Between traditional mafias and cyber-organized crime: The roles of women in online and offline drug trafficking networks

Transnational organized crime poses a significant threat to national and international security, and women increasingly play important, yet often misunderstood, roles in criminal organizations. Focusing on the analysis of court cases, interviews, and newspaper articles, this chapter uses a critical lens to study and compare the ‘visible’ and ‘invisible’ roles women hold in drug trafficking organizations such as the Calabrian mafia, ‘Ndrangheta, as well as the AlphaBay darknet marketplace. The chapter aims to understand if these roles are gendered and, if so, in what ways. Are women marginal or main players in these groups? What is the role, if any, of the private sphere (e.g., family, kinship ties) when trying to understand women’s involvement in traditional and cyber-organized crime? We show that women play various roles in offline and online drug trafficking operations, which are indicative of gender dynamics within criminal organizations. Based on our findings, we suggest that to improve international security, we need to abandon gender-blind policies.