New Research Project - Developing a red-flag taxonomy: A proof of concept for illicit trade

A new proof‑of‑concept project is assessing whether a single analytical framework can detect red flags across different forms of transnational crime, including illicit trade in legal commodities such as tobacco and pharmaceuticals, human trafficking, and drugs.

Independent researcher Dr Alexander Kupatadze leads the research which asks whether the data patterns that reveal cocaine trafficking might also expose tobacco smuggling or indicators of human trafficking, and how these patterns vary across jurisdictions.

The project explores innovative uses of publicly available data to identify illicit practices, showing how open‑source information can complement restricted law‑enforcement and corporate datasets in mapping suspicious activity.

The analysis focuses on seven dimensions—behavioural, transactional, financial, legal/ownership, geographic, procedural/regulatory, and social/contextual. Drawing on sector‑specific and proxy datasets, expert interviews, and a practitioner workshop, the study will assess which indicators translate across crime types and which remain context‑dependent, as well as the legal and ethical limits to data use.

For more information visit the project website here.