European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research 111 €$ Illegal Markets and Practices Research and Documentation Centra WODC KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Editor-in-Chief J. JUNGER-TAS Managing Editor J.C.J. BOUTELLIER Editorial Committee R.V. BIJL, Ministry of Justice, WODC, The Hague, The Netherlands G.J.N. BRUINSMA, NISCALE, University of Leiden, The Netherlands M. KILLIAS, University of Lausanne, Switzerland B.A.M. VAN STOKKOM, Ministry of Justice, WODC, The Hague, The Netherlands L. WALGRAVE, University of Leuven, Belgium Advisory Board H.-J. ALBRECHT, Max Planck Institut, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany H.-J. BARTSCH, Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France and Free University of Berlin, Germany A.E. BOTTOMS, University of Cambridge, UK W.L. BUITELAAR, Ministry of Justice, WODC, The Hague and University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands J.J.M. VAN DIJK, Centre for International Crime Prevention, Vienna, Austria K. G^NCZOL, EStvSs Loránd University and Parliamentary Commission for Human Rights, Budapest, Hungary 1. HAEN MARSHALL, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, USA M. JOUTSEN, The Helsinki Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, Finland H.-J. KERNER, University of Tiibingen, Germany M. LEVI, School of Social and Administrative Studies, Cardiff, UK R. LÉVY, Cesdip, CNRS, Guyancourt, France P. MAYHEW, Home Office, London, UK E.U. SAVONA, University of Trento, Italy A. SIEMASZKO, Institute of Justice, Warsaw, Poland C.D. SPINELLIS, University of Athens, Greece M. TONRY, University of Cambridge, UK P.-O. WIKSTR^M, University of Cambridge, UK Editorial Address Ministry of Justice, WODC, A.H. Baars European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research P.O. Box 20301, 2500 EH The Hague, The Netherlands Tel.: +31-70-3707618; Fax: +31-70-3704507 E-mail: [email protected] Editorial Assistant A.H. Baars Cover Illustration H. Meiboom The European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research is indexed/abstracted in Criminal Justice Abstracts, Data Juridica, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Justitiële Verkenningen, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, National Criminal Justice Reference Service, N.C.J.R.S. Catalogue, Social Services Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts. EUROPEAN JOURNAL ON CRIMINAL POLICY AND RESEARCH Volume 9 No. 2 Summer 2001 Illegal Markets and Practices Editorial 113-115 NIKOS PASSAS / False Accounts: Why Do Company Statements Often Offer a True and Fair View of Virtual Reality? 117-135 TIGGEY MAY and MICHAEL HOUGH / Illegal Dealings: The Impact of Low-Level Police Enforcement on Drug Markets 137-162 ALEXIS A. ARONOWITZ / Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings: The Phenomenon, The Markets That Drive It and the Organisations That Promote It 163-195 NESTOR COURAKIS / Financial Crime Today: Greece as a European Case Study 197-219 Current Issues E.R. MULLER, U. ROSENTHAL, M.H.P. OTTEN, A.G.W. RUITENBERG, H. HEERSCHAP and R. SCHELLINGERHOUT / Evaluation of the European Championships 2000: Public Order and Safety 221-229 In the last 20 years `organised crime' has been seen as a major threat to post-industrial societies. It is important to distinguish between the various angles to this subject: the organisation, the character of the illegal activities, the relationship with legal enterprises, and the international aspects. This issue of the European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research concentrates on important characteristics of organised crime, namely the illegal products and markets. Aims and scope. The European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research is a platform for discussion and information exchange on the crime problem in Europe. Every issue concentrates on one centra] topic in the criminal field, incorporating different angles and perspectives. The editorial policy is on an invitational basis. The joumal is at the same time policy-based and scientific; it is both informative and plural in its approach. The journal is of interest to researchers, policymakers and other parties that are involved in the crime problem in Europe. The European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research is published by Kluwer Academie Publishers in co-operation with the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) of the Ministry of Justice. The journal has an editorial policy independent from the Ministry. Photocopying. In the USA: This journal is registered at the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923. Authorisation to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by Kluwer Academic Publishers for users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) Transactional Reporting Service, provided that the fee of USD 19.50 per copy is paid directly