B8537 - TRANSNATIONAL COMPLEX CRIME

Learning outcomes

Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of the nature, scope, and impact of various transnational crimes, with a specific focus on illicit trade, such as drug trafficking by various forms of organised crime. They will analyse the structure and dynamics of trafficking networks, exploring their operational methods, their use of technology, their organisational hierarchies and intergenerational changes,the roles of different state and non-state actors involved in these illicit activities, and even the use of corruption. A critical component of the module will be an examination of the role of ports in facilitating organised crime and the illegal movement of commodities. Students will analyse current strategies for enhancing port security and combating criminal flows effectively in Europe and beyond. Through the exploration of relevant case studies of mobile criminal groups, students will develop advanced research skills and apply criminological theories to better understand the complexities of transnational complex criminality. The module encourages an interdisciplinary approach, integrating perspectives from criminology, sociology, law, economics, and international relations.

Course contents

The course will be articulated in three parts:

Part 1: Organised crime in the global world

• What are Organised Crimes? What are mafias?
• Mobile criminal groups 
• Illicit/illegal trade across borders
• From Organised Crime to Complex Crimes

Part 2: Ports and governance of mobility of (illicit) goods

• Ports, crime and security
• Corruption and organised crime on the waterfront
• Case study: cocaine trade through ports
  
• Governing the mobility of illicit actors and goods via ports

Part 3: The security problem in transnational complex crimes

• The conflation between border security and the policing of complex criminality cross border
• International and regional cooperation challenges
  
• Case study: prosecuting the 'ndrangheta abroad.

 

 

 

Readings/Bibliography

 For attending students (attending at least 70% of classes - monitored)

Attending students will actively engage with course materials in class and they are expected to take part in class activities, both during lectures and during practice session.
In addition to the course materials shared during the course, attending students will prepare on the following for the exam

For each week 2h will be devoted to lectures and 2h to practice and review sessions during which students will read the readings assigned and discuss them in class in groups. Most readings should be available via the library system, if not they will be provided on Virtuale.

 

Readings Week 1: 

Sergi, A. (2024). Organised crime. In Elgar Encyclopedia of Criminal and Criminal Justice (pp. 811-824). Elgar Publishing.
Sergi, A. (2026). The Mafia Journey from Local Resentment to Global Drug Trafficking. The RUSI Journal, 1-10.

 

Readings Week 2:

Varese, F. (2020). How mafias migrate: transplantation, functional diversification, and separation. Crime and Justice, 49(1), 289-337.
Eski, Y., & Sergi, A. (2024). Ethnic profiling of organised crime? A tendency of mafia-cation in the Netherlands. Trends in Organized Crime, 27(2), 120-139.

 

Readings Week 3:

Carter, D. B., Donahue, B., & Williams, R. (2024). Border Barriers and Illicit Trade Flows. International Studies Quarterly, 68(3), sqae094.
Gana, I., Adamu, O., & Zakariya'u, M. (2023). Transnational security threats and border management: A study of cross-border crime challenges at the Nigeria-Niger border. African Journal of Politics and Administrative Studies, 16(2), 748-761.

 

Readings Week 4:

 Eski, Y. (2011). ‘Port of call’: Towards a criminology of port security. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 11(5), 415-431.
Hector, E. A. F., Ciro, J. M., & Ruth, G. L. (2025). The threat of illegal drug trafficking in European ports: meta-analysis of 22 case studies. Transportation Research Procedia, 90, 43-50.

Readings Week 5:

 Sergi, A. (2023). Through the sea, via the port, and into the city: Illicit trafficking on the waterfront. In Maritime crime and policing (pp. 31-47). Routledge.
Antonelli, M., & Vannucci, A. (2025). Corruption on the waterfront. Polymorphic bribery in the port of Genoa. Territory, Politics, Governance, 1-17.

Readings Week 6:

Sampó, C., & Troncoso, V. (2023). Cocaine trafficking from non-traditional ports: examining the cases of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Trends in organized crime, 26(3), 235-257.
Roks, Robby, Lieselot Bisschop, and Richard Staring. "Getting a foot in the door. Spaces of cocaine trafficking in the Port of Rotterdam." Trends in Organized Crime 24.2 (2021): 171-188.
Sergi, A. (2020-2022). Playing Pac-Man in Portville: Policing the dilution and fragmentation of drug importations through major seaports. European Journal of Criminology, 19(4), 674-691.


