NCJ Number
187706
Date Published
2000
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Wiretap records and other prosecution materials were used to uncover the structure of a large drug trafficking organization in New York City.
Abstract
Wiretap surveillance conducted in the course of investigating the case yielded nearly 600 pages of transcripts of 151 telephone conversations. In order to obtain a comprehensive picture of the organization and of the place of particular people in it, an analysis was undertaken in five sequential stages--conversational count by individuals, status analysis, task analysis, network analysis, and organizational chart. The analysis confirmed the organization was of the corporate type, involving a large number of individuals, clear division of labor, and a recognizable hierarchy. Field workers had few contacts with others in the organization, meaning they would not be able to provide information about those at higher levels in the organization to law enforcement officials. The analysis also revealed those running the organization relied heavily on telephone contacts. This reinforced the value of wiretap data, not just for law enforcement but also for social scientists studying these organizations. The author indicates the methods developed in the course of studying the drug trafficking organization may have more general value in studying the operations of large criminal organizations. 34 references, 8 notes, 5 tables, and 3 figures