Varieties of Drug Trafficking Organizations: A Typology of Cases Prosecuted in New York City

This paper examines a sample of 39 drug trafficking organizations prosecuted in New York City federal courts. Using a new two-dimensional typology based on organizational structure and tasks/roles, a considerable variety of organizational types was found. This result has important implications for future research. In particular it suggests the need for caution in generalizing from the findings of single case studies. These studies need to be located in the broader framework provided by the typology. The typology also permits the systematic sampling of trafficking organizations for detailed study. This is particularly important for policy since interventions must be closely tailored to the nature of criminal enterprises.