From King/Queen Pin to Mule: Different Facets and Roles in Drug Trafficking
Drug trafficking encompasses different activities and roles in the production, importation, and distribution of drugs, and human couriers are important elements in the importation phase. However, this role is inconsistently monitored and labelled. We present a comprehensive review of the literature...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sociedad Española de Investigación Criminológica
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Revista Española de Investigación Criminológica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://reic.criminologia.net/index.php/journal/article/view/909 |
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| Summary: | Drug trafficking encompasses different activities and roles in the production, importation, and distribution of drugs, and human couriers are important elements in the importation phase. However, this role is inconsistently monitored and labelled. We present a comprehensive review of the literature on drug couriers, focused both on its definitional issues and legal frameworks, and on their sociodemographic and biographic characteristics. We found that drug couriers are usually characterised as an inferior role, despite further distinctions based on the degree of their operational organisation and their commercial interest in the product. This paper discusses the importance of considering not only the type, quality, and quantity of the substances in the sentencing of such cases, but mainly the specific motivations, roles, and likely gains, as well as the level of agency in performing these roles to ensure proportionate sentences.
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| ISSN: | 1696-9219 |