Want to 'nod out'? Ride the 'H' train

April 21, 2011 11:04 AM

Selling heroin on Craigslist.

Here's a print version if you don't like clicking "Next page" a lot. One of the authors talks about writing the article and hanging out with the junkie/dealer "Kai".

posted by sveskemus (36 comments total)

So I did a search on NYC's Craiglist for "law enforcement" and came up with this - highlight the space after the phone number for a bit of weirdness. Anyone able to explain this?
posted by item at 11:16 AM on April 21, 2011 [5 favorites]

Bleak story is bleak. item's craigslist ad...dude, that is weird. I can't imagine heroin addiction. I don't want to know what it's like. Everything I have ever read, and from what I have heard, it's just not a place you want to go.
posted by Xoebe at 11:19 AM on April 21, 2011

Anyone able to explain this?

Shopping for furniture and heroin at the same time saves energy.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 11:20 AM on April 21, 2011 [3 favorites]

item, it's probably to bypass the spam filters. I'd guess that there are several nearly identical posts (possibly by the same person/firm) and they didn't want them all automatically deleted, so they copy-pasted some stuff from the Daily News.
posted by Xoder at 11:21 AM on April 21, 2011

I bought pot off a craislist dealer exactly once, a few yrs ago when I had just moved back to Vancouver and lost all my old contacts. It wasn't particularly good, was fairly over-priced by local standards, and for about three months after these guys kept sending text messages to my phone advertising deals on ecstasy and meth, literally using the drug names. I couldn't believe how stupid they were and that they hadn't been busted yet.
posted by mannequito at 11:22 AM on April 21, 2011

Searching for "Tina" in the NYC For Sale section brings up this. Sure, the poster could just be looking for a 'small brick house (no wood)', but the wording is just terribly odd.
posted by item at 11:25 AM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

"No wood." "Vegies" [sic]. "Small store."

Best of.
posted by tapesonthefloor at 11:27 AM on April 21, 2011

"but the wording is just terribly odd"

well, damn, someone broke the "you've got to have a brain to post on the C-list" filter again...

We'll get right on that!
posted by tomswift at 11:30 AM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

We'll get right on that!

Thanks, 'cause this has really been - WAIT A MINUTE! You're not with the Craigslist Police! I know a fake badge when I see one!
posted by item at 11:33 AM on April 21, 2011

Of all the things in this story that bums me the fuck out, this part got to me the most:

In addition to advertising his services as a seller online, Kai uses the site to seek companionship, based not around dating or sex, but drugs. "Run and dream with me through fields of opium poppies; feel their seductive, euphoric kiss," reads one of his pleas for heroin-based companionship.

There is probably something sadder than placing a Craigslist ad to find someone to shoot up with because you've got the habit but are tired of doing it alone. But right now I sure as hell can't think of what it is.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:40 AM on April 21, 2011 [14 favorites]

Who needs furniture when you've got heroin?
posted by mrhappy at 11:55 AM on April 21, 2011 [3 favorites]

I used to have a friend who was really into heroin. He was boring, lonely, needy, and sleepy. Really, really sleepy. I watched him fall asleep in a deck chair with a lit cigarette in his mouth at least once a night.

He still wouldn't be dumb/addled enough to buy or sell online.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 12:04 PM on April 21, 2011

There's a lot of drug trade that happens through the sex ads, too. Especially people seeking meth in the m4m ads. It's always a bit shocking to me to see how blatant some of the people are. "Looking to party and get fucked -- nothing makes my ass hungrier than a big line." That kind of stuff. It's like, are they ASKING to get arrested?
posted by hippybear at 12:23 PM on April 21, 2011

Every time I read about investigations like this I think of this old deleted AskMe thread where some guy gets piled on for asking about how his church can come up with more efficient ways to flag prostitutes/escorts on Craigslist, and everyone is like "dude what the fuck don't you have anything better to do?"
posted by windbox at 12:25 PM on April 21, 2011

Every time I read about investigations like this I think of this old deleted AskMe thread where some guy gets piled on for asking about how his church can come up with more efficient ways to flag prostitutes/escorts on Craigslist, and everyone is like "dude what the fuck don't you have anything better to do?"

It's a church. Since they've apparently already taken care of all the poor, sick, and homeless, we can only assume that going after Craigslist escorts was the next thing on Christ's to-do list.
posted by xedrik at 12:38 PM on April 21, 2011 [4 favorites]

Uh, I thought the church guy was revealed to be just a troll fucking with the site.
posted by Melismata at 1:04 PM on April 21, 2011

Searching for "Tina" in the NYC For Sale section brings up this. Sure, the poster could just be looking for a 'small brick house (no wood)', but the wording is just terribly odd.

Well, it's nice to see the Three Little Piggies finally learned their lesson after their first two meth labs blew up due to inadequate construction. The Wolf obviously being code for meth cook.
posted by formless at 1:05 PM on April 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

"Why Grandma, what a nice, shiny badge you have!"
posted by mosk at 1:10 PM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Man, I thought the first lesson of drugs was "Always know your dealer"!
posted by klangklangston at 2:03 PM on April 21, 2011

I think that I may put an ad on C-list looking for a brick house, something mighty-mighty and built like an Amazon.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:33 PM on April 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

Wait, people sell drugs on the internet? What has the world come to...

