Addict and non-addict drug dealers in Istanbul, Turkey: Profiles and differences

Authors

  • Ali Ünlü Istanbul Police Department, Narcotics Division.
  • Oğuzhan Ömer Demir Turkish National Police Academy

Keywords:

Drug Dealers, Drugs, Addiction, Istanbul

Abstract

The objective of this study is to explore profiles of and differences between addict and non-addict street-level drug dealers. This is a cross-sectional study using the data of street-level drug dealers who were captured in 2008 by Istanbul Narcotics Police (N=486). Most of the street-level drug dealers were male, drug addict, had limited education and lower income, and more than half had past criminal records. Addict dealers and non-addict dealers are found significantly different from each other as far as the gender, income, amount of seized substance, type of seized substance, the number of arrested dealers in the same group, and past criminal records. The drug business usually works on people who know the underground drug world, but not the ones who have problems with substances. Addict dealers may play roles in this business for enjoyment and/or requirement. Addict dealers are also more likely to be arrested alone, which may indicate that they work for themselves and their ultimate aim is to afford drugs for their personal use and make money for their needs.

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Author Biographies

Ali Ünlü, Istanbul Police Department, Narcotics Division.

Dr. Ali Unlu, an employee of the Turkish National Police, is the head of the Drug Prevention Unit of the Istanbul Police Department. He received his Ph.D. from the Public Affairs Department of the College of Health and Public Affairs, University of Central Florida. He received his M.S. degree from the School of Justice Studies at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island.

His research interests include social capital, social networks, networks, inter-organizational networks in public organizations, and policy analysis related to drug and health issues.

Oğuzhan Ömer Demir, Turkish National Police Academy

Oguzhan Omer Demir holds MA and PhD degrees from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, USA. He is a faculty member at the Turkish National Police Academy where he also works for the International Center for Terrorism and Transnational Crime (UTSAM). He is the co-editor of three books on transnational crime. His academic interests include transnational crime, regular and irregular migration, and border security.

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Published

2012-07-11

How to Cite

Ünlü, A., & Demir, O. Ömer. (2012). Addict and non-addict drug dealers in Istanbul, Turkey: Profiles and differences. Journal of Human Sciences, 9(2), 161–175. Retrieved from https://www.j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/view/1871

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2012)

Section

Sociology

License

Uluslararası İnsan Bilimleri Dergisi ISSN:1303-5134
International Journal of Human Sciences ISSN:2458-9489
 
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