Limited data exist on how human trafficking intersects with drug trafficking and other criminal activity.

Over the past two decades, the United States has made progress in identifying human trafficking victims, prosecuting traffickers, and expanding trauma‑informed services for survivors. Yet important knowledge gaps remain—particularly around the co‑occurrence of human trafficking with drug trafficking and other criminal activities such as money laundering and smuggling. Despite growing practitioner reports and anecdotal evidence, research on these intersections is limited, fragmented, and inconsistent.

In the absence of comprehensive data, it is unclear how law enforcement agencies, task forces, and partner organizations identify overlapping criminal activity, collaborate across systems, or collect data to support effective investigation and prosecution. These gaps hinder efforts to understand the nature of trafficking networks, recognize emerging typologies, and assess what investigative approaches are most effective. Addressing this challenge requires rigorous, nationally coordinated research that brings together multiple data sources and stakeholder perspectives to build a reliable evidence base for future policy, practice, and evaluation.

NORC is leading a multi‑method national study to build knowledge on trafficking intersections.

NORC at the University of Chicago is leading a multi‑method research study, in collaboration with The WHY and Dr. Meagan Cahill, to examine the intersection of human trafficking, drug trafficking, and other criminal activity across the United States. Funded by the National Institute of Justice, the study integrates a landscape scan, national surveys, and in‑depth case studies to generate a comprehensive understanding of overlapping crimes and responses.

The research begins with a systematic landscape scan that synthesizes existing literature and incorporates interviews with national and international experts and practitioners. NORC then administers structured surveys to all federally funded Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) human trafficking task forces and to High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) programs nationwide, generating comparable data on awareness, investigative practices, collaboration, and data capacity.

Finally, the study conducts in‑depth case studies in five jurisdictions where ECM task forces and HIDTA programs operate concurrently. NORC applies rigorous qualitative and quantitative methods—including case reviews, stakeholder interviews, and social‑ecological analysis—to examine trafficking typologies, investigative practices, collaboration across agencies, and data collection approaches.