Okuzeka
Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Crimes & Offences

Drug trafficking

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/ˈdrʌɡ ˌtræfɪkɪŋ/nounCommon term

In criminal law & justice, drug trafficking means: The crime of producing, transporting or selling illegal drugs, often in large amounts and across borders.

In Turkish: uyuşturucu ticareti, uyuşturucu kaçakçılığı

How it is used

Used in charges, police statistics and international cooperation: 'charged with drug trafficking', 'a drug trafficking network', 'drug trafficking offences'. The people involved are 'drug traffickers' or, at street level, 'drug dealers'. It is punished much more severely than simple 'possession' for personal use.

Example sentences

  1. Five men were arrested in a major drug trafficking operation.

  2. He is serving twelve years for drug trafficking.

  3. Drug trafficking routes often pass through several countries.

Common collocations

  • drug trafficking network
  • charged with drug trafficking
  • drug trafficking offences
  • international drug trafficking
  • seizeTo take something away officially using legal powers, for example drugs, weapons, documents or money connected with a crime.
  • money launderingThe crime of hiding where illegal money came from by moving it through banks, businesses or other transactions so that it looks legal.
  • offenceA formal word for an illegal act that the law punishes, from minor ones such as speeding to serious ones such as robbery.
  • felonyIn the US, a serious crime such as murder, robbery or burglary, usually punishable by more than one year in prison; less serious crimes are misdemeanors.

More terms: Crimes & Offences

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.