkey. The PKK is a Marxist-Leninist organisation that pursues ethnic separationist policies in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. ISIL is a radical Wahhabi network that aspires to reestablish the Caliphate and restore the ‘glory’ of Sharia by defeating the ‘near’ and ‘far’ enemies. Based on primary/secondary interviews, content analysis of unclassified documents and media coverage on counter PKK/ISIL investigations, this study indicates that both organisations have been highly skilful in exploiting the regional licit and illicit enterprises. Financing methods of the PKK and ISIL were similar in complex regional underground economic infrastructure. However, the PKK has been able to develop much more sophisticated financial infrastructure than ISIL due to a longer life span and existence of specialised cadres in the Middle East and Europe. ISIL has failed to develop advanced financing infrastructure mainly due to a shorter life span, loss of territorial control and the UN-US sponsored international sanctions. Both the Marxists and radical Islamists encouraged illicit trade schemes not only to generate funds but also to avoid taxation by the ‘hostile’ regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explored the novel use of an educational tool to assess its influence on County Lines victimisation. Participants (n = 122) were randomly assigned to receive either County Lines education or no County Lines education and then, rate their likelihood to engage in five hypothetical scenarios typical of County Lines victimisation verses a text scam. County Lines education did not significantly reduce participant willingness to engage in the scenarios, whilst most participants were not susceptible to a text scam. Demographic data, drug use, social isolation, poor mental health, and financial instability were weak predictors of engagement. Findings suggest that the public may be vulnerable to victimisation and that future research should continue to explore the role that education can have in reducing the likelihood of engaging in County Lines activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of organised cybercrime has been the subject of much debate over the last decade. Many researchers who have applied scholarly definitions of organised crime to cyber-criminal groups have concluded that such groups are not "organised criminal groups" and do not engage in "organised crime". This paper adopts a different perspective to argue that certain cyber-criminal groups involved in ransomware can and should be considered organised crime if a more contemporary and flexible framework for conceptualising organised crime is adopted. We make this argument using three primary domains of organised crime first described by von Lampe: criminal activities, offender social structures, and extra-legal governance. We narrow in on the concepts of violence and extra-legal governance in particular as they have been interpreted to hold significant differences for criminal groups operating in physical and digital domains. The paper argues that it is time to move on from criminological debates regarding whether organised cybercrime can exist to focus on the many rich questions that researchers can take from organised crime scholarship and apply to cyber-criminal groups. We put forward a reconceptualisation of organised cybercrime towards this end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many indications that various aspects and factors of large-scale war victimization could be made visible through the collection and analyses of data on organized crime in post-conflict societies. War victimisation could be understood as an outcome of opportunistic criminal activity: war conditions offer the unique opportunity to criminals and criminal groups (especially those involved in military or paramilitary formations) not only to restrain their destructive personal potentials but also to attain a new identity as ’national heroes’ and gain a significantly better economic position as advantageous ’investments’ to post-war criminal business. Crimes in war as well as war crimes, often perceived as basically launched by nationalistic (‘blood and belonging’) ideology, could be examined from a broader hypothetical framework: nationalist ideologies should be considered not only as drives but also as means. By identifying themselves primarily as members of a specific nation who ’defend’ (or victimize) a specific ethnic group, criminals of war provide not only the legitimization of crimes against other nations/ethnic groups but also of crimes against (primarily political) opponents within their ethnic group. The main aim of this paper is to argue for research on the continuity of organised criminal activities before, during and after ethnic conflicts in the Former Yugoslavia. This kind of research is argued to be a promising tool for the assessment of links between war and organized crime victimization as a way of getting a more comprehensive picture of the recent past. Research findings may further be used as the basis for creating comprehensive regional security strategies. Moreover, although the focus of this paper is on organised crime committed during the wars on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, its analyses and conclusions may be applicable to other similar contexts, including contemporary armed conflicts in different parts of the world.

