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Certainly foreigners are not the only ones responsible for such a trade, even ifthey are often singled out as such. But we know that their over representation in thecriminal statistics is due to the fact that they carry out jobs which are more exposedto institutional reaction also because they are undertaken in visible places such asthe road 9 . It should be noted however that in recent years the number of foreigners,in particular of certain nationalities, involved at a medium-high level in the drugtrade seems to be progressively increased, partly in relation to the success of thelaw force in the fight against the drug trade managed by local criminals 10 , partlybecause of the search for a new form of investment and earnings on the part of theforeign organisations implicated in other illegal activities or in the same trade inother countries (and this is the case of Nigerian criminals as we will see in ChapterV) 11 .Another interesting indicator (still always partial) of the involvement in illegalactivities by foreigners is represented by the incidence of these over the total of theprison population, sub-divided by sex and type of crime.The statistical revelation (as appears in Table 8) confirms the high incidence offoreign detainees in relation to predatory crimes, crimes related to drugs, and thatof falsification. Instead it is obvious the low percentage of foreigners involved inthose crimes that require a high specialisation and a profound knowledge of theItalian command 12 . But the data above all bears witness with much evidence, to thefact that the crimes of the foreign detainees are percentage wise more represented(arriving at being more than 75% of the total) are those which bear a relationship toexploitation of prostitution.Again it is interesting to note how the percentage of foreign female detainees -whether for violations connected to drugs, or for crimes against property - arehigher compared to those of foreign male detainees. It is difficult to find a reason; itcan be observed, specially for some ethnic groups how women play an active roleeven in the illegal market: it is thought that in particular for crimes connected to aneconomical need such as theft where the woman, also to satisfy the primenecessities of the family or the group, becomes a particularly active subject 13 .9Cf. Colombo (1998 passim, and in particular page 130 and following, 223 and following.); Cfr.Barbagli (2002, pages 72-80) also for some critical remarks on how the Italians have been substituted byforeigners in the unqualified undertakings of the drug trade and in particular for the trade in heroin.10Giorgio Napolitano (1996).11The involvement of Nigerian and Albanian citizens in the traffic is well known, even for largequantities, of cocaine, white and brown. In literature one can see the remarks and data by MarzioBarbagli (2002, page 76 following.).12Cf. Crimes against public economy, against religious sentiment and pity for the dead, the bankruptcyand financial crimes.13For some reflections also on the ethnic distribution of female delinquency, see Marzio Barbagli (2002,page 69 and following).