Arms Trafficking Research Articles

Ratting on wildlife crime: training African giant pouched rats to detect illegally trafficked wildlife

The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is one of the largest global crime economies, directly threatening species and their habitats, and biodiversity, and indirectly the global climate, and countries’ economies. Syndicates operating within the IWT are often involved in trafficking of humans, weapons, and drugs. IWT takes place in large scale through international ports, with wildlife being smuggled inside shipping containers. Current methods to combat IWT and screen these shipping containers, such as X-ray scans, are expensive and time-consuming. Scent-detection animals present an innovative approach to combatting IWT, as animals may be better suited to distinguish between organic materials and less susceptible to visual concealment methods. Previous scent-detection work has largely focused on conservation dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Here, we present a series of proof-of-principle studies training African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys ansorgei) to detect illegally trafficked wildlife. As initial proof-of-principle within a controlled laboratory environment, we trained rats (n=11) to detect the scent of pangolin scales (Manis spp.) and a threatened African hardwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon). In subsequent experiments, we trained these rats (n=10) to detect rhinoceros horn (family Rhinocerotidae), and elephant tusks (Loxodonta spp.). At the conclusion of these studies, rats (n=7) accurately identified all four target species (although ivory samples may have been cross-contaminated, and results should be interpreted with caution) while correctly rejecting non-target items commonly used by traffickers to conceal the presence of illicit material. Rats detected the presence of wildlife targets even when these were concealed in mixtures among non-target items. These results provide the foundation to train rats for scent-detection of illegally trafficked wildlife to combat IWT. The unique attributes of rats could allow them to complement existing screening technologies in the fight against IWT. Rats have low training and maintenance costs, flexibly work with multiple handlers, have a long lifespan, and a sophisticated sense of smell. Their small size also offers unique capabilities for the screening of shipping containers, such as being able to navigate densely packed areas or be lifted to assess contents of sealed containers by screening ventilation systems. Future directions include assessing operational feasibility of deploying rats at ports.

Maritime security and the inter-agency challenge: The case of Ghana

ABSTRACT Maritime security is a major international concern with the Gulf of Guinea recognised as one of the global hotspots of blue crime, such as piracy, kidnap for ransom, trafficking of narcotics, human and arms, and illegal fishing. The complex and complicated challenge of maritime security, a wicked problem, calls for inter-agency coordination, synergy of efforts and scaling up of responses. Given the complexity of maritime security threats, no single organisation has the institutional muscle to single-handedly deal with it. Drawing on evidence from Ghana, where the arrival of maritime security as a concept triggered a shift from single to a multi-agency approach to dealing with maritime issues, the article examines the potential of and challenges associated with inter-agency coordination. In line with recent international developments, African nations like Ghana aim to apply the concept of inter-agency coordination to tackle maritime insecurity in its waters. The paper assesses how inter-agency coordination could be used in an African maritime security governance context, while examining power imbalance, strife for agency autonomy and other obstacles that have to be addressed to ensure that the promises associated with the concept are fulfilled.

Characteristics of banditry and illegal arms trafficking during the Civil War and the first post-war years in the Belgorod district of the Kursk province

Characteristics of banditry and illegal arms trafficking during the Civil War and the first post-war years in the Belgorod district of the Kursk province

Proceeds Related to Illegal Arms Trafficking: Features of the Investigation in the New Subjects of the Russian Federation

The scientific article is devoted to the criminalistics features of the identification and investigation of crimes related to illegal arms trafficking committed in the new subjects of the Russian Federation. The article analyzes the ways of committing crimes related to illegal arms trafficking, and establishes measures to counteract this type of crime. Special attention is paid to proposals for improving measures used in the fight against crime.

THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE BIOCEANIC ROAD AND THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE (BRI) FROM A BRAZILIAN PERSPECTIVE ON CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS

The current changing in world dynamics leads to an increased complexity on countries relations. From this perspective, the article's general objective analyses the impact of Latin America and East Asia integration through the Bioceanic Corridor and the Belt and Road Initiative on illicit markets. The specific objectives focus on identifying complicating elements for regional security, stemming from the collaborative and competitive engagements of actors within illegal networks. The adopted methodology is predominantly qualitative, involving bibliographic review, document analysis and case studies based on data from academic and government documents, and reports from international organizations. The addressed topics include drug and weapons trafficking, infrastructure initiatives, regional and global interconnection, and their relations to the criminal phenomena in South America. From the results obtained, the article emphasizes the anticipatory dimension, providing preventive recommendations in international collaboration, standardization of informational capabilities through common data models in road logistics hubs, and the application of security protocols in maritime hubs, with emphasis on the ARESP methodology (Risk Analysis with Emphasis on Port Security), contributing to regional integration on global security, and proposing practical and collaborative measures to anticipate and mitigate potential challenges arising from the interconnection of illicit networks on a global scale.

