Zora Hauser
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zorahauser.bsky.social
Zora Hauser
@zorahauser.bsky.social
180 followers 52 following 11 posts
Leverhulme Fellow, Institute of Criminology, Cambridge. Researching organised crime, illicit economies, trust, and politics. 🇨🇭🇮🇹 still mainly active on X @ZoraHauser
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zorahauser.bsky.social
We often think #mafias belong only to weak states. In my book "Mafia Expansion" I show this isn't true - and discuss what it means for our democracies. If you want to know more, join me for the Cambridge Criminology Series on 16 Oct, 5pm (also online) ➡️ www.crim.cam.ac.uk/events/mafia...
October 6, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
maxdaly.bsky.social
I wrote a long read for @unherd.com about how the mafia has infiltrated Germany - via the pizza restaurant. Based on a book by the excellent criminologist
@zorahauser.bsky.social

unherd.com/2025/08/how-...
How the mafia infiltrated Germany
unherd.com
August 16, 2025 at 10:45 AM
zorahauser.bsky.social
Germany has a problem with organised crime and @maxdaly.bsky.social picked it up. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...
Cocaine, corruption and bribes: the German port under siege by Europe’s criminal drug gangs
After seizure in Hamburg of 16 tonnes of high-purity powder, state attorney is accused of being on payroll of gang he was supposed to be prosecuting
www.theguardian.com
May 1, 2025 at 10:56 AM
zorahauser.bsky.social
New arrests for #mafia extortion in Germany shed light on an old story: the Farao clan has operated there for decades. Never dismantled, a new generation embedded itself in local life—sliding under the radar. I trace their history in my book, and this case is far from unique.
April 2, 2025 at 10:14 AM
zorahauser.bsky.social
Industrial production of #cannabis in Liverpool, UK: a group specialising in electricity diversion on behalf of organised crime would cordon off areas, dig up pavements, and splice into cables to feed cannabis farms hidden in warehouses and shops. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Eight jailed after posing as electricians to divert power to UK cannabis farms
Criminals dressed as utilities repair teams dug up roads to access cables to power industrial-scale drug production
www.theguardian.com
March 8, 2025 at 10:22 AM
zorahauser.bsky.social
10 tons of #cocaine seized *not* in Antwerp or Rotterdam but in the small French city port of Dunkerque (north of Calais) - this is among the biggest seizures in Europe. In France overall, seizures increase by 130% over the past year. 👇 www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers...
Près de 10 tonnes de cocaïne saisies dans le port de Dunkerque, un record en France métropolitaine
Cette saisie, d’une valeur de 320 millions d’euros à la vente en gros, est un record en France métropolitaine. En 2024, 53,5 tonnes de cocaï
www.leparisien.fr
March 7, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
ludwigkendzia.bsky.social
EXKLUSIV Razzia LKA @Polizei_Thuer u. Zoll. Verdacht auf Drogenhandel u. Geldwäsche. Ermittlungen im Umfeld der #Mafia #Ndrangheta . Zusammenhang mit Festnahmen vor 2 Wochen in #Leipzig u. #Duesseldorf. Recherche mit @ahemmerling.bsky.social f. #MDR

app.mdr.de/mdr-thuering...
Verdacht auf Drogenhandel und Geldwäsche: Razzien in Thüringen und Sachsen-Anhalt | MDR.DE
Seit Donnerstagvormittag durchsucht das Thüringer Landeskriminalamt Wohn- und Geschäftsräume in Thüringen und Sachsen-Anhalt. Die Razzien stehen im Zusammenhang mit Ermittlungen im Umfeld der italieni...
app.mdr.de
March 6, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
ludwigkendzia.bsky.social
Das LKA @Polizei_Thuer hat zwei Männer festgenommen. Beide sollen mit Kokain gehandelt und eine Verbindung zur #MAFIA #Ndrangheta haben. Für die Thüringer Fahnder könnte es ein Schlüsselverfahren werden. Die Recherche m. @ahemmerling.bsky.social
www.mdr.de/nachrichten/...
LKA Thüringen ermittelt im 'Ndrangheta-Umfeld: Festnahmen in Leipzig und Düsseldorf | MDR.DE
Dem Thüringer Landeskriminalamt ist nach 30 Jahren das erste Mal ein Schlag gegen die italienischen Mafia gelungen. Am Montag wurden zwei Männer festgenommen.
www.mdr.de
February 17, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
lizzypearson.bsky.social
Honoured to get a sneak preview of Dr. @zorahauser.bsky.social 's new book 'Mafia Expansion: The 'Ndrangheta in Established Democracies'. Zora talked about her fieldwork&findings to rapt @royalholloway.bsky.social students of MSc Terrorism Studies in Bloomsbury!
📚👇

global.oup.com/academic/pro...
February 21, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
occrp.org
A Libyan migrant smuggling network “beat, tortured, and abused” victims — and buried those it killed in the desert, local authorities say.

