Sociological approach to drug trafficking: career paths and penal process

The territorial dimensions of the trafficking, particularly in links between cities and central areas, have already been reported elsewhere (Duprez, Kokoreff, 2000). 

Our objective here is to examine the extremely professional trade which led to the new penal code for "organised crime" which came into force in 1994 (Duprez, Kokoreff, Weinberger, 2001). 

The starting point for the survey was to use court files, highlighting cases which were like to become criminal offences and to come under the jurisdiction of an Assize Court composed only of professional judges. 

We will see later that the practices of public prosecutor's offices in processing this type of case are by no means standardised.