Perspectivas de estudiantes de secundaria del Departamento de Oruro sobre la trata de personas

Human trafficking is the third most lucrative crime worldwide, after drug trafficking and arms trafficking. The groups most vulnerable to this scourge are adolescents, women and children. In this context, the objective of this research was to determine whether students aged 16 to 18 years at the secondary level, belonging to 4 educational units in the department of Oruro, know the psychosocial risk factors that promote human trafficking, as well as the strategies of coping to avoid being victims. Methodologically, the study adopted a field-level, descriptive design, quantitative approach. 358 students participated, selected through a stratified random sampling, to whom 3 measurement instruments were applied: CRTP, CFRP and ACS. The results were segmented by rural and urban areas. The conclusions indicate that students have knowledge about risk factors, but are not prepared to face them effectively. This situation highlights the need to implement prevention and education strategies that empower adolescents to avoid becoming victims of human trafficking.

Legal Foundations of State Policy on Self-Defense Weapons: In Quest of a Balance between Public and Private Interests

The debate on the right of citizens to carry short-barreled weapons, including firearms of limited destruction, has been going on for more than 30 years. The essence of these debates goes far beyond the limits of administrative law, since it is not limited only by the administrative law mechanism for implementing the procedure for acquiring, carrying and using weapons, acting as part of the public legal mechanism for ensuring personal security, security of the society and the State. The relevance of the issues of civilian arms trafficking is aggravated by the complication of the criminal situation during periods of social or economic upheavals that determine the choice of the trajectory of development of state policy for arms trafficking as an area of public law relations. The arguments of supporters and opponents of the use of firearms for self-defense are usually accompanied by arguments based on faith and beliefs rather than on facts and measurements. The purpose of the study is to summarize the legal and empirical resources characterizing administrative law foundations of state policy in relation to lethal and non-lethal self-defense weapons; to assess domestic legislative decisions and determine the directions for further administrative law development of state policy regarding arms trafficking, the expediency of using short-barreled weapons, including firearms of limited destruction, as selfdefense weapons. The interdisciplinary approach made it possible to combine the results of legal and other humanitarian studies. In particular, the achievements of branches of legal sciences of Russian law are brought together: administrative law, theory and history of law, criminology and criminal studies, sociology of law. In conclusion, the paper provides the results of a theoretical study with due regard to the historical, delictological and sociological context of the problem. The author substantiates the necessity of changing the legal foundations of state policy in the field of trafficking in self-defense weapons and gives appropriate proposals.

DarkMor: A framework for darknet traffic detection that integrates local and spatial features

The dark web, as an integral part of the multi-layered structure of the internet, provides anonymity and high levels of concealment absent on the surface web. Users can engage in various online activities without leaving any trace, making the dark web a hub for illicit activities, such as drug and weapon trafficking. Consequently, this poses a significant threat to social order and network security. However, due to the high concealment of the dark web, traditional detection methods suffer with insufficient extraction of characteristic information from darknet traffic and inadequate consideration of feature correlations. As a result, the accuracy of these conventional detection methods in detecting the dark web in real network environments is suboptimal. This paper proposes a darknet traffic detection framework called DarkMor to address these challenges. It integrates local and spatial features, automates feature mining and fusion, and models spatial relationship between features to fully exploit their potential. The core components of DarkMor consist of the feature fusion module and the traffic perception module. Using an improved feature tokenizer transformer architecture, the feature fusion module enhances the extraction of local features within high-dimensional feature clusters, effectively combining local feature information with global context. Additionally, the traffic perception module leverages a temporal model that incorporates self-attention mechanisms to learn the spatiotemporal characteristics of fused features, thereby further enhancing the model’s detection. Experimental results demonstrated that DarkMor achieved an accuracy of 97.78% on real network datasets, surpassing the latest cross-modal darknet traffic detection models. Furthermore, DarkMor maintained an accuracy of 97.57% even in network environments with reduced training samples, confirming the feasibility and robustness of the proposed detection framework.

