Profile of Illicit Drug-Using Offenders and Dealers in Gauteng, South Africa: Results of Arrestee Drug Monitoring and Docket Research

• NCJ Number: 219076
• Journal: Acta Criminologica Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: 2004 Pages: 155-167
• Author(s): T. Leggett; A. Louw; C. Parry; A. Pludemann
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: To access the full text PDF: 1) select the provided link; 2) from the Acta Criminologica Web site, select "Table of Contents"; 3) select the corresponding Volume and Issue (see the NCJRS abstract record for the exact Volume and Issue); 4) scroll the Table of Contents to the exact article; and 5) click on the "full text" icon. Downloaded July 3, 2007

Annotation

This report presents findings from the drug use monitoring and docket research providing a profile of South African drug use among those arrestees in the Gauteng province.

Abstract

General findings from the drug use monitoring research showed that 46 percent of the arrestees whose urine was tested for drugs were found to be positive for one of six controlled substance types. Those who tested positive for drugs were more likely to had been arrested before (51 percent) than those who had not (29 percent), suggesting that different types of drugs were endemic among different gender and ethnic groups, that young people in trouble with the law were disproportionately likely to be using drugs, and that drug use and a criminal past seem to be interrelated in some way. In keeping with past research, the docket research showed crack was the primary drug in 29 percent of the cases, followed by Mandrax (27 percent), powder cocaine (13 percent), ecstasy (13 percent) and heroin (8 percent). The primary drug imported, via the airport, was powder cocaine. Hillbrow is the central import center for cocaine and heroin with diversification into club drugs. This research supports previous work in illustrating the enduring segmentation of South Africa’s drug markets underscoring the importance of local-level interventions to address these problems. It reviewed past research and introduced new information on the drugs-crime nexus in South Africa. The study draws on the so-called “3 Metros” study of those arrested for a wide range of crimes in the cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Urine samples were taken from nearly 3,000 arrestees in 1999-2000 and tested for drugs. In addition, a study of 315 non-cannabis drug dockets from Gauteng province over a 5-month period during 2000 was conducted. Dockets were requested from a list of dockets opened in Gauteng and provided by the Crime Information Analysis Center. Tables and figures