E is for enterprise: Middle level drug markets in ecstasy and stimulants

Abstract This article is derived from a study of 'middle-market' drug distribution funded by the Home Office. It involved prison interviews with middle and upper level drug dealers, and interviews with a range of enforcement personnel. The focus of the article is middle level drug markets in Ecstasy and stimulant drugs such as amphetamine and cocaine. A number of case studies are used to illustrate the varying kinds of brokerage, go-between and 'middle-man' functions that link together the different levels of the stimulant drug market, to supply the needs of consumers within the burgeoning night-time economy. Some of these individuals sit just above the retail level supplying retail level dealers who are in turn selling direct to consumers; others involve serious crime networks that control regional and cross-regional distribution systems within the UK, and transport routes that facilitate importation from the Netherlands.