Abstract

The article focuses on the dynamics and interactions between the legal and illegal spheres in the port area, specifically drawing on the port of Genoa as a case study. In particular, it analyzes the mechanisms through which mafia groups operate in drug trafficking when dock workers are involved, and how the activities of these organizations impact the labor market. The study, therefore, focuses on the relationships, exchanges, resources, and methods by which criminal networks involved in illegal trafficking are defined, nurtured, and governed. The results show that the construction of criminal networks originates through the involvement of intermediaries, utilizing a reticular and on-call mechanism that aims to identify dock workers possessing the necessary resources, skills, and tools. The analysis reveals a close relationship of mutual influence between territorial development (i.e., the intersections between the city and the port space, as well as its evolution), changes in the labor market (reflecting, more generally, changes in the world of logistics), and criminal phenomena (which find opportunities for expansion in global illegal markets)