Readings Week 7:

Sergi, A., Reid, A., Storti, L., & Easton, M. (2021). Ports, Crime and Security: Governing and Policing Seaports in a Changing World. Bristol University Press. - Chapter 2: Policing Complex Criminality in and through Major Seaports. + Chapter 3: Governance of Security in Ports


Readings Week 8:

Nøkleberg, M. (2023). Policing global hubs: Balancing the imperatives of security and trade. The British Journal of Criminology, 63(3), 709-726.
Wagner, J. (2022). The European Union's model of Integrated Border Management: preventing transnational threats, cross-border crime and irregular migration in the context of the EU's security policies and strategies. In Patterns in border security (pp. 76-100). Routledge.


Readings Week 9:

Sergi, A., & Rizzuti, A. (2023). Anti-mafia cross-border: conceptual and procedural asymmetries in the fight against Italian mafias in Europe. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 17, paac047.
Sergi, A. (2025) How To Recognize the Mafia Abroad, Bristol University Press, Chapter 3: How To Understand the (Sur)name Trap

For NON attending students:

Required

- All the readings from the Weekly list are required.

In addition:

(Short Monograph) Sergi, A., Reid, A., Storti, L., & Easton, M. (2021). Ports, Crime and Security: Governing and Policing Seaports in a Changing World, Bristol University Press. (remaining chapters, all chapters)

(Short Monograph) Sergi, A. (2025) How to Recognize the Mafia Abroad: critical notes on the 'ndrangheta. (remaining chapters, all chapters)

(Booklet) Antonopoulos, G. A., & Papanicolaou, G. (2018). Organized crime: a very short introduction (Vol. 553). Oxford University Press.

 

Teaching methods

The course is taught in person in class. Each week there will be 2h of lecture and 2h of review and practice. Each practice session will be based on a reading as detailed under "Readings/Bibliography".
Each lecture provides a reference framework for the topics covered with the support of summary slides, video and audio materials, case studies; these materials are made available to students on the Unibo Virtuale platform. Participation in group discussions is required and will contribute to the final mark. 

For incoming undergraduate students, in order to attend and pass this advanced course with proficiency, the following competence are suggested: an introductory course in criminology (or sociology of deviance or similar).

The course is taught and assessed in English.

Assessment methods

For attending students (attending at least 70% of classes - monitored)

Students who attend the course in person will have an in-class evaluation towards the end of the course [End of November/Beginning of December - exact date will be confirmed at the beginning by the professor].
The in-class evaluation will be in the last week of class, will require a computer and will last 4h in total.

1. Apply one course reading to a real media case of interest (which could be pre-selected); demonstrate theory‑to‑practice linkage, critical use of sources, and ability to write a short commentary (2h)
2. Peer reviewer (classmate) reads paper and media source, annotates inline (comments) and completes a short review addressing: accuracy, theoretical application, missing points, suggested improvements. Original author receives feedback in front of the class (2h) 

More info will be given in class. The maximum score achievable in this evaluation is 30/30 and includes both roles in 1 and 2 (with peer review role weighting less of course). The evaluation is considered passed with a score equal to or higher than 18/30. The in-class evaluation (oral presentation + written report) will count towards 60% of the final mark.

The passing grades obtained in the in-class evaluation will remain valid until the September 2026 exam session included, or until the last exam session of the current academic year. In the event of failing the in-class evaluation the students will be treated as non-attending students at the exam and be tested on the full list of materials.

The oral exam (40% of the overall mark for attending students) consists of an interview to verify the learning of the contents of the lessons, materials, and case studies, their correct presentation and the ability to make connections between the different areas or problems.

 

 

For NON attending students:

Students not attending the classroom will have an extended reading list as detailed above. During the exam day there will be a written exam.

1. The student will receive a media case and needs to demonstrate theory‑to‑practice linkage, critical use of sources from the course and ability to write a short commentary at fast pace.
   

Access to the rest of the exam will be subject to passing the written exam which will be passed with a score equal to or higher than 18/30 (max 30).

The oral exam consists of an interview to verify the learning of the contents of the reading materials, their correct presentation and the ability to make connections between the different areas or problems.

The preparation of those students who demonstrate that they have acquired knowledge, analytical skills and connection of the main events and phenomena relating to illicit trade and complex criminality will be assessed as excellent/very good.

The assessment will be graded in proportion to any gaps demonstrated by the student with respect to the aforementioned knowledge and skills; in the event of serious deficiencies in preparation, an insufficient assessment may be assigned.

Please note: During the exam session, the written test and the oral interview take place on the same day and it is not possible to "keep" the sufficient grade obtained in the presentation for a subsequent exam session.

Teaching tools

Projector and computer. Details of lectures, lecture slides, additional teaching material and key information and announcements regarding this course are available on Virtuale.

Office hours

See the website of Anna Sergi