Define a conspiracy, and give examples of the types of conspiracy cases.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A conspiracy is defined as two or more people entering into an agreement to violate the law with a commission of one or more overt acts in furtherance of the agreement. Drug investigators undertake conspiracy cases when they desire to get the leaders of a drug organization who may not handle drug transactions and would otherwise be too insulated from the day-to-day operations by associates operating further down the chain of command.
The law of conspiracy makes it possible for each conspirator to be held accountable for the actions of anyone else involved.
There are three main types of conspiracies. The first is the chain conspiracy. In a chain conspiracy, the investigator must show that a group of conspirators are all working toward a common goal, depending on one another to further the success of the scheme. Each participant must be aware that their success depends on each member of the conspiracy.
In the more complex wheel conspiracy, there is a central or primary conspirator called the hub. The hub makes an agreement with other conspirators, referred to as spokes. Each spoke is aware of everyone else's role in the scheme. All are bound together by the rim, which is a common agreement, tying each person to the conspiracy.
Finally, the enterprise conspiracy is defined by federal statutes. In this type of conspiracy, the enterprise may have a number of different criminal activities going on. These activities are called racketeering and include such things as drug violations, loansharking, mail fraud, bribery, counterfeiting, and obstruction of justice. The members of an enterprise do not have to be aware of one another's roles, and investigators have to show only that members have agreed to participate in the enterprise. Enterprise conspiracies in narcotics investigations must obviously include drug violations, as well as one other activity defined under racketeering.