When encryption fails

A glimpse behind the curtain of synthetic drug trafficking networks

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12887161
AutoresMelvin Soudijn (0009-0008-8373-6270, Politieacademie, autor correspondente), Irma J Vermeulen (Politieacademie), Wouter P E van der Leest
Ano2022
Volume23
Fascículo2
Páginas216-239
Data de publicação2022-04-03
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoGlobal Crime (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1744-0572 • E-ISSN: 1744-0580
EditoraTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17440572.2022.2086125
OpenAlexW4281616596
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas9
Referências citadas49

The confiscation of the server of an encrypted telephone provider resulted in the retrieval of millions of text messages about covert activities that were overtly discussed between criminals. It provided a unique window into serious organised crime and the people involved. In this article, a social network analysis was carried out on accounts who communicated about synthetic drug trafficking. The sheer number of accounts (N = 4, 158) and messages threads (12, 085) allows for a meso level analysis of the structural characteristics of the networks involved. Three findings stand out. Firstly, the majority (58%) of the accounts active in the synthetic drug market is involved in poly-drug trafficking. Secondly, three-quarters of all accounts are interconnected in a giant component, resulting in a criminal small-world effect. Thirdly, the network appears to be robust. As a consequence, the removal of central accounts will hardly have any impact on the network as a whole

Business · Computer security · Confiscation · Covert · Criminology · Drug trafficking · Encryption · Internet privacy · Organised crime · Political science · Window of opportunity · Computer Science · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Law · Psychology