Although the concept of providing drug supplies on consignment, or "fronting," is not a new concept, it is one that is being employed much more commonly these days. With the rising quality and cost of marijuana, especially, drug traffickers cannot afford to pay for a new supply when they receive it. Distributors are then left with the frightening prospect of being caught with large quantities of illicit drugs in their possession. The alternative is to front the drugs to their retail customers and postpone payment until the retailers have distributed the product to their customers and received payment. For the wholesalers this practice has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that the wholesaler limits the amount of time he is in possession of large quantities of illegal drugs. The wholesaler also stands to gain by keeping his clientele "on the hook" to them. Often the wholesaler will push the retailer to take larger quantities than the retailer is used to, or prepared to sell, thus giving the retailer the risk of getting caught with the load, and also creating an indebtedness with the retailer that will be used to ensure loyalty. In the code of the streets, once a drug dealer has established a debt to a supplier they should remain loyal to that supplier until the debt is repaid. In a market where re-supplies begin to amass more frequently than the previous shipment is distributed it is easy to see how a retailer can get themselves heavily indebted to their supplier. When one comes to understand this concept they are able to understand how someone who may handle hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug money over a short period of time can in essence be broke.
The obvious disadvantage of fronting is the ever present possibility of the retailer being busted with a significant portion of the shipment still in their possession. Not only is the wholesaler out an extraordinary amount of money, but he now owes his supplier for a load that was almost certainly fronted to him. It is this domino effect that provides law enforcement with a golden opportunity to make an impact. By understanding how a significant drug seizure can impact a trafficking organization, we are presented with a unique opportunity to turn a good arrest into a great case. The key point to take away from this is that when you make an arrest with a significant amount of drugs or money (not both at the same time), understand that you have broken a chain of events. Do not view this through the small picture lens which will leave you satisfied with a "good" arrest and seizure. Rather, view the big picture and take this opportunity to the next level. Realize that the large quantity of drugs you just seized is about to be delivered to someone who may or may not have a large amount of money with them. Or, the large amount of money you just seized is destined for someone that may have a large amount of drugs with them (and who is a bigger fish than the one you have). Whichever is the case, the money is most likely linked to a previous shipment and the drugs have most likely been fronted or are about to be fronted. Your challenge is to use this small window of opportunity to reconnect the distribution chain and deliver or collect from the other links. When you have successfully done this, you will have turned a "good" arrest into a "great" case!!
To learn much more about disrupting the drug distribution network and analyze successful case studies attend our Drug Enforcement for Patrol Officers course on October 28, 2011, in Upper Marlboro, MD. If you are not in the Washington, DC metro area and are unable to attend, contact us about the possibility of hosting this course at your agency's location. For more information visit our website at http://www.signal13training.com/.
