Drivers, strategies and implications

This Working Paper explores the drivers and strategies of corruption as a facilitator of drug trafficking in the port of Rotterdam, with a specific focus on cocaine trafficking. Through in-depth interviews with stakeholders, a review of judicial cases and desk research, it aims to:

• deepen understanding of the systems and mechanisms of corruption that enable drug trafficking;
• show how trafficking and corruption strategies are changing in response to increased enforcement pressure; and
• provide practical insights on how to further strengthen port resilience.

It contributes to the growing body of work that looks at corruption from a systemic viewpoint, analysing the relationships and adaptive capabilities that allow organised crime to thrive. This research supports efforts to develop more robust and foresight-focused approaches to combat corruption and drug trafficking.

About this Working Paper

This paper is published as part of the Basel Institute on Governance Working Paper series, ISSN: 2624-9650. You may share or republish it under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International Licence.

This Working Paper was written as part of the FALCON (Fight Against Largescale Corruption and Organised Crime Networks) project. FALCON is funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Program Grant Agreement ID 101121281. The Basel Institute on Governance, as an associated partner without the right to receive funds directly from the European Research Executive Agency, has received funding from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, the European Research Executive Agency or SERI.

Suggested citation: Kassa, Saba and Jacopo Costa. 2025. ‘Corruption as a facilitator of drug trafficking in the port of Rotterdam: Drivers, strategies and implications.’ Working Paper 58, Basel Institute on Governance. Available at: baselgovernance.org/publications/wp-58.