PVA magazine (Mars-Avril 2020)

la diffusion et l’adoption massive de la téléphonie mobile. Ce phé- nomène a profondément modi é la manière dont s’opère le tra c de drogue. À mesure que les tran- sactions s’effectuaient, pour la ma- jeure partie, par téléphone, le com- merce de rue a décliné, réduisant ainsi la concurrence meurtrière entre les gangs pour le contrôle de points de vente stratégiques. Ce qui a eu pour conséquence de faire diminuer durablement le taux d’homicides. C’est en effet au cours des années 1990 que le téléphone mobile est devenu un objet de masse aux États-Unis. Avant son arrivée, le consommateur nal devait se rendre dans la rue pour acheter des drogues illicites. Les vendeurs, pour être facilement repérés par les acheteurs, devaient donc se po- sitionner dans des endroits stra- tégiques, à la fois accessibles et visibles de tous. La diffusion des téléphones mobiles a profondé- ment transformé le tra c de rue. Elle a en effet permis aux ache- teurs et aux vendeurs d’entrer en contact sans qu’ils aient besoin de se rencontrer d’abord physique- ment. Point au moins aussi im- portant, le temps de transaction a été minimisé puisque les détails de celle-ci pouvaient être précisés par téléphone. La discrétion s’en est également trouvée renforcée puisque les transactions pouvaient se faire à l’abri de tous, dans

As transactions were increasingly conducted over the telephone, street dealing declined, thus reduc- ing deadly competition among gangs vying for control of strate- gic territory, resulting in a lasting decrease in the homicide rate. The widespread use of mobile phones in the United States began in the 1990s. Before that, consum- ers of illicit drugs bought them on the street. To be easily located by buyers, dealers had to nd acces- sible, and visible, locations. The spread of mobile phones profoundly transformed street trafficking, allowing buyers and sellers to more easily connect without having to meet. Transaction time was also minimized, as details could be determined over the phone. Strate- gic locations for drug deals became less important, since deals could be done discreetly and arranged in advance. This also meant that deal- ing was no longer largely con ned to organised gangs and cartels; prof- its were diluted into the hands of smaller dealers no longer deterred by the control of strategic areas. As a result, gang wars also declined. The effects of the gradual exten- sion of mobile networks during the 1990s have been signi cant, with an estimated prevention of 3,000 homicides per year over a decade, for a decline of nearly 30%. The fact that the spread of telephone networks in the US happened everywhere, and

W hile the issue of secu- rity is constantly at the forefront, the homicide rate in developed countries is at its lowest in 50 years. In the United States, for example, the homicide rate increased almost every year until the 1990s, when it inexplicably began to decline. This development intrigued researchers from many disciplines, particularly because the decline was limited to the mur- der rate, and did not re ect crime in general or deaths by overdose. Researchers have advanced several explanations for this phenomenon, including the deployment of more repressive legislation, increased investment in police forces and the justice system, socioeconomic improvements, even the legalisation of abortion. However, none of these explanations has proven conclusive. Economists Lena Edlund and Cecilia Machado offer an innova- tive, and convincing, explanation in their article “It’s the Phone, Stupid: Mobiles and Murder”, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). In the course of their research the economists noticed a correlation in the tim- ing of the decline in homicides in the US with the mass adoption of mobile phones in the 1990s. A phe- nomenon that seems to have pro- foundly affected drug traf cking. A radical change in drug traf cking

© BORIS SÉMÉNIAKO

MARS -AVRIL 2020

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