DRUGS IMPORTATION AND THE BIFURCATION OF RISK - CAPITALIZATION, CUT OUTS AND ORGANIZED-CRIME

Qualitative research was conducted with 15 persons convicted of seriou s offences in connection with drugs importation into the UK, and with 10 informants of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, with appropriate sa feguards.' Objectives included an assessment of smugglers' (planners' and organizers') perceptions about 'risk' and how they attempted to re duce risk. Two conceptually distinct forms of risk were identified. St rategic risk is the risk to the planner/organizer ('number 1 ' man or woman). Tactical risk is the risk to the drugs and to persons other th an the planner/organizer. This paper focuses on strategic risk, which is described as differing markedly between (a) the well capitalized, r isk-adverse number I, who is well 'cut out' from danger, and (b) the m ore risk-tolerant, 'hands on' number 1, who is more directly associate d with the drugs and other vulnerable aspects of smuggling operations. The authors five reasons for focusing future work on interactions bet ween the first category of trafficker and control strategies.