Sliding ports. Actors, resources and dynamics of drug trafficking in the Italian port system

The aim of the paper is to analyze the mechanisms of drug trafficking in the Italian ports, investigating how criminal networks exploit the infrastructure and its resources, trying to deconstruct monolithic representations of the phenomenon. Ports, in fact, are peculiar spot. They are an economic, political and social space in which a plurality of actors operate (public and private, global and local), and in which activities are regulated by informal practices. They represent one of the fundamental nodes of the supply chain that feeds the global commerce. In this context, organized crime, and in some cases also mafia groups, operate in legal and illegal markets (Sciarrone 2009, Sergi and Storti 2020). In particular, they look for a gateway for drug trafficking (Sergi 2020), often trying to exploit existing trade chains (Dinchel and Easton, 2020). This phenomenon, however, is multifaceted because of the type and the quantity of the drugs moved, the type of vector used, and the resources of organized crime groups. The port, in fact, is formally a forbidden place for organized crime. In order to move drugs outside the port area, a plurality of actors – both legal and illegal – must be active within the port area to help ensure that the chain of illicit trade continues. The paper, which is part of a larger research project, follows a qualitative approach through the analysis of institutional documents, judicial material and interviews.