Counterfeit alcohol distribution: A criminological script network analysis

Abstract

This paper analyses a series of subsequent and connected investigations by a domestic European regulator on the network of distribution of counterfeit alcohol across two jurisdictions. The analysis mixes script analysis, a narrative framework for enhancing the understanding of how crimes unfold and are organized, with multi-node multi-link social network analysis, to observe the social structure in which crime scripts take place. We focus our attention on the key players that occupy strategic positions within the network of the crime commission process, from where they overview and control the various phases (scenes) and perform brokerage activities across the scenes, and on strategies of concealment of illicit products beyond the facade of legitimate business. Our findings indicate that actors in charge of managing the proceeds of the criminal activity are also the ones better positioned to monitor the entire process. The overall structure of the criminal network shows a good level of resilience and efficiency, although actors do not adopt common traits of a criminal lifestyle that facilitate secrecy and covertness. We believe that, by shifting the analysis from the nature of the group organization to the network of links between all the aspects of a crime commission process, the organizational structure and its weakest links become more detectable, easier to compare across proto- and meta-scripts, and ultimately more prone to situational preventive measures.

Tainted ties: the structure and dynamics of corruption networks extracted from deferred prosecution agreements

“…While most of such models are currently limited to binary network data, precluding their immediate application the data in the networks studied here, the fast development of these methodological tools may soon equip the researchers in this area with models appropriate for weighted and dynamic data. On the other hand, script analysis (Bellotti et al, [1]) is greatly synergistic with both RAT and SNA, as they both are concerned with the criminal process and the sequence of events, resources, and actors that produce them (Felson and Clarke, [21]). Such focus may also enrich SNA in further disentangling not only the structure of interactions, but also the structure of opportunities and logistics of particular cases of serious and organised crime (Bellotti et al, [1]).…”

“…On the other hand, script analysis (Bellotti et al, [1]) is greatly synergistic with both RAT and SNA, as they both are concerned with the criminal process and the sequence of events, resources, and actors that produce them (Felson and Clarke, [21]). Such focus may also enrich SNA in further disentangling not only the structure of interactions, but also the structure of opportunities and logistics of particular cases of serious and organised crime (Bellotti et al, [1]).…”

A structured methodical process for populating a crime script of organized crime activity using OSINT

“…These data about the cast members could then be used as inputs into illicit network analysis to examine the importance of each member within the criminal group. This hybrid crime script and illicit network analysis approach has already been attempted by Bellotti et al (2020) but without the benefit of the methodical process we describe. We recommend further research that examines how data about cast members from a crime script can be used in illicit network analysis.…”

Preventing and Intervening in White‐Collar Crimes

“…Similarly, ensuring clear internal policies were in place that clarified how the benchmark rates ought to be set would have removed excuses. In our second example, and Bellotti et al (2018) integrated a script analysis with a social network analysis to understand the distribution of counterfeit alcohols between two European jurisdictions where legitimate business actors were implicated, and where the movement of the illicit products was concealed within legitimate logistics networks (i.e. networks involved in the transportation of goods) and sold via legitimate wholesalers and supermarkets.…”