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This paper investigates the role of telephones and pagers in drug market transactions, using information from 89,883 male arrestee and 17,446 female arrestee interviews collected shortly after arrest in 43 U.S. metropolitan areas during 2000-2003. Three key aspects of illicit market transactions are examined: size in dollars, market role (whether the buyer is dealing), and the supply-side effectiveness of law enforcement. Bivariate and multivariate results indicate that for both male and female arrestees, those who use phones or pagers in arranging drug transactions engage in larger transactions, are more likely to buy drugs for others to use, and are less likely to have transactions disrupted by police activities. The differentiated effects on the street level marijuana markets and the cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine markets are examined. These findings help resolve an open empirical question about the role of technology in drug marketing, and they pose both a challenge and a conundrum for policing and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]