This paper is the second of a three-part series exploring the nexus between paramilitaries, illicit economies and organised crime. This research paper examines the nexus between paramilitaries, illicit economies and organised crime in frontier regions, through detailed case study analysis of these phenomena in the borderlands of Afghanistan, Myanmar and Colombia.

This research paper set out to capture the implications of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 for the local realities of the opium trade and the diverse actors whose lives are entangled in the country’s pervasive drug economy. The paper has a focus on two important localities for the country’s opium economy: Helmand and Nangarhar.

This research paper is the first of a three-part series exploring the nexus between paramilitaries, illicit economies and organised crime. The research advances a conceptual framework for analysing the nexus in borderland and frontier regions and outlines how this concept advances the growing body of recent literature on militias and paramilitaries.

Dr. Tena Prelec Presents Evidence to the UK Parliament’s House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee, discussing key issues affecting in the Western Balkans.

This month, we present research on the impact of Afghanistan’s drug trade on its neighbours; the political economy of gold mining in Takhar, Afghanistan; militarised approaches to organised crime; and security sector reform (SSR) and organised crime. Sign up for next month’s newsletter now!

Dr Tena Prelec and Dr David Lewis join panel on ‘Ukraine and Croatia: Navigating (Post)-War Hopes and Challenges’ organised by Univeristy of Rijeka’s CAS SEE and IDM Vienna. The panel explored how Croatian politics, society, and economy have changed during and after the war, as well as how Croatia and other neighbouring countries have addressed the challenges of the post-war period.

Dr Tena Prelec (University of Rijeka) joined episode 102 of the Global Anti-Corruption Podcast ‘KickBack,’ to discuss “Professional enablers and transnational corruption: How can standards be raised?” Panellists discussed the topic of so-called 'professional enablers'. Distinguishing between legal and illegal functions, the group discuss the types of activities related to corruption that the term might (and might not) encompass.

Gonzalo Saiz, Research Analyst at CFCS (Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies) RUSI, shared findings from his recent SOC ACE research paper on sanctions evasion and avoidance, which explores the motivations driving third countries to partake in these activities, to students at Esade University in Barcelona.

This annotated bibliography includes research and evidence on militarised approaches to combating serious and organised crime (SOC) in various contexts. Militarised approaches involve using military forces or methods to deter and disrupt SOC groups. These approaches have been employed in states facing high levels of violence, fragile and conflict-affected contexts, post-conflict settings, and against threats like piracy and wildlife crime.

On Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th December SOC ACE proudly partnered with RUSI for its inaugural Serious and Organised Crime Conference 2023, organised by RUSI’s Organised Crime & Policing Group alongside the National Crime Agency.

This paper examines the emerging dynamics, risks and opportunities within Afghanistan from the perspective of the gold mining industry in the north-eastern province of Takhar. While Afghanistan has relatively small value deposits compared with other resources, insights into the evolution of political economies surrounding the gold sector, its role in the economy and foreign intervention, shed light on broader dynamics of the extractives industry in the country.

On Friday 24 November, SOC ACE partner RUSI’s Centre for Financial Crime & Security Studies (CFCS) hosted an online roundtable on 'The Future of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).’

Shehryar Fazli of Open Society – Asia Pacific), presented his latest recent research on the regional impact of Afghanistan's drug trade on Pakistan, Iran, and Tajikistan during a panel on "Narconomics: Transnational Drug Trafficking & Corruption" at Disruption Network Lab's conference, "Organised Crime: a Global Business."

New research examines the impact of Afghanistan’s drug trade on the country’s neighbours, with a particular focus on the three countries, Pakistan, Iran, and Tajikistan, which account for the highest volumes of narcotics that transit from Afghanistan.

This month, we present research on migrant smuggling, targeted violence and illicit economies in Afghanistan; Third country jurisdictions in sanctions evasion and avoidance (SEA) related to Russia's war against Ukraine and Information manipulation and organised crime with case studies from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Prigozhin and Wagner, Transnistria, the Kremlin's capture of the media and Albania. Sign up for next month’s newsletter now!

Researchers from SOC ACE and GI-ACE are runners-up in the Economic and Social Research Council’s Celebrating Impact Prize competition 2023, for their research on Countering Kleptocracy.

Dr Tena Prelec (University of Rijeka) shared the conclusions of her recent SOC ACE publication “Information Manipulation and organised crime” as part of a GI-TOC panel on ‘Information Warfare and the Criminalisation of Cyberspace.’

This research uncovers common patterns in Afghan migration and the impact of the Taliban's return on human mobility. It draws on interviews with migrants, smugglers, and financiers, revealing an entrenched illicit economy essential to Afghanistan and beyond. The study analyses post-Kabul human mobility; and investigates the role of informal value transfer systems (IVTS) in clandestine migration.

On 27 October Professor David Lewis (University of Exeter) launched his latest research "Economic Crime and Illicit Finance in Russia’s Occupation Regime in Ukraine" at a virtual event hosted by George Washington University’s Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES). The presentation delves into how Russia is using economic and financial tools to consolidate its control of occupied Ukrainian territory.

This paper investigates how organised crime groups manipulate information in Eastern Europe, uncovering their use of technology, media ownership, and connections to the global political economy. The research sheds light on the threats posed by non-state actors in information manipulation and offers an analytical framework for future study.