13 Drug Dealer Secrets

Mic reportsGrindr users signal meth needs or availability by capitalizing the letter “T.” A message like “laTe nighT partying” shows a user wants to sell, share, or buy meth.

Grindr’s cousinsScruffandJack’dapparently use the code, which stands for Tina: methamphetamine -> crystal meth -> Christina -> Tina. FormerWho's the Boss?child star Danny Pintaurosaysmeth rules Grindr; one in ten guys there do crystal, have done crystal, or want to do crystal.

Bluetooth earpieces are not just for Uber drivers or bus egomaniacs.The Atlantic reportedin 2014 on dealer “Viktor,” who made $32k monthly using his Bluetooth. Viktor did not use the tech himself; he hired surrogates to make deals while wearing the earpiece.

From afar, Viktor told the surrogate exactly what to say and do. He listened to the exchange while keeping his privacy until he built a better client-dealer relationship.

Dealers use Instagram toperfectly legal techniquesto hide their identities and locations from watchers. This lets you find their Insta-shops by searching hashtagssuch as #xanaxforsale, #kush4sale, #OGKush, and many others.such as #xanaxforsale, #kush4sale, #OGKush, and many others.

If you see someone in your neighborhood with an oldNokia 8210, they might just like retro tech or miss

the Snake GameNokia 8210accordingthe Snake GameThe 8210 lasts an astounding 50 to 150 hours on standby. Most importantly, it lacks WiFi, Bluetooth, or other connections besides cell towers.one anonymous dealertoldViceWhy the 8210? An anonymous dealer states, “Every dealer I know uses old phones, and the Nokia 8210 is the one everyone wants because of how small it is and how long the battery lasts.”There is much disagreement over whether shoe tossing—tying two shoes together with laces and tossing them over a telephone wire—means anything in the drug world. According to io9, Snopes debunked the myth that shoe tossing signals drug dealing. Snopes only explicitly denies shoes-on-wires as a sign of gang turf or activity; gangs are not the only groups selling drugs.

The 8210 is durable and cheap. It lasts 50 to 150 hours on standby mode. It lacks WiFi, Bluetooth, or other connections; it only connects to cell towers.

2003 letterAccording to io9, Snopes debunked the myth that shoe tossing signals drug dealing. Snopes onlyexplicitly debunksshoes-on-wires as a sign of gang turf or activity. Gangs are not the only drug sellers.

A2003 letterThe Los Angeles mayor's office states, "Many Los Angeles residents fear that these shoes indicate sites at which drugs are sold." Residents' fears do not confirm a direct link between shoe tossing and drug dealers. Still, the city and community groups worked hard to remove shoes from telephone wires across East Los Angeles. Everett, WA's Snohomish Regional Drug & Gang Task Force, which focuses mostly on meth labs, claims it never saw shoe tossing signal drug availability or dealer activity.

Shoe tossing may signal more than drug dealing. Shoes hanging from wires can show lost virginity, military basic training, graduation, an upcoming marriage, or death. Someone might also just want to play with their shoes.

Lou Savelli, who started the NYPD’s gang unit, wrote over 5,000 words and phrases.These are gang slang terms.This is for the book calledGang Related: Signs, Signals, and Slang of Modern Gangs and Organized CrimeMany terms are drug-related and smart. For example, "elbow" means a pound of weed. This was true during Savelli’s long career, mostly in the '90s. "Elbow" comes from "lb."

Other terms in Savelli's list include fat boris (someone posing as a woman online to scam people), drinking milk (targeting or killing a rival), and Picasso (slicing a person's face in prison).

In 2002, theWashington City Paper reportedDealers in DC used a code. They flashed pocket-sized or keychain flashlights at cars to signal drug availability to buyers and warn other dealers about police. A color code helped buyers. A former dealer told the paper, "Red [lights] means the police are coming, blue is for cocaine, and green is for weed."

Even after the NYPD took down 21 dealers selling on Craigslist in 2012, finding them on the site remains easy.The Daily Dot reportsHeroin sold on the site also appeared as "pain relief" and "high quality diesel pain relief," among other listings.

Aa letter from a readerpublished in theSimi Valley AcornAn Agoura Hills, CA publication describes drug dealers using graffiti on buildings with back parking to mark safe spots for deals. Graffiti visible from a main road appeared on a building side one day. Afterward, strange cars showed up at all hours. People eventually met for drug deals in the building's back lot, which is hidden from view on the main road or sidewalks.

Dealers erased graffiti and quickly put up new marks. Residents paid no attention to dealers or buyers. Foot traffic came with dealers and buyers in cars. If tenants called the police, dealers left when cops arrived, returning later on foot or in different cars.

Perhaps you have seen someone park, thenwalk a long distancePark near the house or building instead of walking far. Drug dealers dislike cars piling up in front of their spots. Drug buyers also avoid pulling right up to a dealer's home.

Seeing many people walk, or many people park then walk around corners or far distances, especially at strange times, may signal a drug den and nearby dealer.

Each of the seven spots examined in a2005 studyThe open-air drug trade in Cincinnati centered near local “Mom and Pop” convenience stores. The study found these stores help open-air drug dealing in several ways. Dealers can get store customers, use the store as a cover for food and shelter, and buy (legal) smoking paraphernalia.

Since these actions are not illegal, regulating them is hard. Store owners play a direct role, willingly stocking small glass vials and scouring pads, easily changed for crack-smoking.

Lou Savelli, founder of the ex-NYPD gang division, brought up "lampin'," in the 1960s. This term is less common than bling, chilling, or po-po, but it appears in a Kanye West song in 2004.Kanye West songIn 2004, Savelli said the song refers to “hanging out under a street-light, usually where drugs are sold.”

SavellitoldtheNew York Postsaid, “That’s what kids do — that’s their turf, their territory.” Local, low-level drug dealing uses lampin'. Do not assume kids hanging by a street light are drug dealers.

Movies and TV shows set shady drug deals in cheap motels because it is accurate. A 1994 report supports this.reportrevealed the Chicago police department had "strategy books with flow charts that trace specific habits and methods of these operations," showing these deals are common.

Mid-level dealers use motels because they are cheap to separate from product. Renting several rooms, even unused ones, lets dealers complete sales in one room, store goods in another, and potentially block police searches. Police struggle to get warrants for multiple hotel rooms because they lack certainty about where or when drugs are sold or stored.