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Myanmar's political turbulence has provided suitable conditions for the growth of bustling drug production complexes. From opiates to amphetamines, the connection between drugs, conflict and power is a key regional dynamic with implications for its neighbours and beyond. This article discusses some security and socio-economic implications for India due to the explosion of amphetamine trade originating in the Golden Triangle region. Though the North-east has been extensively identified as the main corridor for the passage of Myanmar-origin drugs, this article explores an alternative view by focusing on West Bengal as a particularly vulnerable area as both a destination and transit area for amphetamines. I argue that in the densely populated border areas in West Bengal, amphetamines are being integrated into existing cross-border smuggling routes used for cattle, gold, minerals and illicit pharmaceutical drugs, with regional and national implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of the research topic is related to the fact that in order to effectively address the problem of drug crime, it is necessary to develop and implement strategies based on the best practices, supported by scientific research, that optimise the use of law enforcement resources and limit the harm caused by drug trafficking. The purpose of this paper is to study the latest trends in the use of the intelligence cycle in the fight against crime, to create and describe a model of its application in the field of combating drug-related crime. To achieve the purpose of the research, the following scientific methods were used: terminological, systemic and structural, analysis, comparative analysis, modelling, formal and logical, generalisation, and expert evaluation. It is proved that for the effective and efficient organisation of analytical activities in the field of combating drug- related crime, a thorough understanding of and strict adherence to the stages of the intelligence cycle, which underlies criminal analysis, is crucial. It is concluded that the intelligence cycle is a flexible dynamic process that requires analysts to think critically and creatively, to respond meaningfully to new information, and to move through the stages of the intelligence cycle. The intelligence cycle was analysed, the analyst’s activities at each of the stages, specifically, during defining (setting) tasks and planning; collecting and evaluating data; generalising, systemising, and processing; analysing; preparing a report and submitting it to the customer; and receiving feedback, were highlighted. The findings of the study showed that the intelligence cycle is a universal tool that allows streamlining any activity related to information analysis, ensuring quality control and high-quality results of analytical work, specifically in the field of combating drug-related crime. The list of possible tasks of analytical work in the field of combating illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, their analogues and precursors, and summarised potential sources of information necessary for analysis, were summarised. The results of this study will be useful for heads of units involved in combating drug-related crime, employees who, according to their functional responsibilities, іimplement criminal analysis in combating drug-related crime, and scholars who research these issues

The drug problem in Indonesia is still something urgent and complex. In the past decade, this problem has become rife, as evidenced by the increase in the number of abuses and trafficking, to drug smuggling significantly, even spreading into prisons. The purpose of this study is to identify modes of smuggling, analyze the role and involvement of relevant parties, assess causal and driving factors, evaluate the effectiveness of surveillance and control systems. The method used in this research is empirical juridical by conducting direct research to the Cirebon Class I Penitentiary and also using the Deductive thinking method. Drug smuggling occurred at the Class I Cirebon Penitentiary, which was in the mode of visitors smuggling prohibited items into the Class I Cirebon Penitentiary, West Java, which was thwarted by officers of the Cirebon Class I Penitentiary. The items were 1 plastic meth clip and 150 grains of Alphrazolam type sedative into the Penitentiary. His modus operandi, the drug was hidden by a visitor inside his restricted area. The strategies carried out by correctional officers for the prevention of drug smuggling are physical security strategies and technological security strategies, as well as internal and external factors supervised by correctional officers. Over time, there have been many new modes of drug smuggling into prisons, so authorities continue to develop strategies to prevent drug smuggling by increasing security inside prisons and monitoring emerging modes of smuggling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative governance is currently being promoted as a solution to public problems in which the government is encouraged to work with cross-sectoral organizations. Although several collaborative efforts developed by the government were reported to have failed, several collaborations were successfully established to resolve various problems. The main objective of this study is to analyze the collaborative process in preventing drug smuggling in Nunukan Regency. The research focuses on ANSELL and GASH theory about the stages in the collaborative governance process: face-to-face, trust building, commitment to the process, shared understanding, and intermediate outcomes. This study uses a qualitative descriptive methodology. Data collection techniques were observation, interviews, and documentation with stakeholders involved in drug prevention collaboration in Nunukan Regency. Data analysis was done using NVivo 12 Plus software. The results showed that the collaboration process was quite good in preventing drug smuggling in Nunukan Regency. However, the intermediate outcome stage has not been reached