Transnational drug-related organised crime: a network perspective on Dutch involvement

This study focuses on the Netherlands’ position in the global drug market and on Dutch drug offenders’ positions in transnational drug-related criminal networks as emerged from the ANOM closed encrypted communications platform. The ANOM network consisted of 11,690 accounts (cryptophones) and 65,167 edges (communications). Location information was available for 35.5% of the cryptophones. Geospatial analysis revealed that the Netherlands was a true hub where Dutch drug offenders primarily operated locally, as did transnationally active foreign drug offenders. Social network analysis revealed that ANOM was a (small-world) network of networks. Dutch drug offenders were scattered throughout the ANOM network; however, 66% were part of three communities. Dutch drug offenders scored highest on centrality in all three networks, even in the two communities where they made up only a small segment of the population. This is most likely because they were (also) facilitators, specialised in (encrypted) communications tools and tooling.