Social Policy Research Centre
Understanding how high-level synthetic stimulant traffickers in Australia adapt to changes in their drug supply
Published on the 31 May 2026
This PhD project completed by Dr Matthew O’Reilly aimed to explore how illicit drug traffickers adapt to supply changes through examining past supply changes in Australia’s synthetic stimulant market, trafficker adaptations and consequences thereof.
The methods included development of novel methods to improve trend analysis of Australian law enforcement seizure data; analysis of supply changes using law enforcement seizure data; quantitative content analysis of judges’ sentencing comments; and social network analysis of a high-level trafficking network.
This research highlighted the complex adaptive nature of the illicit drug trade and its resilience to market change, and adaptations which had the potential to result in lower or greater harms to the public.
Research Centre
Research Area
Drug Policy Modelling Program
- Years
- Publications
- Funding agency
- Collaborators
2014 to 2018
O’Reilly, M. (2018). Understanding how high-level synthetic stimulant traffickers in Australia adapt to changes in their drug supply. Doctoral thesis, UNSW Sydney. https://doi.org/10.26190/unsworks/20897
O'Reilly, M. J. A., Hughes, C. E., Bright, D. A., & Ritter, A. (2020). Structural and functional changes in an Australian high-level drug trafficking network after exposure to supply changes. International Journal of Drug Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102797
