Review of Drug Smugglers on Drug Smuggling – Scott H. Decker and Margaret Townsend Chapman
Drug use and its business are significant issues in the country yet knowledge about smugglers are limited. In this book, Scott Decker and Margaret Chapman examined the smuggling of cocaine and Marijuana in the United States (Decker & Chapman, 2008). The book is a reflection of the world of drug business from the perspective of smugglers engaged in the enterprise. It features interviews that the authors conducted with 34 individuals convicted with drug smuggling and operating the business. The authors used questionnaires covering a variety of topics on drug smuggling. The participants gave a detailed description of how they smuggled drugs in the United States with evidence of the risks, rewards as well as the organization of this luxurious business.
This book is divided into seven chapters, each chapter with a similar structure focusing on drug trafficking. In the first chapter, the authors provided an introduction to the book including its rationale and how it relates to other works. The section allows the reader to understand the dynamics of drug smuggling in the United States as well as describing the interdiction efforts that the country has enacted. In the second chapter, the authors provided an explanation and an analysis of the organization of the study and people funding it. They described how they drew their sample including the different factors considered, as well as how they conducted the interviews with 34 drug traffickers out of the many cases (Decker & Chapman, 2008). The authors in this chapter described the activities of the 34 drug traffickers to understand the operations of drug smugglers. For example, the respondents explained how they were involved in drug trade including the organization of this business and the associated risks.
In the following chapters three, four and five, the authors addressed the dynamics of drug smuggling in the country, including how the drugs are moved from one place to another as well as the recruitment, careers an roles involved in the business of smuggling drugs (Decker & Chapman, 2008). The findings of this study were somehow surprising due to the various existing perceptions and misperceptions regarding the drug business. Conducting interviews with drug traffickers provided the authors with insight into this business world, which allowed them to provide informative details on the apparent demise of Medellin and Cali cartels as well as how the drug smugglers have transited into several organizations characterized by divisions of labor (Youngers & Rosin, 2005).
The sixth chapter contains information on how drug smugglers balance risks and rewards quotients. Reading this chapter allows one to understand how there have been few subjects with much knowledge about conspiracy legislation. For example, very few of these drug smugglers have been aware of the penalty of being found in possession of real drugs or even if they are not seen in possession of actual drugs, including the prosecution, conviction and long-term sentences (Decker & Chapman, 2008). This study also focuses on the organizational structures of drug smuggling from Columbia to the United States
The final chapter of the book provides a summary of all the lessons learned including the misperceptions regarding drug smuggling business such as being highly organized and paying high dividends. However, they disregarded this perception by claiming that the reality is different, since smugglers use small and no-connected cells, while there is little or lack of connections to institutions in the United States (Decker & Chapman, 2008). At the same time, the authors stated that most networks are self-contained and there is a lack of specialization. Therefore, this difference between the reality and perception regarding drug smuggling in the United States raises crucial questions about the U.S drug policy.
This book can be crucial for the criminal department by contributing to the field of criminology and social work. The Social Work profession can benefit from this study by drawing on the methodological lessons in improving how it embraces drug and substance use as an important area of focus in the social work curricula. The topic of substance abuse is still perceived with suspicion by a considerable number of social workers as well as institutions of social work (Gootenberg, 2008). As such, this study can be substantial for such institutions as well as the policy educators and social work practitioners, among other professionals concerned with the future of the profession since they can learn a thing or two from the authors.
In summary, this book is significant in understanding the business of drugs in the country as well as the organization of drug smugglers. It adequately describes an overview of the dynamics involved in the smuggling of cocaine and marijuana in the country as well as the challenges that smugglers face. The interviews gave authors valuable information regarding the sociology of the worlds of drug smugglers as well as their perception of associated risk. It also allowed them to acquire an insight into the current drug strategy of the United States, which suggests that the current policies do not synchronize with realities. This book provides an informative account of the business of drug smuggling including cocaine and marijuana in the United States. The authors did a great job in describing drug smuggling in the United States and providing awareness of this crucial topic in the society. Throughout the book, they frequently quoted from the interviews in explaining how smugglers recruit individuals into the business and how they roles change over time as they continue to stay and operate.
The book concluded that drug smuggling is an organized business with a series of unconnected networks, which allows smugglers to organize their business in ways that minimize the risks of apprehension while maximizing the profits. For example, the authors stated that “most crime groups grew in response to conditions in their surrounding environment†with the socio-economic conditions fostering a business mentality of smuggling (Decker & Chapman, 2008). The authors also described how smugglers bring drugs into the country and they manage to escape apprehension while conducting the business.
This is one of the most comprehensive studies on drug smuggling is ever written. It is informative, exciting and well-written detailed elaboration on drug business in the country that can be crucial for policymakers and law enforcement officials as well as any individual interest in understanding how drug smuggling happens. From the interviews, the authors gained valuable information regarding the sociology of drug smuggling. The authors are well versed with criminology and criminal justice, and therefore are best placed in understanding and describing drug business in the country.
The book provides a significant addition to the research conducted on the field of organized crime in the country. The findings create a detailed picture of drug smuggling business through the eyes of incarcerated smugglers. Additionally, the merits of the book represent a unique insight into organized crime that includes an examination of the deterrent effect of the probabilities of arresting drug smugglers. It is crucial in revealing the effectiveness of interdiction programs and reasons behind their effectiveness or lack of effectiveness (Dorn, 2003). However, I think the authors should have provided a different article to the book to reflect the tone of the message accurately. Additionally, the authors should have researched more about the concerns of the human subject due to the structure of the incarcerated subjects due to the high number of individuals detained due to drug trafficking.