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<p>This exploratory study examines how online platforms and applications reshape communication, payment, and delivery practices in Chinese drug trafficking. Drawing on practice theory and using qualitative data from 174 individuals involved in the drug economy, the analysis focuses on how traffickers’ habitus, available forms of capital, and the shifting dynamics of the criminal field shape their selective adoption of digital tools. Findings indicate that although traditional practices such as phone communication, face-to-face exchanges, and conventional transport still dominate, the expanding presence of the Internet has subtly altered everyday operations. Online platforms are primarily used for communication and payment, and digital communication tools increasingly influence delivery methods, particularly in small-scale retail markets through practices such as “dead drop” deliveries. These adaptations, however, remain largely confined to retail-level exchanges and represent situated illicit risk practices shaped by actors’ position and resources within the field. Overall, the study underscores the need for policies capable of addressing China’s hybrid online–offline drug trade.</p>

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Situated illicit risk practices: traditional and new ways of communication, payment, and delivery during drug trafficking activities in China

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月3日

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  • Liu Liu

摘要

This exploratory study examines how online platforms and applications reshape communication, payment, and delivery practices in Chinese drug trafficking. Drawing on practice theory and using qualitative data from 174 individuals involved in the drug economy, the analysis focuses on how traffickers’ habitus, available forms of capital, and the shifting dynamics of the criminal field shape their selective adoption of digital tools. Findings indicate that although traditional practices such as phone communication, face-to-face exchanges, and conventional transport still dominate, the expanding presence of the Internet has subtly altered everyday operations. Online platforms are primarily used for communication and payment, and digital communication tools increasingly influence delivery methods, particularly in small-scale retail markets through practices such as “dead drop” deliveries. These adaptations, however, remain largely confined to retail-level exchanges and represent situated illicit risk practices shaped by actors’ position and resources within the field. Overall, the study underscores the need for policies capable of addressing China’s hybrid online–offline drug trade.