Researching Drug Dealers and Smugglers (From Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context, and Interaction, P 39-54, 1994, Patricia A and Peter Adler, eds. -- See NCJ-151012)

• NCJ Number: 151014
• Author(s): P A Adler
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 16 pages
• Sale Source: Wadsworth Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Reprinted from "Wheeling and Dealing" (New York: Columbia University Press, 1955)

Annotation

The author became a member of the social world of drug dealers and smugglers in a southwestern California county and participated in their daily activities; she describes how she gained access to the drug dealing community and established personal relationships with community members.

Abstract

She developed a friendship with her neighbor and began smoking marijuana with him. Later, she determined that she might be living among drug dealers and attempted to become involved in drug trafficking activities. Her neighbor turned out to be a member of a drug smuggling group that imported a ton of marijuana and 40 kilos of cocaine every few months. The author collected information on the life histories of drug dealers she met using taped interviews with an unstructured, open-ended format. She developed personal relationships through socializing with drug dealing and smuggling group members. The establishment of relationships involved a covert role with some individuals and building trust. Problems encountered in the course of research included the effects of drugs on the data collection process, dangerous or risky situations, fear of the police, and the potential for cultural clashes with research subjects. By studying criminals in their natural environment, the author was able to research them in their surrounding subculture rather than in the artificial setting of a prison. 31 references and 8 notes