Drug Smuggler Nation: Narcotics and the Netherlands, 19201995

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Description

In the twentieth century the Netherlands grew into a major country of trade and production for illegal drugs, supplying the UK and other European countries as well as North America. Using examples from the rich Dutch history of drug smuggling, this book synthesizes historical and criminological case studies and journalistic investigations in order

Reviews

'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)

'This thickly researched well-written book should be of great interest to historians, criminologists, and legal scholars alike. Frankly, I found little to argue with in this excellent book, which is a strong contribution to the intrinsically challenging and relatively new genre of smuggling history. In short, Drug Smuggler Nation is a deeply researched book that almost defines its place as interdisciplinary criminological history.'
Paul Gootenberg, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books (March 2022)

'All in all, there are very few improvements that one could suggest for Snelders superb study.'
Peder Clark, European Review of History (May 2022)

Author Bio

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