UNODC ACTIVITIES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ILLICIT ARMS TRAFFICKING

The article analyzes the activities of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in the field of combating illegal arms trafficking, which is allocated as part of a separate program. The author analyzes the initiatives of UNODC in this area and specific actions taken to reduce the crime rate associated with illegal arms trafficking. The positive aspects of the UNODC initiative in the form of a Global Firearms Program are being considered, and a study of the results provided within the framework of the designated program is being conducted. The main international documents regulating the legal circulation of weapons are characterized. Special attention is paid to the interaction of the Department with states to prevent criminals from getting weapons, and a number of problems in this area are highlighted. The interaction of UNODC with international law enforcement organizations is analyzed and the effectiveness of this cooperation is evaluated, examples of joint operations and trends in the development of relations are considered. The Department’s active work is noted in terms of compiling and providing training courses for law enforcement agencies. In addition, the study identifies a number of problems and difficulties faced by UNODC in implementing its objectives and achieving goals related to reducing the adverse effects of such a phenomenon as illegal arms trafficking.

Pills, substances and brigandage: Exploring the drug factor in Nigeria’s banditry crisis

ABSTRACT This paper examines the role of drugs in the prevailing banditry crisis in Nigeria. It does so against the deteriorating trajectory of the banditry crisis in northern Nigeria in which the issue of drugs and substances has been implicated. Existing studies on the subject matter have variously considered the ramifying dimensions of the banditry question, especially its complex nexuses to other organised crimes, such as terrorism, arms trafficking, illicit mining and mercenary militancy. Evidently, the linkage between banditry and illicit drug proliferation and (ab)use has been scarcely explored, hence the need for the present discourse. Using a qualitative method that relies on desk research and key informant interviews, the paper posits that the (ab)use of drugs and toxic substances by bandits has been a critical catalyst for the banditry crisis in Nigeria.

ЗАРУБІЖНИЙ ДОСВІД ЗАПОБІГАННЯ ЗЛОЧИННОСТІ ІНОЗЕМЦІВ ТА ОСІБ БЕЗ ГРОМАДЯНСТВА

The article is dedicated to the study of foreign experience of crime prevention of foreigners and stateless persons with the formulation of scientifically based prospects for its implementation in Ukraine. The relevance of the selected issues is explained by the following circumstances: firstly, in the conditions of the ongoing war, a significant part of the population of Ukraine was forced to emigrate abroad and can potentially become either subjects or victims of criminal offenses; secondly, international cooperation in the most dangerous types of criminality is increasing, in particular: smuggling, illegal trafficking of weapons, drugs, human trafficking (including involvement in prostitution), theft of cultural and historical values, etc.; thirdly, the identities of criminals (criminal offenders) – foreigners and stateless persons – have not been fully studied, especially their criminogenic behaviour in the conditions of modern national and world realities. It is emphasized that crime prevention of foreigners and stateless persons in Ukraine is impossible without a study of the positive experience of law enforcement agencies functioning in foreign countries, which assign a priority role in their activities to the prevention of criminal offenses in a certain area. The conducted research on the study of the experience of developed foreign countries in the field of crime prevention of foreigners and stateless persons provides grounds for determining the following forms of its implementation to preventive activities in Ukraine: 1) use of the experience of the USA and European countries in the preparation of conceptual legal acts in the field of crime prevention of foreigners and stateless persons; 2) use by law enforcement structures (in particular, the police) and non-state structures of civil society of positive foreign practices of crime prevention by foreigners and stateless persons; 3) use of opportunities for international cooperation in the field of combating criminality of foreigners and stateless persons, as well as preventing the commission of criminal offenses against these categories of persons who are on the territory of Ukraine. Key words: war, martial law, criminal offense, identity of a criminal (criminal offender), victim of a criminal offense, victimhood, determinants, forced migration, foreigners, stateless persons, criminality, smuggling, illegal weapon trafficking, illegal drug trafficking, prevention measures, subjects of prevention, law enforcement agencies, foreign experience, international cooperation, criminal proceedings, investigation, procedural actions.

Joint Efforts in Combating Cross-Border Arms Trafficking: Challenges and Prospects of the Mexican-American Partnership

This article delves into the challenges and prospects of the Mexican-American partnership in combating cross-border arms trafficking. It analyzes the joint efforts of the two countries to combat illicit arms trafficking, the threats posed by this phenomenon, and legislative and law enforcement measures to control arms trafficking. Particular attention is paid to the role of criminal groups in the illegal arms trade across the border and the political factors affecting the effectiveness of Mexico-U.S. cooperation in this area. The possibility of applying the experience of Mexico and the US to strengthen Russia’s cooperation with neighboring countries in controlling the movement of weapons and combating cross-border crime, as well as developing regional security strategies, particularly in regions grappling with the pressing issue of illegal arms trafficking, is also explored. In conclusion, the article underscores the importance of robust international partnerships and collaborative efforts in addressing the complex challenges posed by cross-border arms trafficking. By leveraging shared experiences and implementing coordinated strategies, nations can enhance their capacity to combat transnational crime and safeguard regional security against the proliferation of illicit firearms.

