to wonder if my neighbour is dealing drugs?

[Crazycatlady]

New neighbour has moved into a rented house a few doors down about a month ago. Ever since, he has been coming and going at very odd hours.

Typically, at around 7/8pm he gets in his car and drives off somewhere, returning 15 mins later. He repeats this two or three more times, then heads out properly at about 10pm and returns home anytime between 4am and 6am.

Then not a peep out of him all day long.

We only know about his movements because he drives a huge Japanese street car with an extremely loud muffled exhaust that wakes the whole house (including 19 month old DD). It is most annoying.

We are in inner London by the way.

So AIBU? If not, what should we do?

You can't just ask for drugs, tether! You have to know the street lingo.

Stroll up to him with that limping roll they do in The Wire, ask him if he can "score" you a "tab" of "sweet donkey". If he looks at you like you're mental it just means he's either bluffing or he deals in a different kind.

What you do then is you theatrically wink at him, do the guns in the air thing with your hands and say "Blaw blaw dawg! Hit me up wit' some hot rocks y'all. I got Benjamins, you got product?"

At this, he'll probably go inside. If you see him on the phone, watching you through a crack in the curtains, just stand your ground. That ambulance you see? That'll be his contact. Go with them and I guarantee within the hour you'll be on top grade narcotics.

No need to thank me.

ROFL, Heracles

You obviously know the score. You must live in Streatham. Or maybe even Brixton.

perhaps it's a grow house?

No point living in Brixton; they're all dealers there, donchaknow, so it's too crowded a market.

Brixton market does get crowded. Especially on a Saturday.

"No need to thank me."

Heracles .

I don't know what you're saying, I can pull off street lingo...

No sign of him today anyway. Front garden is looking nice though.

"Drugs are (usually) confined to the big estates."

I wish. Moved to a lovely quiet village (all very quaint), fuckers over the road deal drugs. Subtle as hell these guys, we've seen them exchanging little bags of white powder for cash!

Has no-one reported them Kaloki? That's pretty shocking!

My comment about the estates is that when you go near them you can see gangs hanging about, up to no good. Flats with smashed up windows or boarded up etc, full of squatters, crack dens etc... police vans on the prowl.

Around here, crime isn't visible in the same way outside of the estates. I guess it's about where crime is visibly obvious and I've never actually seen or heard about any obvious crime happening on my street. Doesn't mean it's not there, but clearly it's not the prevailing activity.

We have - a few times. For the dealing, and the attempting to break into our flat, and the throwing bottles at our flat's windows, and anti social behaviour, and what sounded like gunshots..

Er yeah. Lovely people they are.

Crikey, that sounds awful. Sounds like the police aren't bothered then?

Doesn't seem that way does it? :( DP spoke to someone (not in the police) who deals with anti social behaviour and was told that our local force is known for being erm, slack. And that they prefer to focus on estates rather than single houses in villages.

Which kind of makes sense, but doesn't make life any easier.

These fuckers have followed DP down the road before shouting abuse (DP was walking our friend's 7 yr old home at the time). And we had more abuse yelled at us yesterday.

Can't wait to move, feel sorry for the poor people who have just moved in next to them though.

(PS. if anyone recognises the descriptions, and has just moved in next to them, we tried to get the letting agents to be honest with you)

How unpleasant for you, as if the open air drug dealing isn't bad enough, to have to put up with being verbally abused by these idiots is just vile.

The police are either hideously under-resourced or the law is inadequate. I don't know which, it could be neither, but there does seem to be a lot of anti-social and criminal behaviour that just gets ignored.

if he worked nights, from 10 - 4ish, occasionally did his shopping on the way home at an all night supermarket and was looking after an elderly relative who needed checking in the evening a few times (as 1 in 7 people do) then this would explain his odd hours.

You know the elderly relative plus night job is a possibility. I really hope it is that, but my opinion of him has been swayed by the ludicrous car... you couldn't put an old frail person in the bucket racing seat in the front either. Or carry more than one bag's worth of shopping in the car - it's rear engined and full of, well, engine.

We lived next door to drug dealers when we lived in inner London. Its not great - they dealt from home. I got fed up of my washing coming in from the line smelling of skunk. This is my how to spot dealing neighbour checklist:

Big scary dogs - for protection you cant ring the police if it all goes wrong I suppose

Dodgy looking people coming and going after dark.

Nocturnal - sleep all day only really get up at 4pm ish. These two had a baby and toddler

Supposedly living on benefits but take black cabs everywhere and dial in pizzas every night