UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURE OF A DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION : A CONVERSATIONAL ANALYSIS by Mangai Natarajan

Wiretap records and other prosecution materials were used to uncover the structure of a large drug trafficking organization in New York City. Using a variety of techniques, including network analysis, wiretap conversations were analyzed in detail to determine the roles and status of individuals in the organization. The analysis confirmed that the organization was of the "corporate" type, involving a large number of individuals, clear division of labor and a recognizable hierarchy. The field workers had few contacts with others in the organization. This fact means they would be unable to provide information about those at higher levels in the organization to law enforcement officers. The analysis also revealed that those running the organization placed a heavy reliance on telephone contacts. This reinforces the value of wiretap data, not just for law enforcement, but also for social scientists studying these organizations. The methods developed in the course of this research may, therefore, have more general value in studying the operations of large criminal organizations.

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