Chapter Overview

        Currently, every major police department in the United State has assigned—with ample justification—a top priority to the control of drug abuse and related offenses. Most of the departments have narcotics or drug units that specialize in the identification, arrest, and prosecution of drug trafficker, ranging from low-level street dealers to leaders of organized crime syndicates. As a result, many police agencies have allocated many resources for narcotics officers, undercover agents, drug surveillance and recovery equipment and agreements with drug informants. The illegal importation, manufacture, sale, and use of drugs, however, have increased more rapidly than the resources for combating them.

        Explanations for the phenomenal growth of drug abuse abound in the literature on this subject. Many cite variables associated with socioeconomic and political conditions. Others suggest that the inability of some individuals to deal with personal stress and emotional problems has led to the increase in drug abuse. Regardless of the contributing factors, police must deal with the violation itself, not the motivations and human conditions that produce it.

        This chapter focuses on the categories of drugs that are most commonly encountered by law enforcement officers in their enforcement activities: opium-derived drugs, synthetic narcotics, stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. The procedures involved in narcotics investigations are also addressed. Most of the techniques used in investigating dangerous-drug and narcotics cases are the same as those used in other cases. The identification of the source of the drug and the risk factors in apprehending a drug suspect, however, make investigations of these cases unique.

        Another aspect of drug and narcotics cases that makes the investigation process atypical is the use of drug informants. Drug informants can provide valuable information on various types of drug activity, but compared with informants used in other investigations, they are perhaps the most difficult to manage. Drug informants have different motivations for helping the police, such as fear of punishment for criminal acts, revenge against their enemies, money, repentance, or altruism. Regardless of the motivation, informants who have entered into agreements with police agencies should initially be screened carefully and then, subsequently, be monitored. The chapter concludes with discussions on clandestine laboratories, search warrants, and evidence handling.