This article aims to provide an analysis of the factors influencing the operational strategies of drug trafficking organisations in the context of seaports. It seeks to move beyond a monolithic representation of this complex phenomenon by investigating the intricate interplay between legal and illicit spheres, as well as the diverse methodologies employed in the illicit transportation of drugs from vessels to destinations outside of ports. Drawing from empirical evidence gathered in the Italian context, the results reveal that drug trafficking through seaports is a multifaceted endeavour influenced by a combination of endogenous and exogenous factors. Internal factors within the network, such as organisational structure (including network size, control mechanisms, and member accountability) and resources (human, material, and informational), play a pivotal role in shaping drug trafficking organisations' strategies. Additionally, external factors, including maritime dynamics, port economics, cultural aspects, and institutional determinants, significantly impact decision-making processes within these criminal organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most terrorist groups are active close to their native area of operation. Why then do some terrorist groups expand to foreign territories? In an exploratory attempt, this article draws parallels between organised crime group transplantation frameworks and the transnational activities of terrorist groups. Utilising transplantation studies, we introduce a conceptual criminological framework that integrates both push and pull factors influencing the transnational movement of terrorist groups. To validate this framework as a pilot test, we apply it to al-Qaeda's operations in the Sahara-Sahel region, relying on open-source data. Our findings, while preliminary, indicate the potential of this unified transplantation approach in offering deeper insights into the transnational behaviours of terrorist groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how economic intelligence is used to fight organised crime and tax fraud and its potential to aid counterterrorism. The aim is to demonstrate the vital role that economic intelligence plays in counterterrorism operations. This study focuses on locating and dismantling financial networks that support terrorism through economic intelligence techniques, namely the examination of commercial front organisations. It also evaluates the effectiveness of economic intelligence tactics employed against tax fraud and organised crime and their relevance to counterterrorism through comparative research and case studies. Recent regulatory developments aimed at limiting the funding of terrorism through cultural artefacts highlight the importance of this research for NATO. By detecting and disrupting terrorist networks that take advantage of cultural heritage, economic intelligence could improve NATO's counterterrorism efforts. It looks at front organisations' more significant effects on aiding terrorist acts, including information about their funding and operational techniques. Findings imply that economic intelligence offers essential instruments for anticipating shifts, controlling risks, and creating effective counterterrorism plans. To handle the changing picture of terrorist financing, this article highlights the need for sophisticated analytical approaches and suggests expanding the role of economic intelligence within counterterrorism frameworks. To effectively attack the financial underpinnings of terrorist actions, the report concludes by advocating for an integrated approach to counterterrorism that combines economic intelligence and encourages policymakers and law enforcement agencies to adopt and enhance these tactics. This study lays the groundwork for future efforts to impede terrorist organisations' financial activities while supporting NATO's objectives of safeguarding cultural heritage and enhancing global security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Temida is the property of Victimology Society of Serbia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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Purpose: This paper aims to raise, and consider, first-order questions about the United Kingdom's anti-money laundering (AML) regime. Design/methodology/approach: The paper contrasts the original rationale for introducing AML and asset recovery to the UK with data on the assets recovered from organised crime and those involved in drug trafficking. It does this by analysing historical and contemporaneous literature – both official and academic. Findings: When assessed against its original aims of combating drugs and organised crime, the tentative conclusion is that the UK's AML system does not appear to be worth the candle. Research limitations/implications: While based upon publicly available information that is far from ideal, the analysis raises credible questions as to whether the UK's AML regime is worthwhile and whether it could be done differently. Practical implications: Raises the question of whether the impact of the AML regime could be made worthwhile by investing a great deal more in those law enforcement agencies that use the suspicious activity reporting regime. It also raises the question as to whether the AML regime could be re-purposed to achieve aims that are different from the original. Social implications: Given the financial costs, which run into billions of pounds, and the fact that the regime has failed to have a significant impact on the level of drug trafficking or the revenue of organised criminals, the paper raises questions as to when the policy can be re-designed or abandoned. Originality/value: While most other analytical work simply makes suggestions as to how to improve the number of inputs into the AML system, this paper provides a critical analysis of the costs and benefits of the AML regime in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article delves into the organisation of Ivorian cyberfraudsters, known as “brouteurs”, who engage in romance scams and sextorsion, and it questions the various structures through which these fraudsters operate. The study's findings are based on data collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with cyber-fraudsters in Abidjan during a two-month field trip. The statements made by the brouteurs were analysed using thematic content analysis, which highlighted various roles and activities undertaken assumed by different individuals within these groups. A relatively clear trend emerges regarding the structure of these groups and the social connections within their organisation. It is possible to distinguish between sextorsion and romance scam groups, on one hand non-hierarchical and more fluid and opportunistic, on the other hierarchical, with defined roles and activities, engaged in other serious offenses. Both have international connections, may them be accomplices, money mules, underground bankers or corrupt public agents. While brouteurs acknowledge that ''Everyone is part of a network.'', these first results show different forms of organisation of cybercriminal Ivorian groups. The question which follows is whether these groups constitute cybercriminal networks or organised cybercrime. Future research in this direction, such as the development of crime scripts, can help institutions take effective measures to combat the transnationalisation of cyberfraud.

