With a little help from my friends: Exploring the perceptions and utility of partners of drug crime.

Abstract

Co-offending and drug crime scholarship have rarely crossed paths. Whenever co-offending and drug crime are investigated together, the work is almost always quantitative. Thus much remains unknown about why drug dealers cooperate criminally. To provide a modest contribution to what is otherwise a noticeable void, I investigate the decision making processes among a sample of 8 drug dealers who regularly partner up with others. Findings suggest participants believe co-offenders increase the overall success of drug crimes by either providing access to criminal capital, or by providing strength in numbers. Trustworthiness and skill were two factors that heavily weighed on a decision to co-offend with another drug dealer. While participants acted instrumentally with regards to co-offending, they were not greedy or impulsive. Gains were usually split equally among all partners. Interestingly, the gains of drug crime were occasionally donated to a partner who was perceived to be in need.