NCJ Number
179053
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 27 Issue: 5 Dated: 1999 Pages: 443-455
Editor(s)
Kent B. Joscelyn
Date Published
1999
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This research interviewed street crack-cocaine traffickers in a major capital city to identify techniques they use to counter law enforcement efforts or evade the criminal justice system.
Abstract
In interviewing five drug runners, the study used 22 open-ended questions that focused on how they sold narcotics, specifically the sale of crack cocaine in Honolulu's (Hawaii) Chinatown district. Some subjects acknowledged that they trafficked in additional commodities such as heroin, marijuana, women, and sex, but all reported that they spent most of their time dealing crack cocaine. Subjects reported being crack cocaine users and claimed that being "runners" was the only way to support their habits. The use of a foreign language by drug dealers within the research setting was the most striking aspect of an effective law enforcement countermeasure. In addition, when uniformed or potential undercover law enforcement personnel neared locations where drug transactions were occurring, a short series of loud yells of "leo-leo" could be heard echoing down the block. This is the Samoan word for police. Another strategy was not to carry money and crack at the same time. Instead, they would have a runner pay a neutral party standing nearby to hold the money for crack sales without possessing any crack. The dealer would hand over the amount of crack to the runner that was equivalent to the amount paid to the third party. The packaging of the crack in a glass vial or aluminum foil facilitated a quick discarding or swallowing of the drug to prevent an arrest. The dealers' primary tactic to evade police is the use of runners, which insulates them from detection or arrest. Because runners are typically addicts who depend on money from "running" to support their habit, the dealers easily recruit and exploit them. 31 references