Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 31 male commercially-oriented retail dealers selling multiple substances in a street-level drug market recruited through snowball sampling in Uyo, Nigeria, this study explores situated strategies for minimizing the risk of police arrest. Findings highlight four broad strategies: selling to genuine buyers, using mobile phones, discreet transactions, and temporary desistance. These strategies are situated within local drug markets and law enforcement context. Strategies were oriented towards avoiding arrest for criminal complicity, negotiating changing relationship to law enforcement, and reducing visibility through a combination of phone calls and delivery services. It is argued that while restrictive deterrence may displace retail drug dealing, it does not lead to overall reduction in frequency of sales. Further, police complicity in drug trade through bribery limits restrictive deterrence. Measures that prioritize the demand-side of drug markets, including treatment for dependent users, should be considered, while refocusing law enforcement on large-scale traffickers.

本研究通过对尼日利亚 Uyo 通过滚雪球抽样招募的街头毒品市场中销售多种物质的 31 名男性商业零售经销商进行半结构化访谈，探讨了将警察逮捕风险降至最低的定位策略。调查结果强调了四种广泛的策略：向真正的买家销售、使用手机、谨慎交易和暂时停止。这些策略位于当地毒品市场和执法范围内。策略旨在避免因共犯而被捕，与执法部门协商不断变化的关系，以及通过电话和送货服务相结合来降低知名度。有人认为，虽然限制性威慑可能会取代零售毒品交易，但它不会导致销售频率的总体下降。此外，警察通过贿赂参与毒品交易限制了限制性威慑。应考虑优先考虑毒品市场需求方面的措施，包括对依赖吸毒者的治疗，同时将执法重点重新集中在大规模贩运者身上。