Drug Smugglers on Drug Smuggling

Scott H. Decker is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University.  He is the author of Life in the Gang: Family, Friends and Violence.Margaret Townsend Chapman is an Associate at Abt Associates Inc.

"The most comprehensive study of drug smuggling and drug smugglers I have seen." Paul Cromwell "[T]his book is informative, well written and interesting... The detail is rich and informative... A very interesting read on a topic about which conclusive information is difficult to find. Summing Up: Highly recommended." CHOICE, December 2008 "[A]n informative account about cocaine and marijuana smugglers incarcerated in U.S. penitentiaries... The book provides a fascinating overview of dynamics associated with cocaine and marijuana smuggling and of the challenges facing smugglers. The authors gained valuable information with respect to the sociology of the drug smugglers' worlds, and also about the perceptions of risk. They also gained insight with respect to current U.S. drug strategy, which suggests that current strategies appear out of sync with realities. The book makes a significant contribution to the field of criminology as well as social work as the profession strives to enhance its knowledge of the ecology of drug abuse and to develop its expertise in the area of substance abuse. Social works as a profession might be well served to draw on the methodological lessons and the knowledge of scholars such as Decker and Chapman." Sociology and Social Welfare, June 2009 "[A] significant addition to the growing interview-based research literature on organized crime... The findings of the study...create a quite vivid and detailed picture of drug smuggling into the United States... This book gives a straightforward account of drug smuggling through the eyes of incarcerated, mostly high-level drug smugglers... There is a lot of detailed information to be discovered both for students of the history of drug smuggling between Colombia and the United States, and for students of smuggling, illegal markets and organized crime in general." Trends in Organized Crime, March 2009

• Table of ContentsChapter 1. Motivation for the StudyUnderstanding Drug SmugglingImpact of Drug Interdiction and Eradication EffortsSummaryChapter 2. The Organization of the StudyStudy DesignInterview SampleSummaryChapter 3. Drug Smuggling OrganizationsMovement Away from CartelsStructure and Movement of DrugsSuppliersBrokers in ColombiaOfficesTransportersBrokers in the U.S.RetailersSummaryChapter 4. Movement of DrugsTransportation Routes    Source to MidpointMidpoint to United StatesUnited StatesMethods of TransportPrivate VesselCommercial VesselPrivate PlaneCommercial PlaneVehicleSummaryChapter 5. Roles, Recruitment into, and Remaining Involved in the Drug Smuggling TradeDrug Smuggling RolesOffloadersBoat CaptainAirplane PilotOrganizerU.S. Brokers and IntermediariesRecruitment into Drug SmugglingPersonal TiesOrganizational TiesGovernment RecruitmentMotivation for Drug SmugglingLeaving Drug SmugglingSummaryChapter 6. Balancing Risk and RewardMinimizing RisksAvoiding DetectionChanges in Smuggling Activities in Response to RiskGetting CaughtAssessing RiskPerceptions of U.S. Criminal Justice SystemRole of ArrestRole of ConvictionRole of ImprisonmentRole of Getting CaughtRole of Conspiracy“If you Were in Charge”SummaryChapter 7. Making Sense of Drug Smuggling: Conclusions and SummaryOrganizational StructureManaging RiskPotential Responses by Law EnforcementReferencesAppendix1.  Instrumentation Study DesignAppendix 2. Study Design