Drug Trafficking Research Articles

О ПРЕСЕЧЕНИИ РАСПРОСТРАНЕНИЯ НАРКОТИЧЕСКИХ СРЕДСТВ И ПСИХОТРОПНЫХ ВЕЩЕСТВ НА ТЕРРИТОРИИ СОЮЗНОГО ГОСУДАРСТВА

The article shows the prerequisites for further improving the work of the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus to suppress the spread of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances on the territory of the Union State. Based on the results of the generalization of materials, the legal basis for cooperation between the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in the field of combating drug trafficking, information on the state of the drug situation in the territory of the Union State, measures to counter the spread of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in the territory of the Union State, some results of the implemented coordinated actions of internal affairs bodies, potential for further improvement of coopera-tion in the field of combating drug trafficking.

Assessing the Reality of Crimes in Jordanian Society: A Review Study on Jordanian Society from 2018-2022

The study aims to identify the reality of crime in Jordan during the period from 2018 to 2022 and analyze its impact on Jordanian society. The study relied on a review of the literature and available data to identify the levels of crime and its development in Jordan, recorded in the statistical reports issued by the Directorate of Public Security/Criminal Information Department for the years 2018-2022. The study relies on identifying the social and economic impacts of these crimes on society through evaluation and analysis of the reality of crime in Jordan, especially since it is an important topic that requires a comprehensive study. The objectives of this study are to understand the current situation in order to analyze its impact on Jordanian society. It depends on the available literature, through which it is possible to delve into the patterns of crimes recorded during that period within crime classifications such as violence, theft, fraud, drug trafficking, and others. Therefore, the reality of the development of these crimes develops over the course of the four years within many trends and factors that determine responsibility for the changes. crime rates affect the social and economic reality of crimes in Jordanian society, including the effects of many fears about insecurity, weak confidence in the security services, and the impact on the financial situation instability.

Risk Factors Associated with Hepatitis C Subtypes and the Evolutionary History of Subtype 1a in Mexico.

The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), with its diverse genotypes and subtypes, has significantly impacted the health of millions of people worldwide. Analyzing the risk factors is essential to understanding the spread of the disease and developing appropriate prevention strategies. This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with HCV subtype transmission and calculate the emergence time of subtype 1a in Mexico. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2014 to December 2018, involving 260 HCV-infected adults. HCV infection was confirmed via Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, and viral load was measured by real-time PCR. Genotyping/subtyping tools were the Line Probe Assay and Sanger sequencing of the non-structural region 5B (NS5B). The most frequent HCV subtype was 1a (58.5%), followed by subtypes 1b (19.2%), 3a (13.1%), 2b (5.4%), 2a/2c (2.7%), 2a (0.8%), and 4a (0.4%). Intravenous drug use and tattoos were significant risk factors for subtypes 1a and 3a, while hemodialysis and blood transfusion were linked with subtype 1b. For the evolutionary analysis, 73 high-quality DNA sequences of the HCV subtype 1a NS5B region were used, employing a Bayesian coalescent analysis approach. This analysis suggested that subtype 1a was introduced to Mexico in 1976, followed by a diversification event in the mid-1980s. An exponential increase in cases was observed from 1998 to 2006, stabilizing by 2014. In conclusion, this study found that HCV subtypes follow distinct transmission routes, emphasizing the need for targeted prevention strategies. Additionally, the findings provide valuable insights into the origin of HCV subtype 1a. By analyzing the history, risk factors, and dynamics of the HCV epidemic, we have identified these measures: limiting the harm of intravenous drug trafficking, enhancing medical training and infrastructure, and ensuring universal access to antiviral treatments. The successful implementation of these strategies could lead to an HCV-free future in Mexico.

Pattern of substance abuse among patients in a rehabilitation center

Background: Substance use disorders have profound implications for individuals, their families, and society as a whole. At present, drug trafficking and addiction have ensnared every corner of the globe, impacting millions of individuals worldwide. This pressing issue of drug abuse is concerning due to the underlying conditions fueling it, including shifting cultural values, increasing economic stress, and weakened social support networks. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to identify the trends in drug abuse and its influencing factors among patients undergoing treatment for addiction in rehabilitation centers in Telangana. Materials and Methods: The study, a descriptive cross-sectional analysis, involved 222 individuals grappling with drug addiction at the primary rehabilitation center for drug addiction treatment in Telangana. Information was gathered using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire between September and December 2022 under the Department of Pharmacology. Results: Among the respondents, 95% were male and 5% were female, with a majority falling in the 21–30 age brackets. The religious breakdown comprised 151 Hindus, 32 Muslims, and 30 Christians, while 41% hailed from tribal regions. Injection emerged as the most prevalent method of substance abuse among 194 participants. The onset of drug abuse mostly occurred between ages 11 and 20, primarily driven by self or peer pressure. Notably, 89% of participants reported being compelled to consume substances. Conclusion: The study found a significant correlation between male gender and drug consumption (P<0.05), as well as between the 21 and 30 age group and drug intake (P<0.05). Additionally, the research highlighted a high prevalence of drug dependence among educated individuals, with familial conflicts and peer pressure being cited as common triggers for various forms of substance abuse.

Legal due diligence as a procedure necessary for creating a virtual enterprise

The article is devoted to the disclosure of legal due diligence as a system of business risk management when creating a virtual enterprise. Determining the full picture regarding the counterparty of the virtual enterprise is necessary in view of the importance of compliance with the requirements imposed by the regulatory and legal acts of Ukraine, adopted in connection with the large-scale military invasion, as well as the requirements of the EU regarding countering terrorism, illegal drug trafficking. The conducted research made it possible to come to the conclusion that due diligence is a systematic check of a business entity or certain assets, real estate objects based on professional analysis and assessment of information in order to identify and determine the degree of potential risks in order to make a decision on the feasibility of concluding the relevant contract and definition of its essential conditions. One of the types of such verification is legal due diligence, which consists in a legal verification of the legality of the company’s activities or the right to a certain asset of the opposite party. It is especially important to conduct it when creating a virtual enterprise, as it allows you to establish the identity of the future counterparty-participant of the virtual enterprise and, in turn, avoid the risk of establishing contractual relations with an improper counterparty. The stages of conducting legal due diligence are as follows: a) drawing up a plan for conducting an inspection with the definition of the necessary information and the procedure for obtaining it; b) obtaining information necessary for legal analysis; c) legal analysis and verification of the received information with the formulation of conclusions about the possibility of creating a virtual enterprise; d) formalization of the obtained results in the form of a written The legal basis for conducting this type of inspection can be a contract for the provision of consulting or legal services, as well as a contract between the company in respect of which legal due diligence is performed and the company that orders it.

Jaguar conservation is caught in the crossfire of America's 'War on Drugs'

International conservation efforts and prohibitionary drug intersect in unexpected ways throughout the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC). US-led counterdrug interdiction of transnational cocaine trafficking, or ‘narco-trafficking’, is increasingly pushing narco-traffickers and their associated environmental destruction into protected areas (PAs) to establish new smuggling routes. These locations are also where the greatest densities of jaguars (Panthera onca), an iconic and declining species, are found in Central America. Intersecting two geospatial datasets estimating 1) jaguar densities and 2) changes in landscape suitability for drug trafficking following counterdrug interdiction pressure, we estimated that roughly 69 % of the estimated population of jaguars in the MBC were found in areas of increased suitability for narco-traffickers. Moreover, jaguar populations within PAs were 2.5 and 34 times more likely to be in increased narco-trafficking suitability areas than those in jaguar corridors or other area without conservation designations, respectively. These findings illustrate the full costs of continuing current counterdrug interdiction policies alongside conventional conservation strategies and suggest that community-based conservation governance may more effectively discourage narco-trafficking activities and enhance conservation outcomes.

Memórias da corrupção no México: Uma reflexão pessoal

In the last decades, Mexico has experienced an increase in drug trafficking and violence. Not to mention that corruption levels continue being high in this country. The involvement of politicians in corruption scandals seems to be a constant element no matter what party holds the presidency. Since 2000, Mexico has experienced a political transition process after the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) lost the presidency after holding it for 71-years. The National Action Party (PAN), right wing, ruled the country for 12 years (from 2000 to 2012), although the PRI recovered the presidency with Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018), the presidency is currently (2023) held by the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), left populist wing. However, corruption and violence seems to be unstoppable. In this context, it is presented as a little personal reflection about the impact of corruption in my personal history as an individual living in Mexico in different stages of my life. This reflection does not intend to be a scientific contribution, but rather an exercise to explore personal experiences and feelings, based on national events and factual materials, which show how corruption is embodied in the socialization of rulers and citizens.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CRIMES RELATED TO THE ILLEGAL TRAFFICKING OF NARCOTIC DRUGS AND PSYCHOTROPIC SUBSTANCES ACCORDING TO THE CRIMINAL CODE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

This article analyzes crimes related to the illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in the context of Russian criminal law. Various categories of such crimes are considered depending on the degree of their social danger. Special attention is paid to the criminal-legal assessment of actions and proposals for improving the regulatory framework to protect public health and ensure law and order. The article emphasizes the importance of constant analysis and adaptation of the legal system to changing conditions, as well as discusses strategies to counteract the illegal distribution of narcotic substances.

An Empirical Assessment of Drug Trafficking Trends from Latin America into the United States: The Role of Fishing Vessels

ABSTRACT Drug trafficking is one of the most serious crimes of our century. The market reach is estimated to be over $500 billion annually, with a particularly robust user base found in the Americas and Europe. The United States, in particular, is one of the strongest consumer markets for drugs originating from Latin America. While such serious drugs as cocaine have been trafficked into the United States using various means, one method that has been gaining attention is the use of fishing vessels. Nevertheless, studies on the role of fishing vessels in trafficking drugs from Latin America into the United States are rare. To fill this gap, this research uses fishing vessel interception data obtained through Freedom of Information Act request from the United States Coast Guard for the years 2015–2021. Informed by crime science theory, this research examines the geospatial and temporal trends associated with drug trafficking by fishing vessels, as well as such vessel characteristics as flags they carried at the time of interception, and vessel type. Policy implications are discussed in light of the main research findings.

The nature and extent of the Taliban’s involvement in the drug trade before and after the regime change (1994–2022): insights from experts

ABSTRACT This article considers what experts know about the nature and extent of the Taliban’s involvement in the drug trade from 1994 until 2022. The findings indicate that the Taliban has been consistently involved in the drug trade in various roles and capacities. This involvement, fortified by familial and tribal connections with key drug trade actors, allows the Taliban to establish local legitimacy and strengthen its influence in rural areas. Despite the Taliban’s transition from insurgency to governance in August 2021, factions within the group have remained involved in the drug trade, and some drug traffickers hold official positions in the Taliban-led government. Study findings reveal that the Taliban’s opium ban serves strategic objectives, which include gaining political recognition and increasing opium prices. These findings underscore the importance of independent and comprehensive monitoring of the Taliban’s counternarcotics policies and urge caution in any engagements regarding counternarcotics initiatives with the Taliban-led government.

