Characterizing activities, motivations, and roles in drug trafficking: the Portuguese judicial case of Malha Branca

Drug use and the violence and other forms of criminality related to the illicit supply of psychoactive substances remain important challenges in contemporary societies. Portugal stands out as a relevant transit country for various drugs, namely due to its strategic location in the European space. As in other countries, in Portugal, drug trafficking is still one of the most profitable and attractive criminal activities for transnational organized groups. There is plenty of evidence that drug trafficking involves different activities and roles in the production, importation, and distribution of drugs, with people acting as King or Queen pins while others play lower and subordinated roles. As drug trafficking remains a phenomenon of great relevance, particularly due to its scope and harm, it is important to continue monitoring it regularly and deepening knowledge about its specific characteristics and dynamics. Research mainly focuses on why men and women become involved in drug trafficking rather than what do they do. To overcome this limitation, we conducted a case study analysis around a Portuguese judicial process (from the 90s, known as Malha Branca) that involved a criminal organization (of around 100 members) acting in the scope of drug trafficking and led by a woman. To characterize the participants, modus operandi, group dynamics, motivations, and response of the justice system, we resorted to a mixed research methodology, triangulating quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data (collected using a specifically developed analysis grid). Among the results, it stands out the representation of both sexes in the involvement in drug trafficking, and the diversity of activities and tasks that this criminal practice implies (e.g., service and delivery to customers, storing drugs). It also stands out the heterogeneity of member roles (e.g., leading, significant, lesser), the distinct motivations for the involvement in these practices (e.g., finance drug abuse, earn money), and that both men and women are involved in such diversity of activities, tasks, and roles, as well as on violence. We stress that such evidence contradicts the usual idea that men are more involved in leadership roles and violence than women. In the case studied, some women performed lesser activities, tasks, and roles, but the management, control, and leadership of the illicit activities of the organized crime group were also performed by a woman. Based on the results, we critically discuss the possible tasks and roles of men and women in the illicit drug supply chain, as well as motivations for this involvement. Moreover, we highlight that when determining a sentence, attention should be paid not just to the drugs’ type and quantity but also to the person’s roles, level of agency, and therefore level of culpability, to ensure proportional and consistent sentencing. We also discuss the implications of the results for developing more effective criminal policies.