Geography of illicit drugs in the city of Sao Paulo

FRANÇAIS :
Cette étude présente les caractéristiques géographiques des trafics de drogues dans la ville de Sao Paulo. Pour établir ces données, environ 500 000 documents ont été consultés, provenant de diverses sources policières. Les résultats semblent indiquer quatre conclusions préliminaires : 1) dans Sao Paulo, premier centre économique du Brésil, le nombre d'arrestations d'usagers et de trafiquants de drogues illicites est le plus important du pays (la ville apparaît comme le principal lieu de transit pour la cocaïne en provenance de Bolivie et de Colombie) ; 2) le prix des cailloux de crack varie entre 2 et 8 US dollars dans les quartiers pauvres, les autres drogues sont consommées dans les zones plus favorisées, le cannabis est la drogue des classes moyennes, et quant à la cocaine on en observe le trafic dans toute la ville ; 3) il n'y a pas de corrélation directe entre les lieux de forte criminalité (homicides, violence) et le trafic de drogues, ce qui montre que ce trafic peut se développer de façon différente en fonction du contexte (social, politique, économique) local ; 4) cependant 12 à 15% des homicides sont liés aux drogues (selon des données collectées dans une zone de la ville).
ENGLISH :
This paper discusses the geography of drugs in the city of Sao Paulo, based on the quantity of drugs that had been sold, where, and by whom. Three data sources were used: 1) reports of an incident, which are the documents that police officials produce each time there is a complaint, 2) the book of police incidents of the Departamento estadual de narcoticos (DENARC, State Department of Narcotics) in Sao Paulo, and 3) investigation orders where all anonymous denunciations and accusations are registered. Approximately 500,000 documents were consulted, mainly because there are currently no reliable police statistics in the State of Sao Paulo. Although the intent of this paper is to present facts rather than an analysis (which will be done in a later phase of the research), a few preliminary conclusions can be cited here: in Sao Paulo, Brazil's major economic center, the number of arrests of illicit drug users and traffickers is the highest nation-wide, mainly because Sao Paulo is the main cocaine export corridor from Bolivia and Colombia; crack stone prices vary from 3 to 10 reais ($2-8 US) in poor areas, and other drugs are consumed in wealthier parts of the city. Marijuana is consumed by middle-classes; cocaine is trafficked throughout the city; there is no direct correlation between places of highest homicide rates and drug trafficking. There is no direct correlation between drug trafficking and homicide, or drug trafficking and violence, which proves that drug trafficking can develop differently according to socio-political-economic local contexts; around 12-15% of homicides are linked to drugs (according to data collected for one area of the city). (Author' s abstract)