Policing flows of drugs in the harbor of Antwerp: A nodal-network analysis

Easton, Marleen

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-818421-9.00007-0

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, these dynamics of displacement are not limited to the port of Rotterdam. With opportunities to successfully import cocaine into the port of Rotterdam changing because of situational crime prevention measures, other harbours in the vicinity, like the port of Antwerp (De Middeleer et al 2018: 261;Easton 2020), Hamburg (Eski 2015), or other ports in Europe might be targeted by OCG. Equally, increased security measures in other European ports might impact the import of cocaine in Rotterdam.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This results in the embeddedness of both criminal activities and OCG in these spaces (Fijnaut et al 1998;Van de Bunt et al 2014;Eski 2015;Madarie and Kruisbergen 2019;Sergi 2020a, b). Apart from some notable exceptions (Eski 2015;Easton 2020;Sergi 2020a, b), ports have remained understudied as the central locality of empirical research on OC. Therefore, by drawing on a qualitative study on cocaine trafficking in the port of Rotterdam, we aim to contribute to an improved understanding of how the dynamics of global licit and illicit flows impact local spaces, occupations, criminal activities, and crime control policies.…”

Section: Organised Crime In Flows Spaces and Portsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Getting a foot in the door. Spaces of cocaine trafficking in the Port of Rotterdam.

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As an important gateway to Europe, the Port of Rotterdam is known for its high-quality facilities and efficiency, but also attracts organised crime groups who use the transatlantic legal trade flows to traffic cocaine. Based on a qualitative study, consisting of 73 interviews with public and private actors, an analysis of 10 criminal investigations and field visits to public and private organisations in the port, this article examines how organised crime groups involved in cocaine trafficking take advantage of or adapt to the socio-spatial relations in the Port of Rotterdam. First, we pay attention to which physical spaces in the port of Rotterdam provide opportunities for cocaine trafficking. Second, we examine how the occupational and legal environment in which people, private companies and law enforcement agencies in the port work and interact provide opportunities for cocaine trafficking. Our findings demonstrate that increased security measures by both public and private actors directed at physical spaces result in a displacement to new spaces in and around the port of Rotterdam. Furthermore, the current socio-spatial relations in the port of Rotterdam also make the role of people on the inside – referring to a whole range of public and private employees – increasingly indispensable.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Organised Crime In Flows Spaces and Portsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting a foot in the door. Spaces of cocaine trafficking in the Port of Rotterdam.

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Usually, in ports the interest of entrepreneurs is to increase security to increase their international credibility and reputation, while public authorities and law enforcement agencies increase security because countering drug trafficking is their task (Brewer, 2014;Easton, 2020;Eski, 2016). This is very visible in Piraeus and leads to better cooperation, according to Piraeus Municipality.…”

Section: Policing and Security At Piraeusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on ports as standalone environments for criminological enquiry surfaced just over a decade ago (Eski, 2011), building on previous studies on corruption in port space relating to organised crime (Zaitch, 2002). Research has focused on policing and security networks (Brewer, 2014; Easton, 2020; Eski, 2016), corruption (Eski and Bujit, 2017), and recently on organised crime and illicit trafficking (Antonelli, 2021; Sergi, 2022; Sergi and Storti, 2020; Roks et al, 2021; Sampò and Troncoso, 2022), and the policing/security dilemmas in ports (Sergi et al, 2021).…”

Section: Ports As Spaces Of Organised Crime In the Utopia Of Safetymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on organised crime, security, and ports has already looked at the overlap between crime prevention and security in the port space (Sergi, 2021) and at how cocaine flows in the cracks of security networks (Easton, 2020). Policing the port space has become entangled with port security to protect ports, as crucial nodes of the global supply chain, from crimes such as terrorism and cross-border trafficking (Eski, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Cocaine and the port: Utopias of security, urban relations, and displacement of policing efforts in the port of Piraeus

Sergi

2023

European Journal of Criminology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract