Papers by Luca Giommoni
How Do Illicit Drugs Move Across Countries? A Network Analysis of the Heroin Supply to Europe
Illicit drugs are trafficked across manifold borders before ultimately reaching consumers. Conseq... more Illicit drugs are trafficked across manifold borders before ultimately reaching consumers. Consequently, interdiction of cross-border drug trafficking forms a critical component of the European Union’s initiative to reduce drug supplies. However, there is contradictory evidence about its effectiveness, which is due, in part, to a paucity of information about how drugs flow across borders. This study uses a network approach to analyze international drug trafficking both to and within Europe, drawing on several perspectives to delineate the factors that affect how drug shipments move across borders. The analysis explicates how drug trafficking is concentrated along specific routes; moreover, we demonstrate that its structure is not random but, rather, driven by specific factors. In particular, corruption and social and geographical proximity are key factors explaining the configuration of heroin supply to European countries. This study also provides essential insights into the disruption of traffickers’ illicit activities.
Do police crackdowns disrupt drug cryptomarkets? A longitudinal analysis of the effects of Operation Onymous
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of online illicit markets where participants can ... more In recent years, there has been a proliferation of online illicit markets where participants can purchase and sell a wide range of goods and services such as drugs, hacking services, and stolen financial information. Second-generation markets, known as cryptomarkets, provide a pseudo-anonymous platform from which to operate and have attracted the attention of researchers, regulators, and law enforcement. This paper focuses on the impact of police crackdowns on cryptomarkets, and more particularly on the impact of Operation Onymous, a large-scale police operation in November 2014 that targeted many cryptomarkets. Our results demonstrate that cryptomarket participants adapt to police operations and that the impact of Operation Onymous was limited in time and scope. Of particular interest is the finding that prices did not increase following Operation Onymous, even though many dealers retired shortly after it occurred.
The Italian mafias in the world: A systematic assessment of the mobility of criminal groups
This study complements existing literature on the mobility of criminal groups (mainly based on co... more This study complements existing literature on the mobility of criminal groups (mainly based on country case studies) with the first systematic assessment of the worldwide activities of the four main types of Italian mafias (Cosa Nostra, Camorra, ’Ndrangheta and Apulian mafias) from 2000 to 2012. Drawing from publicly available reports, a specific multiple correspondence analysis identifies the most important associations among mafias, activities, and countries. The results show that the mafias concentrate in a few countries; drug trafficking is the most frequent activity, whereas money laundering appears less important than expected; a stable mafia presence is reported in a few developed countries (mainly Germany, Canada, Australia, and the United States). The mafias show significant differences: the ’Ndrangheta tends to establish structured groups abroad, whereas the other mafias mainly participate in illicit trades.
There has been relatively little effort at cross-national analysis of data concerning drug policy... more There has been relatively little effort at cross-national analysis of data concerning drug policy, though there is growing variation in how nations deal with illegal drugs. Systematic accounts of barriers to, and opportunities for, making comparisons are scarce. Comparisons of drug use prevalence, the focus of most cross-national studies, are undermined by fundamental and unacknowledged methodological differences. Prevalence is a poor measure of drug problems, but more appropriate indicators, such as drug-related crime and morality, are generated by institutional and legal systems that differ across countries, making them even more difficult to compare. The same is true of intensity of enforcement; besides problems of creating comparable arrest, conviction, and incarceration data, there is difficulty in generating an appropriate denominator of offenses. Collaboration among national data collection programs can help somewhat, but substantial progress will depend on harmonization of basic measurement systems, such as arrests and incarceration and on more subtle measures such as the prevalence of problem drug use
This chapter focuses on human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Italy. Two
Italian case stud... more This chapter focuses on human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Italy. Two
Italian case studies are analyzed, applying the crime script approach. They have
been provided by state prosecutors of two Italian provinces (Campobasso and
Ancona) and are referred respectively to indoor and outdoor prostitution. Starting
from the literature on this topic, the different stages of this crime (recruitment,
transportation, exploitation and aftermath) are identified.
From the analysis of the two arrest warrants, information on the actions and
decisions of both traffickers and victims is linked to the stages of the crime. The
added value of this work is the application of a methodological tool (script) not
often used to examine human trafficking. This allows a concrete analysis of the
vulnerabilities associated with the crime-commission process and the search for
situational crime prevention measures that might target these vulnerabilities. Both
research and policy implications are drawn at the end of the chapter.
Despite growing interest in organized crime’s infiltration of the legal economy, research to date... more Despite growing interest in organized crime’s infiltration of the legal economy, research to date has
paid little attention to the investments of criminal organizations in real estate. Using data on con-
fiscated assets in 8,092 Italian municipalities between 2000 and 2012, this paper aims to remedy
this lack of knowledge. Applying a risk–reward approach, based on the rational choice perspective,
the analysis highlights what drives Italian mafia groups’ investments in the real estate sector. The
results obtained support the validity of the rational choice perspective by showing how criminal
organizations weigh risks and rewards in their decisions to invest in real estate.
Global Crime, 2014
This study estimates the retail value of the illicit drug market in Italy from a consumption-base... more This study estimates the retail value of the illicit drug market in Italy from a consumption-based approach. The illicit drugs considered in this analysis are heroin, cocaine, cannabis (herbal and resin), amphetamines and ecstasy. Results show that the value of the illicit drug market in Italy is much less than previously estimated and quantified at € 3.3 bn. Heroin and cocaine retain the biggest markets in terms of revenues, while cannabis is the most-consumed illicit drug. Synthetic illicit drugs account for roughly 10% of the illicit drug market. Conclusions offer some suggestions as to how uncertainties about estimates of the illicit drug market can be reduced.
Book Reviews by Luca Giommoni
Conference Presentations by Luca Giommoni
Conference on Illicit Financial Flows in collaboration with the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC)
“Method counts: estimating Italian cocaine market” presented at 69th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, 20th - 23rd November 2013, Atlanta, USA.
“What can be learned from cross-national comparisons of data on illegal drugs?” presented at 8th Conference of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy, Rome, 21 – 23 May 2014
“The OC Investments In Real Estate: A Risk-Reward Approach” presented at 14th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology, Prague, 10 - 13 September 2014
"Explaining the decline of heroin and cocaine price in the European countries: an empirical approach” presented at 70th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, 19th - 22rd November 2014, San Francisco, USA.
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Papers by Luca Giommoni
Italian case studies are analyzed, applying the crime script approach. They have
been provided by state prosecutors of two Italian provinces (Campobasso and
Ancona) and are referred respectively to indoor and outdoor prostitution. Starting
from the literature on this topic, the different stages of this crime (recruitment,
transportation, exploitation and aftermath) are identified.
From the analysis of the two arrest warrants, information on the actions and
decisions of both traffickers and victims is linked to the stages of the crime. The
added value of this work is the application of a methodological tool (script) not
often used to examine human trafficking. This allows a concrete analysis of the
vulnerabilities associated with the crime-commission process and the search for
situational crime prevention measures that might target these vulnerabilities. Both
research and policy implications are drawn at the end of the chapter.
paid little attention to the investments of criminal organizations in real estate. Using data on con-
fiscated assets in 8,092 Italian municipalities between 2000 and 2012, this paper aims to remedy
this lack of knowledge. Applying a risk–reward approach, based on the rational choice perspective,
the analysis highlights what drives Italian mafia groups’ investments in the real estate sector. The
results obtained support the validity of the rational choice perspective by showing how criminal
organizations weigh risks and rewards in their decisions to invest in real estate.
Book Reviews by Luca Giommoni
Conference Presentations by Luca Giommoni