Drug Smuggler Nation

Narcotics and the Netherlands, 1920–1995

Stephen Snelders (Postdoctoral research fellow)

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Hardback

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English

Manchester University Press
02 February 2021

European history; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; History: specific events & topics; Drugs trade & trafficking

Why did the international drug regulatory regime of the twentieth century fail to stop an explosive increase in trade and consumption of illegal drugs? This book investigates the histories of smugglers and criminal entrepreneurs in the Netherlands who succeeded in turning the country into the so-called 'Colombia of Europe'.

Increasing state regulations and interventions led to the proliferation of a 'hydra' of small, anarchic groups and networks ideally suited to circumvent the enforcement of regulation. Smugglers and suppliers of heroin, cocaine, cannabis, and other drugs created a thriving underground industry of illegal synthetic drug labs and indoor cannabis cultivation in the Netherlands itself, made possible because of the embedded criminal anarchy in Dutch society.

Using examples from the rich history of drug smuggling, Drug smuggler nation investigates the hidden grounds of the illegal drug trade, and its effects on our drug policies.

By: Stephen Snelders (Postdoctoral research fellow)
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 21mm
ISBN: 9781526151391
ISBN 10: 1526151391
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 02 February 2021
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

1 Introduction: the drug regulatory regime vs. criminal anarchy 2 The interwar period 3 Global perils I: Chinese and Greek drug smugglers 4 Cannabis, counterculture, and criminals: The rise of cannabis smuggling 5 Global perils II: Chinese triads, Turkish families, and heroin 6 The expansion of the cannabis trade after 1976 7 Global perils III: Colombian syndicates and cocaine 8 The floodgates of criminal anarchy: Synthetic drugs and subverting the state 9 Conclusion Appendix: Graphs of arrests and seizures Bibliography Index -- .

Stephen Snelders is a Research Fellow in the Freudenthal Institute at Utrecht University

Reviews for Drug Smuggler Nation: Narcotics and the Netherlands, 1920–1995

'Describing the development of covert networks is among the most daunting of social science projects. Like official corruption and espionage, organized crime prospers by remaining hidden. Snelders (Utrecht Univ.) successfully lifts the veil of secrecy, offering a convincing account of the evolution of drug smuggling in the 20th-century Netherlands. Combining materials drawn from official law enforcement statistics, crime news coverage, and academic journal articles, Snelders exposes drug smuggling in a new light. Rather than describe the handful of large-scale, highly integrated smuggling enterprises directed by criminal masterminds as often portrayed in works of popular culture, Snelders unveils an anarchic universe of small entrepreneurial enterprises connected through shared workplaces and/or culture. Overall, what Snelders strongly suggests is the virtual impossibility of finally suppressing drug smuggling. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers.' CHOICE (May 2022) -- .