NCJ Number
144173
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 39 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (July 1993) Pages: 373-384
Date Published
1993
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses some widely held misconceptions about the involvement of Chinese criminals in Hong Kong in international heroin trafficking and challenges the view that large, interlinked syndicates control heroin distribution from the source to the street and also that the triads are heavily involved in the heroin trade.
Abstract
It has been estimated that Chinese criminals are largely responsible for most of the heroin entering Australia and New York and that they operate in a highly organized manner. However, these points have been overstated. Interviews with law enforcement personnel suggest that the heroin business almost invariably involves two distinct groups, one arranging for the importation and the other for distribution. Two case studies illustrate heroin trafficking and large-scale money laundering. These examples reveal the loose nature of the Chinese criminal enterprise in Hong Kong. Thus, economic models of organization, especially as they relate to the concept of enterprise, seem best suited to describe the involvement of Chinese criminal groups in the international heroin trade. 8 references