Officers arrested an unknown number of suspected smugglers in a crackdown following the discovery of two mass graves.
Libyan Smuggling Ring Busted: Migrants Tortured, Killed; Bodies Found in Mass Graves
Arrested members of a migrant trafficking group admit to killing migrants and burying them in the desert.
buff.ly
February 19, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
sociologyoxford.bsky.social
📢 Are you an Oxford academic working on sociological research? 📢

Join the Oxford Sociology Network - a community for researchers to connect, collaborate and exchange ideas across disciplines.

✍️ Sign up now ➡️ forms.office.com/e/TViD46Kdxz

@socsci.ox.ac.uk
Image of people attending a lecture, alongside logo for the Oxford Sociology Network
February 17, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
crimewatch.bsky.social
Ein katholischer Priester hinterlässt ein Haus mit Aufzeichnungen von sexualisierter Gewalt. Sein Neffe erbt den Tatort – und versucht herauszufinden, was geschehen ist.

Wichtige @zeit.de Recherche zu sexualisiertem Missbrauch, #Kirche & die Lücken bei der Aufarbeitung

www.zeit.de/zeit-magazin...
Sexueller Missbrauch in der Kirche: Er erbt ein Haus. Und findet die Missbrauchsbilder seines Onkels
Ein katholischer Priester hinterlässt ein Haus voll mit Aufzeichnungen sexualisierter Gewalt. Sein Neffe erbt den Tatort und versucht herauszufinden, was passiert ist.
www.zeit.de
January 28, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
nickwhithorn.bsky.social
26 January 1979, Cosa Nostra kills investigative journalist Mario Francese (photo, left) in Palermo. The murder is witnessed by his then 12-year-old son Giuseppe (photo, right), who later helps to bring those responsible to justice, before taking his own life in 2002 [Thread] >>1
Mario Francese. Giuseppe Francese.
January 26, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
drewoccrp.bsky.social
🔎 A Nigerian cybercrime ring ran a hotel review scam that duped UK residents into costly bookings with false promises of crypto payouts.

105 arrests later—4 Chinese nationals and 101 Nigerians—authorities have dismantled the operation.

#cybercrime
Nigeria Arrests 105 in Crackdown on Hotel Review Scam
Nigerian authorities bust a sophisticated internet fraud scheme targeting mostly UK residents through fake hotel bookings.
www.occrp.org
January 16, 2025 at 10:00 PM
zorahauser.bsky.social
20+ senior mafiosi released in Sicily after decades in prison. Their return to the neighbourhoods they once controlled sends a message of relative impunity to the community and the Sicilian mafia is now more likely to reorganise 👇
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
Families of Sicilian mafia victims fear return of freed mobsters
Most of the bosses, released from prison on furlough or for good behaviour, have never disavowed Cosa Nostra
www.theguardian.com
January 3, 2025 at 7:19 AM
zorahauser.bsky.social
Stashes of #captagon, off-brand Viagra and forged $100 bills found in government buildings in #Syria. Who will take on the business after Assad? www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...
Syrian rebels seize vast haul of banned drug captagon, country’s largest export
Drug dwarfed all legal exports put together, with Assad’s brother widely believed to be power behind lucrative trade
www.theguardian.com
December 13, 2024 at 9:47 AM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
drewoccrp.bsky.social
Two British church officials stole $1.9 million from a children’s charity through fraudulent gift aid claims. a London court has ruled.

Kwabena Duodu used stolen funds to buy a $697,665 home. Moses Asare, a head pastor, used his share for loansharking.