because drug smuggling cases still continue to happen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prisoners have significantly greater levels of drug use than the general population, which is related to many adverse outcomes both during and post‐imprisonment. Reducing the availability of drugs in prison can lead to a reduction in the drug use of prisoners but requires knowledge of the different drug smuggling routes and the implementation of effective security measures. The main smuggling routes identified in the literature are through visitors; mail; prisoners on reception, remand, or work release; staff; and perimeter throwovers, but they differ between prisons depending on various contextual factors and security measures in place. Based on a total of 81 studies from 22 different countries, the average prevalence of drug use during incarceration is 32.0% with a range from 3.4% to 90%. The types of drugs used in prisons vary among geographical regions, countries, and even regions within countries. The most common drug reported to be used by prisoners in most studies was cannabis, except in South Asia and Scotland, where heroin was more prevalent. The drugs used in prison tend to reflect the prevalence of drugs in the local community, except where a drug has advantages unique to use in prison. It is vital to examine the prevalence of drug use and different types of drugs used during incarceration to help inform drug treatment services, assist prison staff in identifying potential drug use or intoxicated prisoners, and advise prisons about the most prevalent drug smuggling routes so new security measures can be considered. This article is categorized under:Toxicology > Drug AnalysisToxicology > New Psychoactive Substances [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If it is possible to overcome significant data challenges, social network analytics could be used to expose structural vulnerabilities in transnational drug smuggling operations, offering clear targets for crime control efforts that aim to disrupt transhipment. This study explores the extent to which data inclusion decisions might distort the emergent structure of nation-to-nation smuggling networks mapped with aggregate intelligence using United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) incident level seizure data (2010–2016). Bivariate exponential random graph models (ERGM) show that relaxing data inclusion standards exposes illicit backchannels (reciprocity) and a more complete picture of major transhipment activity (activity and popularity spread) than would be otherwise undetected. Relaxed data inclusion standards may help to adjust for the data limitations associated with the detection of rare events and inconsistent reporting practices, if usage rules are followed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women and gender minorities are disadvantaged by systemic inequalities relating to the lack of access to finances/income, resources to land as well as social and educational resources. This article provides a nuanced understanding of factors contributing to women being used as drug mules. Data were collected in 2019 through in-depth interviews with 20 offenders who were convicted for narcotics crimes, specifically drug trafficking, and were serving an imprisonment sentence at the Kgoši Mampuru II and Johannesburg Female Correctional Centres in Gauteng, South Africa. The participants were from 12 countries, namely, South Africa, Congo, Thailand, Brazil, Venezuela, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Paraguay, Angola, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, and Malawi. This research found that women are primarily recruited as mules due to their vulnerable economic position. The findings of this research will assist in developing recommendations on how to deter and prevent the use of women as drug mules in drug trafficking syndicates, which will be impactful to the Criminal Justice System (CJS), governments and the general public.

The number of drugusers has been growing, likely caused by oppressive social conditions. The drug situation in Thailand has changed so that it is no longer a production source. However, Thailand is one of the transit sites for narcotics smuggling. Drug smuggling occurs most recurrently along the border of Northern Thailand by topographic roads. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai Provinces have been shown to have the highest statistics in terms of drug trafficking. In this investigation, eight districts adjacent to neighboring countries were chosen as the areas of study. These areas are Mae Chan, Mae Fa Luang, andMae Sai located in Chiang Rai Province, as well as Fang, Chiang Dao, Mae Ai, Chai Prakan, and Wiang Haeng situated in Chiang Mai Province. This research studied the spatial relationship of factors related to narcotic smuggling using a data mining-based decision tree technique. The geographic locations of drug trafficking arrests were transferred into a data-mining process in order to assess the spatial relationships among types of exhibited drugs, season, land use, distance from checkpoint and smuggling routes. Drug smuggling risk areas were further predicted using decision tree modeling. The results revealed that the geographic locations of drug trafficking arrests in Mae Chan, Mae Sai, Mae Ai, and Fang Districts were related to the season factor. The distance from checkpoint showed a spatial relationship with drug smuggling arrests in the Chai Prakan District. Narcotic trafficking arrests in Mae Fa Luang were mostly related to land use and type of drug exhibited. Geo-locations of drug smuggling illustrated an independent relationship with smuggling routes. The results retrieved from the prediction-based decision tree method indicated that Chai Prakan, Mae Chan, Mae Sai, Mae FaLuang, Mae Ai, Fang, Wiang Haeng and Chiang Dao Districts were high-risk drug smuggling areas. The precision value of prediction was found to be 0.652. These results could support spatial decision making for national drug smuggling monitoring and surveillance.

