Drug Trafficking and Organised Crime in Low Crime States: The Icelandic Paradox

Abstract

This article examines Iceland’s emerging role within contemporary transnational drug trafficking networks and situates these developments within the broader framework of transnational organised crime and the global war on drugs. It explores how international drug-control regimes, particularly the three United Nations drug conventions and the prohibitionist policies championed by the United States during the Nixon and Reagan administrations, have shaped global understandings of drug trafficking as a security threat. The article argues that changing geopolitical and environmental conditions are shifting organised crime concerns towards the Arctic region, where Iceland is increasingly positioned as both a destination and transhipment hub for illicit drugs and other criminal activities. Through an analysis of Iceland’s domestic experience, the article demonstrates how international drug-control narratives have been translated into national security responses. It contends that despite Iceland’s status as a stable, low-crime democracy with strong treaty compliance, drug trafficking and organised crime remain persistent challenges. The findings highlight the limitations of punitive, treaty-based approaches to drug control and reveal a disconnect between international policy objectives and local realities in the Arctic North.