www.occrp.org/en/news/evan...
Evangelical Pastors Caught in a Charity Fraud Scheme
Several evangelical pastors in East and North-East London exploited children’s charity funds to steal over 1 million British pounds, betraying the trust of their communities.
www.occrp.org
December 9, 2024 at 8:04 PM
zorahauser.bsky.social
One of Britan's most wanted drug traffickers got caught. He commented: "It’s all part of the journey helping me grow into a better person.” - here the incredible story of his last years on the run 👇
December 10, 2024 at 8:12 AM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
josephcox.bsky.social
New from 404 Media: the cryptocurrency Tether has become a *massive* money laundering tool for Mexican drug cartels, according to multiple court cases we dug through. The currency so heavily linked to drugs that the price of Tether in Mexico has gone down www.404media.co/tether-has-b...
Tether Has Become a Massive Money Laundering Tool for Mexican Drug Traffickers, Feds Say
Tether is being used on a massive scale by large scale drug traffickers, to the point where Tether is sold cheaper in Mexico due to its links to drugs, according to court records reviewed by 404 Media...
www.404media.co
November 25, 2024 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
drewoccrp.bsky.social
NEW: Even while wanted in the EU, Naples-born drug trafficker Raffaele Imperiale thrived in Dubai.

A signed contract shows that the son of Dubai’s ruler took a 51% stake in a real estate firm Imperiale once chaired —and the Italian was there to sign the papers.
Real Estate Deal With Royal Raises Questions About Drug Trafficker Raffaele Imperiale’s Business in Dubai
Imperiale, who lived freely in Dubai for years despite being wanted for drug trafficking in Italy and Spain, was a shareholder in a real estate company that built luxury villas in the Emirati city-sta...
www.occrp.org
November 30, 2024 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
bstrunz.bsky.social
In Hannover ist ein Staatsanwalt beschuldigt mit der Kokainmafia zusammengearbeitet zu haben. Er leitete ein 16t-Kokain-Verfahren. Hier ist die Timeline des Falles:
@ndrrecherche.bsky.social
www.ndr.de/nachrichten/...
Staatsanwalt im größten Kokain-Fund der Geschichte unter Korruptionsverdacht: Der Fall des Yashar G.
Es gilt die Unschuldsvermutung, doch die Vorwürfe wiegen schwer. Ein Staatsanwalt aus Hannover soll über Jahre hinweg gemeinsame Sache mit Drogenschmugglern gemacht haben. Das ist der Fall Yashar G.
www.ndr.de
December 6, 2024 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
sociologyoxford.bsky.social
✍️ Dr Emilia Ziosi's new research shows that illicit drug flows often integrate into the political & territorial landscapes of the countries they traverse - rather than remaining a transient activity detached from local social structures.

Read more ➡️ www.sociology.ox.ac.uk/article/rese...
Image of Emilia Ziosi with quote: "As drug traffickers need access to transit points like airstrips, security checkpoints, and road networks to move drug shipments, they build relationships with the legal and extra-legal actors controlling these infrastructures and points of passage. This process embeds drug flows within the local social fabric, even in so-called 'transit' countries like Honduras, where drugs are primarily thought to be passing through."
December 6, 2024 at 12:24 PM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
drewoccrp.bsky.social

NEW: An international money-laundering ring run from Moscow & Dubai has been moving billions in crypto and cash for criminal operations, the UK National Crime Agency says.

84 people have been arrested as part of “Operation Destabilise,” involving police from the U.K., Ireland, the U.S. & France.
Crypto ‘Laundromat’ Tied to Russian Financial Sector and Cocaine Trade - Police
Britain's National Crime Agency said the money laundering bust was its biggest in a decade.
www.occrp.org
December 4, 2024 at 4:15 PM
zorahauser.bsky.social
Let's extend that to most social sciences: the worrying trend of forgetting something was better in the past when it objectively was. Coupled with an anxiety to always reinvent the wheel. 👇
pculpepper.bsky.social Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · Dec 3
I worry that qualitynesia also applies to political science research.
duncanrobinson.bsky.social Duncan Robinson @duncanrobinson.bsky.social · Dec 3
We’re all suffering from qualitynesia now. Enjoyed this. on.ft.com/49lFF0c
December 4, 2024 at 10:39 AM
Reposted by Zora Hauser
colborne.bsky.social
Gerry Hutch, “arguably Ireland’s most romanticized criminal with a reputation as a modern Robin Hood,” acquitted last year of murder and currently out on bail on money laundering charges, may be about to win a seat “after running a ramshackle campaign waged mostly from his popular TikTok account” 🇮🇪🤷
politico.eu POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · Dec 1
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald topped the poll and won easy reelection in her Dublin heartland — but Ireland’s most famous gangland kingpin is poised to win an opposition seat right beside her.
Sinn Féin’s McDonald tops Dublin vote — followed by a gangland boss
Ireland’s unfolding election results leave Mary Lou McDonald stuck in opposition — likely alongside criminal newcomer Gerry “The Monk” Hutch.
www.politico.eu
December 1, 2024 at 8:50 AM