The purpose of the article is to consider the nature and content of economic security as a component of national security of the state; to determine the peculiarities of implementation of a criminal illegal intention to commit legalisation (laundering) of criminally obtained property; to establish the main destructive features of legalisation (laundering) of criminally obtained property and their correlation with economic security of the state; to define the actual means of prevention of legalisation (laundering) of criminally obtained property in the mechanism of ensuring economic security of the state. A scientific discussion of the problem of ensuring the economic security of the country by reducing the risks of legalisation (laundering) of criminally acquired property is presented. The regulatory and programme documents in the field of ensuring economic security have been characterised. The nature and content of economic security as a component of the state's national security were determined. Statistical reporting of law enforcement bodies in terms of detection, investigation and prevention of predicate offences and direct legalisation (laundering) of criminally acquired property was analysed. The authors emphasise the need to improve the system of timely detection of economic risks and threats in order to avoid regulatory, supervisory, organisational and managerial gaps that facilitate both the commission of predicate criminal offences and direct legalisation of the proceeds of crime. Results. It has been established that the essence and content of economic security as a component of the state's national security consists in such functional features as: 1) ensuring the implementation of full cycle production as a means of increasing the level of resource efficiency of the economy; 2) providing foreign and domestic trade infrastructure as a means of increasing the institutional economic capacity of the state; 3) ensuring the investment attractiveness of the state as a means of improving the foreign and domestic economic policy of the state (investment and reinvestment processes); 4) ensuring economic stimulation for the systematisation of innovative renewal of the products of the activities of business entities; 5) ensuring control over labour migration in order to retain qualified specialists; 6) ensuring protection against economic crimes; 7) ensuring the development and competitiveness of the stock market. The specifics of the implementation of the criminal illegal intention to commit legalisation (laundering) of criminally obtained property have been differentiated: 1) multi-stage, which implies the presence of a complex mechanism of criminally illegal behaviour, often aimed at achieving several goals united by a single intention; 2) a list of possible predicate offences, which are fundamental in terms of property legalisation (laundering); 3) committing a criminal offence as part of an organised group/criminal organisation; 4) involving partners in crime with interregional and cross-border links; 5) ensuring the latency of predicate offences through legalisation (laundering) of criminally acquired property. Modern methods of prevention of legalisation (laundering) of criminally acquired property in the mechanism of ensuring economic security of the state have been proposed: 1) differentiation of legalisation (laundering) of criminally acquired property as an economic and criminal offence based on the object of intervention in/outside the predicate socially dangerous acts; 2) improvement of financial monitoring and registration procedures related to the acquisition of property rights and other economic transactions; 3) a fundamental departure from the generalisation of measures aimed at de-shadowing the economy (taking into account the object of de-shadowing); 4) elimination of shortcomings in economic procedural legislation, which often creates a field for fictitious bankruptcy; 5) elimination of shortcomings in criminal legislation, by revising the sanction of Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Undoubtedly today one of the most current topics in the world is organized crime. A topic regularly represented in the dialogues at the political, economic and security level. The world is increasingly occupied by threats from this criminal form, which seems to be gaining in intensity with the process of globalization and technological development Crime itself and its organization are complex to analyse, let alone to combine and form a whole, and that whole to be scientifically defined. It is to be expected that discussions and definitions will be controversial i.e., no unified definition would be possible. Organized crime in modern society is a threat to the legal order and undermines democratic institutions in every society. Its influence cannot be limited to criminal groups and crime, but must be seen in the context of the state and society as a whole. Some scholars define it as a supranational and overstate organization with exceptional power, increasingly perceived as a security issue. Despite numerous different views on the definition, there is scientific consensus that it is a relatively recent form of crime. From today’s perspective, there is hardly a country without organized crime as a focus of interest. Globalization and the more numerous international institutions also have this phenomenon high on their agendas. There is a common interest in creating effective methods and mechanisms to act preventively and counter all forms of organised crime. Organized crime is approached as a security issue rather than isolated criminal acts, reaching into the area of terrorism as the highest form of security threat. In many cases terrorism uses the groups, the methods, and the means of organized crime. Having in mind its internationality and the question of global security, this type of crime like no other form of crime is transnational.

It is now established that elements in policing bodies' socio-political environments influence officers' beliefs, values, and attitudes. Paradoxically, however, the prevailing view within mainstream research is that police communities are also inward-facing entities that are withdrawn from the cultural context outside their realm. One limitation of this perspective is that it precludes researchers from examining how entities from this 'outer world' intermingle with policing bodies as well as how this interaction impacts upon manifestations of police culture. In Mexico criminal and police networks appear to be highly interconnected. Indeed, numerous members of Mexico's law enforcement institutions are active participants in the web-like ties that connect individuals involved in the country's criminal enterprises. By analysing the narratives of former members of Mexico's Federal Police, I contend that officers' perceptions of the intermingling between police and organised crime networks shape the culture of law-enforcement groups tasked with combating organised crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a systems analysis approach, the authors analyse forced child labour incidents in Indian cottonseed farms in the years 2003/04 and 2014/15, and explore the role played by human factors in contributing to the illegal use of child labour in the Indian agri-food sector. National policies on labour welfare and rights are reviewed through the case studies used as a lens to explore wider issues associated with forced child labour in supply chains. The study highlights the evolution of organised crime in India with regards to the reliance on forced child labour, using the four conceptual dimensions of modern slavery established by the UK Home Office in 2017. The study does identify limitations and flaws associated with designing policies based on a "work-as-imagined" philosophy and demonstrates how the use of maturity modelling can explore how exploitation, corruption and organised crime is framed and can become more formalised over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]