Exposure to drug trafficking and school truancy: Empirical evidence from Costa Rica

Exposure to crime and violence associated with drug trafficking has been shown to have negative consequences on students’ health, peer relationships, and educational outcomes. However, little attention has been devoted to analyzing the effects of exposure to drug trafficking on students’ truancy behavior, a critical outcome with a high cost at an individual and societal level. This study investigates the connection between exposure to drug trafficking (an increasingly common form of chronic crime and subsequent violence in Latin America) and school truancy in Costa Rica. To do so, we use a unique and comprehensive microdata set that merges detailed information on a specific measure of exposure to drug trafficking (cocaine seizures) and socioeconomic characteristics of Costa Rican districts with student and school data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In total, we obtain a sample of 4,584 students in secondary education attending 195 schools in 147 districts. Using logistic regression, we find that students in districts with higher exposure to drug trafficking (measured by cocaine seizure rate) are more prone to school truancy. This finding suggests that strategies to tackle school truancy should consider a neighborhood context perspective.

Cybersecurity in Onion Routing Environments: Strategies to Thwart Cyber Threats

Onion routing networks, or darknets, enable anonymous communication, protecting user privacy and attracting cybercriminals. This paper analyzes cybercrime in these networks, including drug trafficking, fraud, and hacking. The challenges seen in the detection and mitigation of these crimes arising as the result of strong anonymity and explore countermeasures such as law enforcement, technological solutions, and policy interventions have been discussed, as also highlighting of the limitations of current measures and proposals for future research, with emphasis on the need for interdisciplinary approaches combining technical, legal, and social perspectives.

Suspected Counterfeit M-30 Oxycodone Pill Exposures and Acute Withdrawals Reported from a Single Hospital - Toxicology Investigators Consortium Core Registry, U.S. Census Bureau Western Region, 2017-2022.

Availability of counterfeit prescription pills (counterfeit pills) containing illegally made fentanyl, including counterfeit M-30 oxycodone (counterfeit M-30) pills, has risen sharply in the United States and has been increasingly linked to overdose deaths. In 2023, approximately 115 million counterfeit pills were seized in U.S. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas. However, clinical data on counterfeit pill-related overdoses are limited. Medical toxicology consultations during 2017-2022 from one U.S. Census Bureau Western Region hospital participating in the Toxicology Investigators Consortium Core Registry were analyzed. A total of 352 cases suspected to involve counterfeit M-30 pills, including 143 (40.6%) cases of fentanyl exposure and 209 (59.4%) cases of acute withdrawal were identified; consultations increased from three in 2017, to 209 in 2022. Patients aged 15-34 years accounted for 95 (67.4%) exposure cases. Among all patients with exposures, 81.1% were hospitalized, 69.0% of whom were admitted to an intensive care unit. Additional substances were detected in 131 (91.6%) exposures. Providing outreach to younger persons misusing prescription pills, improving access to and distribution of harm reduction tools including fentanyl test strips and naloxone, and promoting linkage of persons treated for overdose in hospitals to harm reduction and substance use treatment services are strategies to reduce morbidity associated with use of counterfeit M-30.

Knowledge-prompted ChatGPT: Enhancing drug trafficking detection on social media

Social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter have emerged as critical channels for marketing and selling illegal drugs. Detecting and labeling online illicit drug trafficking activities have become an important measure to combat online drug trafficking. Recently, machine learning has been applied to drug trafficking detection. However, the effectiveness of conventional supervised learning methods in detecting drug trafficking heavily relies on access to substantial amounts of labeled data, while data annotation is time-consuming and resource-intensive. Furthermore, these models often face challenges in accurately identifying trafficking activities when drug dealers use deceptive language and euphemisms to avoid detection. To overcome this limitation, we conduct the first systematic study on leveraging large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, to detect illicit drug trafficking activities on social media. We propose an analytical framework to compose knowledge-informed prompts, which serve as the interface that humans can interact with and use LLMs to perform the detection task. Additionally, we designed a Monte Carlo dropout-based prompt optimization method to further improve performance and interpretability. Our experimental findings demonstrate that the proposed framework outperforms other baseline language models in terms of drug trafficking detection accuracy, showing a remarkable improvement of nearly 12%. By integrating prior knowledge and the proposed prompts, ChatGPT can effectively identify and label drug trafficking activities on social networks, even in the presence of deceptive language and euphemisms used by drug dealers to evade detection. The implications of our research extend to social networks, emphasizing the importance of incorporating prior knowledge and scenario-based prompts into analytical tools to improve online security and public safety.

Uncovering the Opium Crisis: The Poison of Turkish–American Relations in the 1960s and 1970s

Opium cultivation in Turkey had a long history spanning centuries. It was used as food, oil, painkiller, and a raw material to produce heroin. In the late 1960s, opium production precipitated a crisis between the United States of America (USA) and Turkey in which the USA puts increasing pressure on Turkey to ban opium cultivation as a part of its fight against drug addiction. However, the opium crisis was more than just a crop crisis, because Turkey did not play a major role in illegal drug trafficking as a producer country due to the volume of its opium production. Rather, the crisis can be viewed as a diplomatic offensive to test Turkey's loyalty to the USA and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Turkey was economically and militarily dependent on the USA, but shaken by the rise of the left and anti-Americanism in the late 1960s, it tried to move away from its US-centric foreign policy after the Cyprus Crisis in 1964. Ultimately, the democratically elected Demirel and Ecevit governments failed the test of loyalty to the USA and NATO, while the Erim government, backed by the military, passed the test due to different political, economic and social concerns.

Law enforcement fentanyl seizures and overdose mortality in US counties, 2013–2020

BackgroundThe spread of illicitly manufactured fentanyl is driving steep increases in US overdose deaths. Fentanyl seizures are correlated with state-level opioid-related mortality; however, more granular seizure surveillance information has the potential to better inform overdose prevention and harm reduction efforts. MethodsUsing data on fentanyl pill and powder seizures from High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), we tested associations between seizure prevalence and overdose mortality, from 2013 to 2020. The primary exposure—seizure burden—was constructed by identifying counties having high (above the median) prevalence of pill, powder, or combined pill/powder seizure burden per 100,000 population. Poisson models accounted for county demographic, law enforcement and time trends. ResultsDuring the timeframe, there were 13,842 fentanyl seizures in 606 US counties. In adjusted models, counties with a high burden of pill or powder fentanyl seizures, or both (combined pills/powder) exhibited higher total overdose mortality than non-high burden counties (pills adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR]: 1.10 [95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.08, 1.12]; powder aPR 1.12 [CI: 1.11, 1.13]; combined pills/powder aPR: 1.27 [CI: 1.25, 1.29]). A similar pattern of associations with fentanyl seizure burden was noted for overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids (pills [aPR]: 0.99 [CI: 0.96, 1.02]; powder aPR 1.29 [CI: 1.27, 1.30]; combined pills/powder aPR 1.55 [CI: 1.52, 1.58]). ConclusionsLaw enforcement data on fentanyl seizures predicts drug overdose mortality at the county-level. Integrating these data with more traditional epidemiologic surveillance approaches has the potential to inform community overdose response efforts.

Strategi Komunikasi pada Relawan Tim P4GN (di bawah Naungan BNK) Kab. Sukoharjo dalam Sosialisasi Anti Narkoba

In Sukoharjo Regency there is a community and volunteers for the Prevention, Eradication, Abuse and Illegal Trafficking of Drugs (P4GN) under the auspices of the Sukoharjo Regency Narcotics Agency (BNK). Which operates in the field of drug education. The resource persons for this research were 7 (seven) volunteers from the P4GN Regency team. Sukoharjo. The aim of this research is to determine the communication strategies used by the Sukoharjo Regency P4GN team when carrying out anti-drug outreach

Financial crimes in Africa and economic growth: Implications for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs)

