Drug trafficking, violence, and corruption in Central Asia
Project Completed
PROJECT TEAM
Dr Gulzat Botoeva
University of Swansea
Contact: gulzat.botoeva@swansea.ac.uk
Gulzat Botoeva is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Swansea University. She is a sociologist specialising in studying economic activities that are usually defined as illegal/informal and outside of law. Her recent research focuses on the political economy of crypto-mining in Kazakhstan. Previously, she has conducted research on drug trafficking in Central Asia, hashish production and illegal gold mining in Kyrgyzstan. She has published with Theoretical Criminology, The International Journal of Drug Policy, and Central Asian Survey journals. She contributed a paper on local protests around gold mining in Kyrgyzstan to an edited book Central Asian World.
Dr Erica Marat
College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University
Contact: erica.marat.civ@ndu.edu
Professor Dr. Marat has been working on the issues of policing, technological innovation, and violence in the post-Soviet region, and Mexico. She is currently completing a two-year research project on Russian and Chinese influence on illiberal regimes funded by the Department of Defense (total of $331,000). She previously received two grants from Minerva R-DEF, successfully completing them. Dr. Marat also teaches a course on trafficking and organized crime at the Georgetown University and is a member of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime. or and Department Chair.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Central Asia experiences minimal direct violence associated with drug trafficking, despite serving as a significant drug trafficking route, with 90 tonnes of heroin flowing annually from Afghanistan to Russia and Europe. The region is emerging as both a transit zone and producer of synthetic drugs, sourced from China, while the demand for heroin grows in Russia and Europe. This project aims to explore the relationship between police corruption, illegal drug trafficking, and violent tactics employed by criminal organisations and/or law enforcement agencies in all four Central Asian countries.
The project analyses big data on violence, drug interdictions, and patterns of corruption in the region between 2015 and 2021 to explain the relationship between drug trafficking violence and corruption, highlighting the involvement of key actors from the criminal underworld and state agencies in Central Asia. It also relies on expert interviews to explain the states’ involvement in the drugs economy.
Findings of the research show that:
Illicit drugs flow through the region with the help of the security sectors and political elites, who share a long history of protecting and participating in drug trafficking.
Drug trafficking is highly organised with major criminal and state actors participating, and with rarely visible but periodic changes occurring among the involved parties.
Patterns of organised crime depend on state effectiveness, the state protection of trafficking, and the presence of competition between traffickers.
Drug-related violence is less frequent and less visible compared with the overall level of criminal activities.
Criminal violence is spread across the region, especially in urban areas, but the Central Asian states are capable of intercepting and preventing illicit activities.
This timely research addresses the anticipated increase in drug trafficking from Taliban controlled Afghanistan and the growing economic uncertainties resulting from Western sanctions against Russia. The findings offer policy implications for enhancing anti-trafficking strategies in Central Asia by identifying key actors involved in this highly organised criminal process. Additionally, the research provides valuable insights for scholars in relation to state decline, corruption patterns, and the rise of intrastate violence in the region.
PUBLICATIONS
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Drug trafficking, violence, and corruption in Central Asia (SOC ACE Research Paper 7)
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Drug trafficking, violence, and corruption in Central Asia (SOC ACE Briefing Note 13)
ENGAGEMENT
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Erica Marat, A rocky road: drug trafficking and corruption in Central Asia, GI-TOC Analysis, 28 February 2022
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What's hiding in the shadows? Insights from comparative research on illicit drug trafficking, 24 Hour Virtual Conference on Global Organized Crime, Gulzat Botoeva & Dr Erica Marat (free registration required to view)