European illegal puppy trade and organised crime

Bibliographic Data

ID21647033
AuthorsJennifer Maher (0000-0002-9666-2070, University of South Wales, corresponding author), Tessa Wyatt (0000-0002-5191-7607, Northumbria University), Tanya Wyatt
Year2021
Volume24
Issue4
Pages506-525
Publication date2021-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTrends in Organized Crime (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1084-4791 • E-ISSN: 1936-4830
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12117-021-09429-8
PMID34456550
OpenAlexW3194310310
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited12

Organised crime groups’ involvement in illicit markets is a common focus of law enforcement and governments. Drug, weapon, human and wildlife trafficking (and others) are all illegal activities with link to organised crime. This paper explores the overlooked illicit market of puppies. We detail the state of knowledge about the organisation of the UK puppy trade, which includes irresponsible and illegal breeding of puppies throughout Europe and their often-illegal movement into the UK. In 2017, we conducted an analysis of hundreds of online advertisements in Scotland, 12 expert interviews, a stakeholder survey of 53 participants, and 40 focus groups across Great Britain. Our data suggest an organised illicit market running in parallel to the legal trade. We speculate as to whether at some point along the supply chain organised crime groups are responsible for the suffering and death of the puppies and the economic and emotional damage to ‘consumers’. Online monitoring and physical scrutiny at the ports must be improved to reduce non-human animal abuse. People buying puppies must also be made aware that their purchase could be profiting organised crime

Business · Criminology · Enforcement · Law enforcement · Organised crime · Political science · Puppy · Scrutiny · Sociology · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Law · Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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