to CCC. For those organisations that have been granted a photocopy licence by CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged. The fee code for users of the Transactional Reporting Service is 0928-1371/2001 USD 19.50. Authorisation does not extend to other kinds of copying, such as that for general distribution, for advertising or promotional purposes, for creating new collective works, or for resale. In the rest of the world: Permission to photocopy must be obtained from the copyright owner. Please apply to Kluwer Academie Publishers, P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands. The European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research is published quarterly. Subscription prices year 2001 (Volume 9, 4 issues) including postage and handling: institutions USD 250.00/EUR 249.00 (print or electronic access), USD 300.00/EUR 298.80 (print and electronic access); individuals USD 83.00/EUR 83.00. Published by Kluwer Academie Publishers, Spuiboulevard 50, P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands and 101 Philip Drive, Norwell, MA 02061, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Raliway, NJ. USPS No. 018-395. US Mailing Agent: Mercury Airfreight International Ltd., 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001. Postmaster: Please send all address corrections to: European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, c/o Mercury Airfreight International Ltd., 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001, USA. Printed on acid free paper EDITORIAL In the last 20 years `organised crime' has been leen as a major threat to post-industrial societies. When the concept of `organised crime' is used it includes a lot of illegal activities and practices such as corruption, illegal trade, Mafia-networks, fraud, organised violence and so on. For that rea- son, criminologists put a lot of energy into defining the concept of or- ganised crime. Despite their efforts, there is a lot of mystification in the phenomenon and in the ways that this phenomenon can be tackled. It is important to distinguish between the issue of organisation (groups, net- works), the character of the illegal activities (illegal trade, violence), the relationship with legal enterprises (corruption, fraud), and the international aspects. It seems that the concept of organised crime is too vague from an analytical point of view. This issue of the European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research concentraten on an important aspect of what is usually characterised as `organised crime', that is to say its illegal economie character. Nikos Passas emphasises in the first article the role of legal actors. Speaking of an ille- gal economy one's mind turns - according to the author - immediately to illegal enterprises and the stereotypical `organised criminals' both at do- mestic and international levels. A small number of observers have been pointing out that there is plenty of evidence that the laffer interface fre- quently and symbiotically with legal actors. However, almost completely left out of the picture are a plethora of cases, in which legitimate enter- prises systematically break the law, often assisted by professional crimi- nals. Instead, these are systematic, sophisticated and extremely costly crimes committed by professionals, such as accountants, lawyers, politicians, civil servants and top corporate executives. Examples of such criminal networks and practices include insider trading, commercial corruption, price-fixing, as well as a variety of frauds. Nikos Passas seeks to draw attention to this type of criminal entrepreneurial activity by focusing en accounting fraud. This sort of fraudulent practice involves the communication and publica- tion of false or misleading figures about a company's accounts, financial health and prospects. 7ïggey May and Michael Hough report on an important illegal market and the interaction between law enforcing policies and trade characteris- 0 European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research 9: 113-115, 2001. 114 EDITORIAL tics. They examine the impact of low-level police enforcement on two British drug markets, and the adaptations to enforcement made by sellers and buyers. Despite the size of the illicit drugs market, little is known about the structure of the distribution process, the way in which the market re- sponds to changes in supply and demand, and the impact of enforcement. Assuming that drug control strategies can have at least a degree of impact on drug prices, it is important to consider how such changes will affect levels of consumption. Two distinct markets were researchel, a `closed shop' and a more `active market'. The authors' suggestions about ap- proaches to tackling drug markets fall into two categories. Firstly, how police forces can increase arrests of drug sellers and secondly the ways in which the criminal justice system and treatment