Women and gender minorities are disadvantaged by systemic inequalities relating to the lack of access to finances/income, resources to land as well as social and educational resources. This article provides a nuanced understanding of factors contributing to women being used as drug mules. Data were collected in 2019 through in-depth interviews with 20 offenders who were convicted for narcotics crimes, specifically drug trafficking, and were serving an imprisonment sentence at the Kgoši Mampuru II and Johannesburg Female Correctional Centres in Gauteng, South Africa. The participants were from 12 countries, namely, South Africa, Congo, Thailand, Brazil, Venezuela, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Paraguay, Angola, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, and Malawi. This research found that women are primarily recruited as mules due to their vulnerable economic position. The findings of this research will assist in developing recommendations on how to deter and prevent the use of women as drug mules in drug trafficking syndicates, which will be impactful to the Criminal Justice System (CJS), governments and the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of drug smuggling has often taken an organizational perspective whereby the structures of how smuggling is constituted predominate. Building on a growing body of scholarship addressing the networked complexities of drug smuggling this article considers the importance of distinct infrastructural arrangements. Its primary focus is on the materiality of drug smuggling infrastructures, and how the social, spatial and temporal qualities of these configurations overlap with licit mobility infrastructures, including intersections of visibility/invisibility, stability, and permanence. The core conceptual premise, drawn from Science and Technology Studies, is that drug smuggling mobilities are formed of ephemeral infrastructures that exhibit temporary, short-lived stability and permanence through the subversion of licit infrastructural configurations. Drawing on material from El Dorado Airport, Colombia, the paper examines the everyday artefacts which constitute these ephemeral infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of smuggling and illegal transport of substances by internal concealment, also known as body packing, is increasing. The clinical approach to body packers has changed significantly over the past two decades. In addition, the mortality of body packers is an important issue in patient management. The purpose of the current study is to determine the statistics and mortality related to body packing. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all body packer patients who referred to Loghman Hakim hospital were evaluated from 2010 to 2017. Demographic characteristics, findings of clinical imaging, treatment, and outcome of the patients were recorded. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: A total of 303 patients were enrolled in the study after the diagnosis of body packing by abdominal CT scanning without contrast. Conservative treatment including whole bowel irrigation (WBI) accompanied by close monitoring was done for 78% (n = 236) of patients; moreover, 26 patients (8.5%) underwent surgery after WBI, and 41 patients (13.5%) underwent surgery without bowel irrigation. Mortality was observed in eight patients (2.7%) five of whom (62.5%) died before surgery and had the clinical manifestation of crystal (methamphetamine) and cannabis toxicity. Furthermore, three patients (37.5%) died due to the complications of surgery such as gastrointestinal leakage of an abdominal abscess. Conclusion: Conservative treatment seems to be better for the management of body packers. In addition, it is necessary to monitor patients for possible signs and symptoms of intoxication and gastrointestinal obstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of drug users has been growing, likely caused by oppressive social conditions. The drug situation in Thailand has changed so that it is no longer a production source. However, Thailand is one of the transit sites for narcotics smuggling. Drug smuggling occurs most recurrently along the border of Northern Thailand by topographic roads. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai Provinces have been shown to have the highest statistics in terms of drug trafficking. In this investigation, eight districts adjacent to neighboring countries were chosen as the areas of study. These areas are Mae Chan, Mae Fa Luang, and Mae Sai located in Chiang Rai Province, as well as Fang, Chiang Dao, Mae Ai, Chai Prakan, and Wiang Haeng situated in Chiang Mai Province. This research studied the spatial relationship of factors related to narcotic smuggling using a data mining-based decision tree technique. The geographic locations of drug trafficking arrests were transferred into a data-mining process in order to assess the spatial relationships among types of exhibited drugs, season, land use, distance from checkpoint and smuggling routes. Drug smuggling risk areas were further predicted using decision tree modeling. The results revealed that the geographic locations of drug trafficking arrests in Mae Chan, Mae Sai, Mae Ai, and Fang Districts were related to the season factor. The distance from checkpoint showed a spatial relationship with drug smuggling arrests in the Chai Prakan District. Narcotic trafficking arrests in Mae Fa Luang were mostly related to land use and type of drug exhibited. Geo-locations of drug smuggling illustrated an independent relationship with smuggling routes. The results retrieved from the predictionbased decision tree method indicated that Chai Prakan, Mae Chan, Mae Sai, Mae Fa Luang, Mae Ai, Fang, Wiang Haeng and Chiang Dao Districts were high-risk drug smuggling areas. The precision value of prediction was found to be 0.652. These results could support spatial decision making for national drug smuggling monitoring and surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research is aimed to elaborate and to analyze the role of the Indonesian Air Force in preventing drug smuggling in Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport. Drug