Static and dynamic approaches of a Drug Trafficking Network

Abstract

El estudio analiza las ventajas de la utilización del análisis de redes sociales aplicados a una organización dedicada al tráfico de cocaína desde un punto de vista estático y dinámico.

This study aims to highlight the advantages of social network analysis (SNA) in the analysis of organisations in any illicit market related to organised crime. Using a cocaine trafficking network investigated in Spain as a sample, we explore the possibilities of analysing the network in both a static and dynamic context. Organisational dimensions such as structure, main players and subgroups are analysed through the static approach. With regard to its individual dimension, we analyse certain individual attributes of group members together with their position in the network. Finally, the network s dynamic behaviour, in one of its simplest expressions, unearths the advantages of using SNA as a tool to predict the most relevant players at the start of an investigation and to design ways to neutralise and dismantle the network.