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Law-Enforcement Disruption of a Drug Importation Network

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  • Carlo Morselli
  • Katia Petit

Abstract

This study focuses on the structure and evolution of a drug importation network that operated from Montreal, Canada, and that was the target of an extensive 2-year criminal investigation. The investigation was atypical in that it followed a seize-but-do-not-arrest strategy—while 11 drug shipments were seized by police throughout this period, arrests were never made until the final phase of the investigation. Such a case offers a rare opportunity to study the dynamics of a criminal network under intense surveillance and disruption. The reconstruction of the importation network is based on electronic communication transcripts that were intercepted and compiled during the investigation. Findings from analyses of the principal changes that took place within the communication network reveal how network centralization and critical node status are variable, and not static, properties of a criminal network under considerable constraint. The study demonstrates how a criminal network decentralizes and is re-ordered in response to intense law-enforcement targeting. Contributions are made to research on disruption in criminal networks. We conclude with a discussion on how a criminal network's flexibility, a feature generally presented as a sign of resilience, may contribute to a more significant demise within a context of intensive control.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlo Morselli & Katia Petit, 2007. "Law-Enforcement Disruption of a Drug Importation Network," Global Crime, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 109-130, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:fglcxx:v:8:y:2007:i:2:p:109-130
    DOI: 10.1080/17440570701362208
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    Cited by:

    1. Grace Di Méo, 2023. "Historical Co-offending Networks: A Social Network Analysis Approach," The British Journal of Criminology, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, vol. 63(6), pages 1591-1611.
    2. Annamaria Ficara & Francesco Curreri & Giacomo Fiumara & Pasquale De Meo & Antonio Liotta, 2022. "Covert Network Construction, Disruption, and Resilience: A Survey," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(16), pages 1-43, August.
    3. Manzi, Deborah & Calderoni, Francesco, 2024. "The resilience of drug trafficking organizations: Simulating the impact of police arresting key roles," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    4. Michele Coscia & Viridiana Rios, 2012. "How and where do criminals operate? Using Google to track Mexican drug trafficking organizations," CID Working Papers 57, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    5. Alice Airola & Martin Bouchard, 2020. "The Social Network Consequences of a Gang Murder Blowout," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-15, November.
    6. Smith, Thomas Bryan, 2021. "Gang crackdowns and offender centrality in a countywide co-offending network: A networked evaluation of Operation Triple Beam," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).

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