AbstractThe current review systematically synthesizes existing literature to provide a comprehensive overview of the nature of financial crimes in Africa and their impact on economic growth. We adopted the PRISMA protocol to identify 128 papers from the Scopus database, which were analyzed using MS Excel, VOSviewer, and R‐packages (Bibliometrix). The survey reveals that financial crimes are on the rise in Africa and have gained increasing concern over the years on the part of scholars, governments, and NGOs. The survey also demonstrates that most of the financial crime in Africa emanates from illicit activities such as credit card fraud, cybercrime, mobile money fraud, financial statement fraud, Ponzi scheme, bribery and corruption, public fund mismanagement, terror financing, piracy, identity fraud, tax invasion, drug trafficking, product based‐fraud, burglary, trade‐based money laundering, sex marketing, and gambling; with the majority occurring in specific regions like Western Africa, Southern Africa, and Eastern Africa. Sociopolitical marginalization, poverty, and unemployment, weak institutional and financial regulatory systems and individual selfish interests were the major causes. Overall, the content analysis of the studies indicates that financial crimes have significant negative impacts on the economic growth of the African continent. Implications for future research and practices have been discussed.

Social reintegration of cisgender and transgender women post-incarceration in Brazil: policies and challenges

BackgroundSocial reintegration relies on the support given to prisoners not only during their reentry into society but also throughout their imprisonment. Our goal was to analyze the expectations reported by cisgender and transgender women returning to society and of the justice and social welfare professionals from the Brazilian prison system.MethodsA qualitative analysis using saturation sampling was conducted. The participants were selected through a non-probabilistic sampling technique. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in the management of the prison system and female former inmates. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an open and focused coding process. Textual data was stored, organized, and coded using Atlas software according to emerging themes.ResultsThe study involved 15 professionals and 13 female former inmates, five of them identified as transgender women. Among the professionals, the age range went from 38 to 65 years old; they reported a work history in their respective fields, from 10 to 35 years, with an equal distribution across genders. As for the female former inmates, their ages ranged from 24 to 42 years old, and the most reported crime was drug trafficking. Their incarceration time varied from 1 to 8 years. Female inmates were vulnerable to abuse and violence, including physical, sexual, and emotional violence. Women in situations of prior vulnerability faced additional challenges during their sentences. Transgender women were even more neglected and discriminated against by the system. Despite the professionals being aware and concerned about vulnerabilities and the need to improve the reintegration process, in general, they were not sensitive to the gender perspective. There were no specific policies able to support social integration for this public.ConclusionsData showed multifaceted challenges faced by female former inmates within the Brazilian prison system, highlighting the insufficient policies for both cisgender and transgender women. Additionally, the results revealed a lack of sensitivity among professionals regarding gender issues and their particularities in the prison system and social reintegration. These findings emphasize the need for a more comprehensive and intersectional approach that addresses the diverse socio-economic backgrounds of these individuals.

The Empty Chair. The Loss of Congressional Seats in Colombia Due to Corruption and Criminal Ties

Objective/context: This article has three objectives: to differentiate the theoretical arguments on the empty chair policy in Latin America, to analyze the process of institutional change that culminated with its implementation in Colombia, and to describe how it has been carried out between 2010 and 2024. Methodology: The methodological approach has three components: a theoretical part, a documentary component, and an empirically based analysis. The first describes the contrast between two approaches to the autonomy, control, and accountability of political parties and parliamentarians. The second reviews how these approaches are reflected in the rules on seat ownership (of parties or congresspersons/deputies), accountability, and sanctions for parties and congresspersons when they violate the law. The third consists of identifying cases of loss of seats, their analysis, and the determination of their effects. The principal sources of the study are constitutional reforms, Supreme Court rulings, and decisions of the Attorney General’s Office on convictions of congressmen. The information is complemented with journalistic reports and electoral data. Conclusions: The empty chair policy is established in two Latin American countries (Colombia and Peru). It is an effective legal norm to sanction political parties and legislators convicted for their links with criminal groups, corruption, electoral fraud, and other crimes. It has been applied in eighteen cases due to links to paramilitarism, drug trafficking, and corruption. The affected parties have decreased their electoral performance and their seats in Congress. Originality: This is the first empirical study on the subject in Colombia.