NCJ Number
197593
Date Published
2002
Length
56 pages
Annotation
Through a series of articles, this research report attempts to answer the need for more knowledge production on larger social and economic transformations connected with the international drug problem, specifically on Brazil, China, India, and Mexico.
Abstract
This final research report focuses on the need for a deeper understanding of the supply of products and the consequences of illegal drug markets, and the effects on society and the economy as a whole. It attempts to go beyond the common knowledge of drug trafficking. A wide range of methods was developed and used to attempt to build a solid basis of knowledge with a view to support interpretations on the large social, economic, and political phenomena surrounding drug trafficking and other criminal activities to which it is linked. The research articles are divided into three main parts: (1) a discussion on the relationship between state, drug trafficking, and criminals; (2) the development of a range of questions on the organization of drug trafficking, its links to other criminal activities, and its economic and social consequences; and (3) an emphasis on the socio-cultural dimensions. A fourth part deals with methodological, institutional, and policy dimensions of research on drug trafficking. Six conclusions were drawn from the research: (1) the trafficking of drugs with the simultaneous activity of money laundering is directly related to a mass of criminal activities; (2) the infiltration of the government of a country takes different forms depending on the country's kind of government; (3) the political influence of criminal networks poses the essential question of the actual capacity of government to enforce the law; (4) the money laundering of the profits from the totality of the illegal activities controlled by the criminal networks can have an effect on financial crises; (5) the discoveries should force the regulatory authorities to take these findings into account when analyzing the situation and developing their action plans and strategies; and (6) confirmation that socioeconomic research can achieve important results on local, national, and international levels. References