FROM THE CONCEPT OF THE DRAFT POLICE CHARTER OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE TO ITS STRUCTURE AND CONTENT: VIEWS OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION OF SENATOR A.A. MAKAROV (1906-1917). PART 6. SUPPRESSION BY THE POLICE OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE OF THE ILLEGAL MANUFACTURE, ACQUISITION, STORAGE, CARRYING, MOVEMENT AND SALE OF EXPLOSIVES AND WEAPONS

The article takes up the complex of laws of the Russian Empire, the legal norms that made up the draft Police Charter, developed by a commission on behalf of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Empire under the leadership of Senator A.A., are considered. Makarova. The proposed procedures for citizens to obtain certificates (permits) that allowed them to purchase, store, and carry weapons are shown, and categories of the population to whom such a right could not be granted are identified. Attention is focused on the regime for ensuring public safety during the circulation of civilian weapons. The content of the norms of individual legislative acts that provided for punishment for failure to comply with the regulations that make up the rules for handling weapons is briefly given. The article presents selected statistical data characterizing modern arms trafficking. As well as the norms of federal laws obliging the Russian Guard and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia to ensure the legality in the sphere of circulation of civilian weapons in the Russian Federation and to suppress crimes involving their use.

Nigeria’s Defense Regulative System and National Security: Implications of Arms Smuggling and Trafficking in Nigeria

Nigeria as a nation is battling with threats to its internal security as a result of the pervasive state of insecurity ranging from arms smuggling, trafficking and proliferation across the country’s porous borders, to insurgency, banditry, militancy, herdsmen attacks, and succession threats, among others. This study critically accessed Nigeria’s defense regulatory system and national security in curbing arms smuggling, proliferation and trafficking. The theoretical framework adopted for this study was Differential Association Theory (DAT) and Queer Ladder Theory (QLT). The paper adopted a descriptive research method and relied heavily on secondary sources of data from textbooks, journals, newspapers and the Internet. The study findings revealed that the factors responsible for arms smuggling, trafficking and proliferation are occasioned primarily by the weak institutional implementation of the legal provisions due to corruption, which also negatively influences other endogenous factors like porous borders, poverty, unemployment, huge illicit financial benefits that accrue to arms smuggling and traffickers and ethnic-religious clashes. The study therefore recommended among others, the need for the government to implement strategies to forestall insecurity in the country as well as the need for the promotion of social capital and welfare by actively engaging the nation’s scarce resources in making the productive sectors of the economy more viable, which should form the core responsibility of government. The views contained therein contribute to knowledge, as well, serves as a catalyst to further studies, given the number of references made for further review.

Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons Trafficking: Its Contributory Factors and Key Actors in Selected Areas of Ethiopia

Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons Trafficking: Its Contributory Factors and Key Actors in Selected Areas of Ethiopia

Interstate Highway Connections and Traced Gun Transfers Between the 48 Contiguous United States

Interstate gun flow has critical implications for gun violence prevention, as gun transfers across state lines can undermine local gun control policies. To identify possible gun trafficking routes along interstate highways in the US. This repeated-measures, ecological, cross-sectional study used data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019, to examine associations between interstate connections via 13 highways that each spanned at least 1000 miles and interstate traced gun transfer counts for the 48 contiguous United States. Analyses were completed in November 2023. Characteristics of the origin states and the transportation connections between the destination state and the origin states. The main outcome was the total count of guns used in crimes in each destination state per year that were originally purchased in the origin state. Bayesian conditional autoregressive Poisson models were used to examine associations between the count of guns used in crime traced to interstate purchases and interstate highway connections between origin and destination states. Between 2010 and 2019, 526 801 guns used in crimes in the contiguous 48 states were traced to interstate purchases. Northbound gun transfers along the Interstate 95 corridor were greater than expected to New Jersey (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 2.80; 95% credible interval [CrI], 1.01-7.68) and Maryland (IRR, 3.07; 95% CrI, 1.09-8.61); transfers were similarly greater along Interstate 15 southbound, Interstate 25 southbound, Interstate 35 southbound, Interstate 75 northbound and southbound, Interstate 10 westbound, and Interstate 20 eastbound and westbound. This repeated-measures, ecological, cross-sectional study identified that guns used in crimes traced to interstate purchases moved routinely between states along multiple major transportation routes. Interstate gun transfers are a major contributor to gun crime, injury, and death in the US. National policies and interstate cooperation are needed to address this issue.

