The size and influence of a criminal organization: a criminal achievement perspective

Cannabis cultivation in Quebec: Between space–time hotspots and coldspots

“…Spatial and temporal analysis can inform stakeholders allocating resources about the stability of the phenomenon. At the same time, this study may possibly confirm empirical findings relative to the location of cannabis cultivation activities alleged in the literature discussed earlier (Cocklin et al, 1999;Tremblay et al, 2009;Wilkins & Casswell, 2003). We also document the adaptation mechanisms of hydroponic producers who can grow cannabis throughout the year, but who must also compete more when those who grow cannabis in the soil are active.…”

“…We need to further explore the history of urbanization of the suburbs to document differences between these communities. Again, the literature mentioned the possible key role of cities and semi-urban environments, as they represent a large number of consumers (Cocklin et al, 1999;Tremblay et al, 2009). As previously discussed and in line with Von Thünen (1826), Montreal being the main market, land is too expensive and detection risks are too high.…”

“…They voluntarily withdraw from the cannabis market. Profit-oriented cannabis cultivation attracts either criminal organizations looking for substantial profit (Beauregard, Brochu, & Gagné-Tardif, 2010;Weisheit, 2011) or independent producers (Cocklin et al, 1999;Tremblay et al, 2009), including those seeking supplementary incomes to compensate for economic difficulties (Cocklin et al, 1999). This article captures cannabis market dynamics through hotspots and cold spots as proxies of intensive activities for both methods of cultivation.…”

Groups, gangs, and delinquency: Does organization matter?

“…This does not mean, however, that the temporal order between organization and violence always follows this logic. For example, one can easily imagine an already structured organization deciding to expand its business activities through violence precisely because it has reached a level of organization where violence becomes a suitable strategy (Tremblay, Bouchard, and Petit, 2009). While the crosssectional nature of our data does not allow for such arguments regarding the collective process of violent offending over time, the fact that the relationship is found for a continuum of organization, for both gang and delinquent group members, suggests that the relationship is important enough to operate at different levels of collective behavior.…”

Using police seizure data and hyperspectral imagery to estimate the size of an outdoor cannabis industry

“…The growth of cannabis cultivation in industrialized nations has led to an increased interest from researchers who sought to analyze the trends involved (Bouchard & Dion, 2009;Plecas, Malm, & Kinney, 2005), the effectiveness of law enforcement response (Bouchard, 2007;Malm & Tita, 2006;Potter et al, 1990;Wilkins, Battha, & Casswell, 2002), the relative involvement of organized crime (Tremblay, Bouchard, & Petit, 2009;Wilkins & Casswell, 2003), or adolescents (Bouchard, Alain, & Nguyen, 2009;Bouchard & Nguyen, 2010) in the industry, the size and type of social networks involved (Malm, 2008), and the growers themselves and their motivations (Decorte, 2008;Hafley & Tewksbury, 1996;Hough et al, 2003;Potter, 2006;Weisheit, 1992). The consequences of the sudden rise in domestic production have been greatest on local law enforcement agencies, which had to find resources and design strategies to curb the growth.…”