{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T12:07:09Z","timestamp":1777896429441,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":8,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,13]],"date-time":"2018-04-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1523577600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Med Leg J"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Internal concealment and transportation of illegal substances by body packing is a major business with very high profits, attracting criminals all over the world. As body packers are rarely arrested, it is difficult to quantify their proportion in the general population and, consequently, identify the countries involved in this kind of drug traffic; as a consequence, the percentage of undetected cases is undoubtedly high. The aim of this study is to provide useful information concerning the country of origin of body packers travelling to Italy through the analysis of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Individual Drug Seizures Report database in the period 2010\u20132015. Results of our study highlighted a total of 85 cases, producing a total of 52.4\u2009kg of drugs transported through body packing towards Italy. Data obtained from our analysis could represent an useful starting point to: (a) enhance police controls on people coming from targeted countries and improve collaborations between Italian Police Forces and those of other countries; (b) understand the reason why some cities\/airports are so frequently used in drug trafficking through body packing and, as a consequence, enhance police controls in these places; and (c) train airport security staffs in international airports recognized as important departure points for body packers travelling to Italy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0025817218769012","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,13]],"date-time":"2018-04-13T07:17:43Z","timestamp":1523603863000},"page":"193-197","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Drug importation into Italy by body packing: An analysis of the UNODC Individual Drug Seizures Database"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"86","author":[{"given":"Simone","family":"Cappelletti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Legal Medicine Section \u2013 SAIMLAL Department, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Rome, Italy"},{"name":"State Police Health Service Department, Ministry of Interior, Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alessandro","family":"Iaria","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Italian Army Health Service Department, Ministry of Defence, Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francesco","family":"Lombardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Police Health Service Department, Ministry of Interior, Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Vallone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Police Health Service Department, Ministry of Interior, Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Pasquale","family":"Vitale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Police Health Service Department, Ministry of Interior, Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Costantino","family":"Ciallella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Legal Medicine Section \u2013 SAIMLAL Department, SAPIENZA University of Rome, Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0025817218769012","unstructured":"United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. World Drug Report 2016, www.unodc.org\/doc\/wdr2016\/WORLD_DRUG_REPORT_2016_web.pdf (accessed 7 February 2018)."},{"key":"bibr2-0025817218769012","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra022719"},{"key":"bibr3-0025817218769012","unstructured":"Eventon R and Bewley-Taylor D. An overview of recent changes in cocaine trafficking routes into Europe, www.emcdda.europa.eu\/system\/files\/publications\/2373\/downloads\/EDMR2016%20Background%20paper_Eventon%20and%20Bewley-Taylor_Cocaine%20trafficking%20to%20Europe.pdf (accessed 7 February 2018)."},{"key":"bibr4-0025817218769012","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00414-015-1310-3"},{"key":"bibr5-0025817218769012","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2016.04.012"},{"key":"bibr6-0025817218769012","unstructured":"United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Individual Drug Seizures Report 2017, https:\/\/data.unodc.org (accessed 7 February 2018)."},{"key":"bibr7-0025817218769012","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2009.02.004"},{"key":"bibr8-0025817218769012","unstructured":"National Central Anti-drug Services Department. Annual report 2015, www.interno.gov.it\/sites\/default\/files\/allegati\/relazione-annuale-2015.pdf (accessed 7 February 2018)."}],"container-title":["Medico-Legal Journal"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0025817218769012","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/0025817218769012","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0025817218769012","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T08:25:15Z","timestamp":1777623915000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0025817218769012"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,13]]},"references-count":8,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,12]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/0025817218769012"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0025817218769012","relation":{},"ISSN":["0025-8172","2042-1834"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0025-8172","type":"print"},{"value":"2042-1834","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,13]]}}}