Guinea-Bissau has been regularly described as a ‘narco-state’. Yet, few studies analyse how drug trafficking has evolved here. Based on extensive interviews in Guinea-Bissau over several years, this paper documents the process. It concludes that using the term ‘narco-state’, where much of the state has little or no capacity, is inappropriate. A better approach is t...

The Johannesburg bouncer mafia, a series of violent and competing groups, dominated the city's underworld from the late 1980s until the early 2000s. While the bouncer mafia was one of several emerging criminal networks at the time, although the most prominent in respect of Johannesburg's changing illicit drug economy, they provide a useful example of how organised ...

Targeted killings or 'hits' have become a feature of South Africa's political economy, both licit and illicit. Given their current and potential impact they are understudied. In this article, we present data for hits for a 16-year period from 2000 to 2015. Hits represent the application of targeted violence aimed at removing particular individuals and sending wider...

Targeted killings or 'hits' have become a feature of South Africa's political economy, both licit and illicit. Given their current and potential impact they are understudied. In this article, we present data for hits for a 16-year period from 2000 to 2015. Hits represent the application of targeted violence aimed at removing particular individuals and sending wider...