Enablers in criminal networks : An analysis of court cases involving encrypted chats

Sammanfattning

Criminality related to organized crime and criminal networks, with gun violence, bombings, drug trafficking and money laundering, is a growing problem in Sweden. Many of these crimes are made possible through the network's links to legitimate businesses and the use of enablers - a field of research which has been historically underwhelming - but that is now starting to spark the interest of researchers and politicians alike. This thesis explores the phenomenon of these enablers in organized crime and criminal networks. The data consisted of a large sample of Swedish court documents that contain the verdicts derived from the encrypted chat services Anom, Encrochat and SkyECC. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the connections between individuals involved in organized crime and legitimate businesses. The results showed that 42 percent of the analysed cases contained enablers. A majority of the crimes that involved one or more enablers also involved narcotics, and that the legitimate businesses linked to the enablers were companies operating in professions such as the transportation sector, auto shops, exchange offices, law enforcement, storage or moving. Professional drivers were the most frequently prosecuted persons in the convictions, followed by business owners. Common themes for how the enablers presented in the material were related to the drug trafficking process and storing process. The results tell us that the use of enablers seem to be a relatively common aspect of organized crime operations and that it is, as previous research suggests, likely a problem that will only grow.