Varieties of drug trafficking organizations: A typology of cases prosecuted in New York City

This paper examines a sample of 39 drug trafficking organizations prosecute d in New York City federal courts. Using a new two-dimensional typology bas ed on organizational structure and tasks/roles, a considerable variety of o rganizational types was found. This result has important implications for f uture research. In particular it suggests the need for caution in generaliz ing from the findings of singlet:ase studies. These studies need to be loca ted in the broader framework provided by the typology. The typology also pe rmits the systematic sampling of trafficking organizations for detailed stu dy. This is particularly important for policy since interventions must be c losely tailored to the nature of criminal enterprises.