Well written, but I kinda feel like I read this story in 1998.
posted by cell divide at 2:35 PM on April 21, 2011

Man, I thought the first lesson of drugs was "Always know your dealer"!

Sure, but often one of the follow-up lessons is, "Holy shit I need drugs right now and I'll do anything for them."
posted by furiousxgeorge at 2:49 PM on April 21, 2011 [4 favorites]

Who needs furniture when you've got heroin?

Who still has furniture when they want heroin?
posted by rmless at 2:52 PM on April 21, 2011 [8 favorites]

I was an avid craigslister in LA. In fact, I had to intervene a few times at work when employees would be looking up "escorts" and leaving their computer unattended (for all to view) while they went to the bathroom.

I found out a LOT about CL.

But the major things to look for were "snow bunnies". Cracked out chicks who would give it up for a line or a rock. Sad.

What I didn't see too much of was trades looking for "horse".
posted by hal_c_on at 2:59 PM on April 21, 2011

This feels more like a day in the life of an addict, not an expose of selling drugs on Craigslist. A friend of mine used to sell pills online, met another addict, and they became friends over their shared misery. They occasionally went to 12-step meetings together and tried to get clean. As far as I know they are both still using. Fuck, addiction makes my heart hurt so bad sometimes... When you're in it things like furniture, friends, family don't matter at all. When you're not high all youre capable of is trying to get high to get some relief from your life again.
posted by thankyouforyourconsideration at 3:15 PM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Maybe cops only bust those whose bribes aren't paid up?
posted by telstar at 3:34 PM on April 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

I just did a few searches on Seattle Craigslist and was surprised to see people selling medical marijuana (complete with really nice, juicy photos of the bud in question). But none of the other suggested searches (snow, horse, skiing, etc.) came up with anything that look vaguely druggy. Is Seattle just behind the curve here, or what?
posted by TochterAusElysium at 4:46 PM on April 21, 2011

So I did a search on NYC's Craiglist for "law enforcement" and came up with this - highlight the space after the phone number for a bit of weirdness. Anyone able to explain this?

My guess is someone is trying to reverse SEO or something? Like make it so google picks that up when you search for certain things, or something? I don't know.
posted by delmoi at 4:56 PM on April 21, 2011

I just did a few searches on Seattle Craigslist and was surprised to see people selling medical marijuana (complete with really nice, juicy photos of the bud in question). But none of the other suggested searches (snow, horse, skiing, etc.) came up with anything that look vaguely druggy. Is Seattle just behind the curve here, or what?

Probably people use different terminology in different regions.
posted by delmoi at 5:00 PM on April 21, 2011

Try searching for "clarky cat" or "jenkem."
posted by jtron at 5:19 PM on April 21, 2011 [5 favorites]

My CL dope buying experience was in downtown Manhattan, before I had proper connections. Yes it was overpriced and underweight, but the quality was fine and it was excellent to be able to get a bag without any contacts in the new city.
posted by Meatbomb at 5:22 PM on April 21, 2011

I've bought weed off craigslist, sort of unintentionally. I was actually buying a Garmin GPS, and in the course of haggling over the price, the seller threw in an eighth or so. Definitely one of the less sketchy craiglist-mediated trades I've made.
posted by ryanrs at 10:20 PM on April 21, 2011 [3 favorites]

windbox: "Every time I read about investigations like this I think of this old deleted AskMe thread where some guy gets piled on for asking about how his church can come up with more efficient ways to flag prostitutes/escorts on Craigslist, and everyone is like "dude what the fuck don't you have anything better to do?""

I didn't realize this until just the other day, but apparently the poster of that thread was a sockpuppet of this scumbag eBay scammer, and was in all likelihood (a) trying to pick up new Craigslist spamming techniques under false pretenses, (b) trolling the shit out of AskMe, or (c) both.
posted by Rhaomi at 12:41 AM on April 22, 2011

Thought I hit gold with a bunch of posts selling expensive tickets to the "420 festival." Turns out there really is one this weekend.
posted by brenton at 12:49 AM on April 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

Gotta be better than asking the local beggars/streetwalkers if they'll take you to score.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 4:51 AM on April 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I was searching LA's CL (it was research, officer!) and couldn't come up with anything outside of a few prescription pills being sold in weird-ass quantities (wait, to get the 30 adderal I also have to buy 90 lexipros?) and a handful of blind (bit.ly) links to what I assume are phishing sites.

I've always been fascinated by the idea of buying drugs on the street, but really rarely done it (like I said, always know your dealer), and only really for pot — it's too easy to just rip someone off on pretty much anything in pill or powder.

I guess I just do not understand how being a junkie works, day to day.
posted by klangklangston at 9:13 AM on April 22, 2011