This article provides a single case study of a British organised crime networkudoperational from the late-1980s to 1996. The network centred around three security firmsudwhich spanned the ‘spectrum of legitimacy’ by legally providing security for licensed venues,udwhilst taxing and protecting drug dealers, and/or selling drugs in the nightclubs theyudprotected. All three firms employed violence to prevent the encroachment of competitors andudextort licensed businesses. Debt collection services were also used as a front for extortion.udActors were individually or collaboratively engaged in: the running of brothels and extortionudof sex workers, robbery of drug dealers, burglary, the importation of drugs, and unlawfuludinfluence. At least three of the activities (robber, violence and unlawful influence) served auddual purpose: (1) To achieve immediate and tangible goals, such as preventing theudencroachment of competing security firms, avoiding prosecution, and material gain; (2) Toudachieve more distant and abstract goal of creating, maintaining or inflating violentudreputations.
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