NCJ Number
165271
Date Published
1985
Length
63 pages
Annotation
This study presents a set of data-collection and data- analysis activities designed to address particular questions related to the link between drug trafficking and organized crime.
Abstract
The data collection and analysis activities pertain to the effects that organized crime has on drug trafficking and enforcement, the effects that drug trafficking and enforcement have on organized crime, how Federal agencies engaged in organized crime enforcement should adjust their policies to contribute to the objectives of drug policy, and how Federal drug enforcement agencies should adjust their policies to contribute to the objective of organized crime control. "Organized crime" as used in this study refers primarily to a set of organizational characteristics rather than a predefined set of organizations; the relevant characteristics are organizational continuity and organizational investment in the capability and reputation for violent or corrupt interference with law enforcement activity. In discussing the objectives of data collection and analysis regarding drug markets, the report notes three distinct functions: descriptive, theoretical, and evaluative; each of these functions is discussed. The study discusses three potential sources of information about illicit drug markets: surveys of drug users and potential drug users, observations of the consequences of drug abuse, and enforcement data and the opinions of agents and prosecutors. Also considered are the collection and analysis of drug enforcement data as well as the collection and analysis of data on organized crime's involvement in drug trafficking. a 27-item bibliography