Current issues of normative regulation of combating illegal arms trafficking in Ukraine

Current issues of normative regulation of combating illegal arms trafficking in Ukraine

Направления организованной преступной деятельности в современных реалиях

Introduction. At present days the crimes being committed by the members of the organized criminal activities introduce a special danger. Taking into account the current environment in Russia and the development of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) the author considers that there is the necessity to study this issue. The aim of study: The main areas of the organized criminal activities, including those having been composed in the process of developing informational technologies, are examined. Methods: The methodological basis of the study is a universal dialectical method of cognition of counteraction to the organized crime in the process of developing the public relations and digitalization. The author of the article uses the general scientific (logical, system-structural) and particular scientific (the study of law statistics and normative legal acts, analysis of informational resources) methods of cognition. The research materials are the normative acts and scientific literature concerning the modern methods of fighting against the organized crime and also data about the criminal situation at the territory of the Russian Federation and law enforcement practice on the researched problem. Results: In this research the modern methods of fighting against the organized crime are analyzed. A great attention is paid to illegal drug trafficking, weapon trafficking, the use of informational technologies in the activities of the organized criminal structures. Special consideration should be given to the corruptive aspect of organized criminal activity. On the base of the author’s research measures against the current organized crimes are offered.

Libyan Conflict and Internationalization of Terrorism in the Sahel Region: The Case of Boko Haram Insurgency in North East, Nigeria

The paper assesses Libyan Conflict and transnationalization of terrorism in the Sahel Region with reference to Boko Haram Insurgency looking at its implications to Nigeria’s national security. The threat of transnational terrorism, represented in jihadism can be seen as insurgency on a global scale, a violent campaign aimed at influencing a worldwide audience and encouraging followers through shared ideologies. The study was based on State Fragility theory and the study adopted a qualitative method and employed a case study approach using primary and secondary data to explain transnationalization of terrorism in the Sahel Region. Key Informant Interviews (KII) were used for data collection. KIIs were conducted with twelve (12) stakeholders from different professions. The collated data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study reveal that Libyan Conflict has destabilized the region with weapons trafficking which was developed there, and has also become a safe haven for jihadi groups threatening the entire peace of the Sahel Region. It also shows that the instability and lawlessness in Libya provided the space for extremist groups to establish training camps as extremist groups have become increasingly interconnected and their cross-border activity is dramatically on the rise since 2011. The study therefore recommends that, Governments in the Sahel Region should diligently thwart the spread of weapons and eliminate the threat posed by terrorist organizations through concerted national, regional, and international cooperation to address the issue of weapons, fighter movements, human trafficking networks, and irregular migration.

Соотношение проектов статей, предусматривающих составы преступлений в сфере незаконного оборота и применения оружия, основанного на новых физических принципах, с действующим уголовным законодательством

The purpose of the study is to conduct a criminal law analysis of Articles 355 and Articles 356 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which provide for liability for the circulation and use of weapons of mass destruction, to identify the features of their norms, as well as the relationship with the draft articles, which include the elements of crimes in the field of illicit trafficking and use of weapons based on new physical principles. The author of the scientific article used general and private scientific methods: the analysis of the norms of national and international legislation prohibiting the circulation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as the scientific approaches of scientists in the field of international humanitarian law, public international law and comparative law have also been studied. The main results of the work consist in the fact that the author of the study proved the fundamental difference between the elements of crimes provided for in Articles 355 and 356 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, establishing criminal liability for the circulation and use of weapons of mass destruction and the elements of crimes provided for in draft Articles 222.3. and 222.4. of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation on the prohibition of illegal trafficking and use of weapons based on new physical principles. The necessity of their differentiation and, accordingly, the expediency of criminalizing criminal acts committed with the use of weapon based on new physical principles is justified. The results of scientific research were tested during the International Scientific Readings “Law. Bar. Notary”, organized by the Russian Academy of Lawyers and Notaries on April 19, 2023, as well as within the framework of the 3rd International Scientific Student Conference “Current Problems of International Law in the context of challenges to maintaining peace and security”, organized by the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) The Russian Foreign Ministry on April 25, 2023 and other scientific and practical events. The proposals formulated in the study can be used in the legislative process, as well as in establishing criminal liability in the law enforcement practice of existing criminal law norms.