Smuggling which is classified as one of the trans-national crimes becomes a huge non-traditional threat for national security. This research employs a qualitative method. Two types of data were used in this study. Data and documents related to drug smuggling in Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport were used as secondary data, while an in-depth interview with related stakeholders and observation were used as primary data. The result of the analysis showed that the Indonesian Air Force specifically stationed at Halim Perdana Kusuma International Airport plays an important role in securing the airport from such various threats as drug smuggling. The efforts for this purpose include placing the Indonesian Air Force personnel in the airport entry points, holding joint forces with the airport security, providing dog sniffers as well as training to improve the skills associated with the airport security and intelligence. Even though the Air Force has resources, personnel, and infrastructures for preventing drug smuggling threat that has now been transforming into a national security threat, it still needs to be supported by government policies implemented in the military operation other than war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body packing refers to the intracorporeal concealment of illicit drugs. Here we report the case of a 55-year-old body packer who presented with palpitations, visual hallucinations, and a sense of impending death. Abdominal radiography demonstrated five ovoid foreign bodies overlying the rectum. At subsequent gastrotomy and cecotomy, thirty-eight cocaine-containing packets were retrieved from the stomach and ascending colon as well as from the rectum. As the contraband market evolves new techniques to evade detection, evaluation of the burden of body packer ingestion has become increasingly challenging. As demonstrated in this case, plain radiography can grossly underestimate the burden of ingestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we describe the smuggling activities involving drugs and cigarettes within the Italian multimodal logistic system in the period between 2004 and 2014. Data concerning the smuggling flows intercepted by Italian authorities are used to carry out detailed studies about the evolution of the trafficking of illicit substances. Several dimensions of these episodes, including geographical analyses, are assessed using quantitative methods to investigate how the international trafficking of such categories has evolved over the last decade. Numerical data shows how the illicit substances and the methods to smuggle them have evolved over time in the Italian logistic network. Detailed data about the geographical areas of origin and the destination of these flows are also provided. These results can be used to implement and develop more robust and effective methods to contrast illegal substances trafficking and/or to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures to curb smuggling activities that are adopted by Italian custom offices and institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of law’s fact about convicted criminal who involved in drugs crime case as a certain intention by the government, especially for law enforcer in order to sterilize the prison from the drugs. In Bali, the drugs smuggling into prison is even been occur in prison Class II A Denpasar, which found the kinds of drugs such as marijuana or methamphetamine in prison block. From the investigation of that case, in fact there is a certain modes which is used in order to the drugs can be enter to the prison. Therefore, it is important to study in depth about the drug smuggling and the mitigating effort in Prison Class II A Denpasar. The method which is used empirical law research with descriptive qualitative research. The data consists of primary data and secondary data. The technique of collecting data which is used the document study and interview technique. The technique of determine the sample used “non probability sampling”. The result found that mode that is used to smuggling the drug into prison in vary such as : put inside the food, drink, threw the drugs from the outside, send a boy to delivered the food, etc. The effort that has been done by the Prison officer in Class II A Denpasar in mitigating the smuggling drug into prison by optimizes the preventive effort and repressive effort. Preventive effort was tighten the security and pacification in prison’s gate, sweeping in convict’s room, check every goods accurately which is entered into prison, and etc. However, the repressive effort was reported the smuggling or the convict who involved to the Police officer to get further law process.

We evaluated the added value of lung window in non-contrast computed tomography (CT) of suspected body packers or stuffers. Forty suspected drug mules who were referred to our tertiary toxicology center were included. The final diagnosis of drug mule was based on the detection of packs in stool examination or surgery. Non-contrast CT scans were retrospectively interpreted by two blinded radiologists in consensus before and after reviewing the lung window images. The diagnostic performance of abdominal window scans alone and scans in both abdominal and lung windows were subsequently compared. Seven body packers and 21 body stuffers were identified. The sensitivity, negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic accuracy of scans in detection of drug mules (either drug packers or stuffers) raised from 60.7, 52.1, and 72.5 to 64.2, 54.5, and 75.0 %, respectively, with a more number of packs being detected (114 vs. 105 packs). In the body packers group, the diagnostic performance of both abdominal windows scans and combined abdominal and lung windows scans were 100 %. In the body stuffers group, the sensitivity, NPV, and diagnostic accuracy of scans increased from 47.6, 52.1, and 55.0 to 52.3, 54.5, and 57.5 %, respectively, after the addition of lung windows. Reviewing the lung window on non-contrast abdominal CT can be helpful in detection of drug mules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]