EVERYONE is a drug dealer

[CommonOrNot]

Bear with me…

I have name changed for this for seemingly obvious reasons. Yesterday, I was at the hairdressers getting my usual weekly services chatting as usual to my hairdresser - who every single week I’m there is dating a new drug dealer. She is very much a “glam” type. Neither of these things are uncommon in my city.

She then turns to the woman next to me and starts chatting about said woman’s partner and when he’s going to be on day release from prison and how he’s getting XYZ done cosmetically but it’s ok because the prison thinks he has a business so the money won’t be from dealing. (In other words, he’s still very much running an enterprise from behind bars). Again not uncommon in my area.

it got me thinking, in my city almost everyone has some sort of connection to dealing drugs. at all levels. I’m not exaggerating, I can’t think of a single person that doesn’t either deal themselves or is close friends with someone who does. All the women are dressed head to toe in designer, surgery, etc. the males have big cars, watches, designer clothes. It’s quite rare to see anyone under 30 without this aesthetic.

the 35+ generation maybe not so much but I would say all people I know in this age bracket absolutely have ties to someone who is a dealer.

before anyone comments that people may have the money for this aesthetic through legitimate reasons, I myself have a “flash” car, designer clothes, cosmetic procedures etc. but through running businesses and my partner being a well payed professional. I’m talking specifically about people that I know are dealers, and when I was thinking about it last night I was actually baffled how there seems to be so many.

PS I know there are people that work to have what they have, I’m talking about my city specifically being particularly dense with criminal activity and I’m wondering if it’s a regional thing or not. Where you are, is this the case?

You must be mixing with the wrong kind of people. Do you live in the Bronx or something.

DD lived in Fallowfield university accommodation in Manchester in her first year, and she said that nearly every time she went out through the gates she was approached by drug dealers.

People don't realise how many people are mixed in with this. I was shocked to learn a lot of the small businesses where I live are mixed up with it and use the business as a cover.

I went to an inner city sec school. Never used drugs but girls used to sell them from their pencil cases as 'sweets'.

@CommonOrNot im not quite sure what you are aiming for with this post? To be very stereotypical ,I live in Chester and perhaps we see one of the social “tribes” you are talking about descend on the streets during the races…..these are perhaps the type of designer clothes, cosmetic procedure, flashy car,go to a hairdresser weekly people who may be your social circle? I don’t know but I doubt this is all coming from drug dealing, surely it’s just people who earn their money and spend it in certain ways, there are plenty of trades type jobs that can earn people lots of cash? Either way I’m really sad your area seems to be such a moral vacuum,if you have money I wish people would try and do something good with it instead .

I live in what is considered to be a respectable part of a large city in England. Popular area to live, nice post code, good transport links, shops etc.

We are surrounded by organised crime, money laundering and drug dealing. All done by smartly dressed "business owners". Restaurants and bars change hands frequently, cars are stolen off driveways every single night of the week. Very, very occasionally there is a carjacking or a murder. Alongside all this, most people get on with their lives. If your car is stolen you get a crime number and claim on your insurance. There are certain restaurants you can't actually book a table or have a meal in, one of them doesn't even have any windows and the menu in the frame outside the door has crumbled to dust. There are bouncers in tuxedos on the door and the place has been known as a drug den for the last 30 years.
OP, I think your hairdresser and her mates are very unwise to talk about their dealing. Not because there is any risk from the public or the police, but they might upset the wrong person.

I don’t know any dealers (as far as I know) but there is a huge amount of drug related activity and money laundering going on in our small (pop 14k) town. The authorities (Police etc) either don’t care or can’t cope.

Tbf I was one of the first people to mention Liverpool and i did caveat my post with my love for the place. Because it is an incredible city and I LOVED living there (I stayed there after university). But it is undeniable that there is a significant problem with drugs and gangs in Liverpool. It isn’t everyone (obviously - no city is wholly good or bad) but it would be absolute make believe to say that it isn’t a problem there.

I now live in London and there’s a huge problem here, too. It doesn’t mean it’s not an amazing place to live for the majority of people!

The main thing I have got from this thread is that I might go to the hairdresser more often because it never really occurred to me you could just go for a wash and blowdry. I am trying to take better care of myself so this might become a thing.

To my knowledge I do not know of any drug dealers - but i have been often surprised at the level of casual cannabis use among my 60-something middle class professional retired friends. (Expensive South Coast area).

The police are either complicit, or turn a blind eye as long as the businesses are sharing the territory and keeping their own people inline. Rarely, it spills over. There was a carjacking and murder several years ago that turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. Some members of the same family went to prison and a rival family took over their patch. These people have mansions, CCTV, private security and very expensive solicitors.

I think people tend to live in bubbles, often unintentionally. This is obviously your bubble. Some people know lots of people who have been in prison, some know none at all.

Personally if it were me and my hairdresser was talking about a drug dealing boyfriend I don’t think I’d be able to hide my shock and I certainly wouldn’t ever be back.

Also clearly a large percentage of people can’t be mixed up in dealing and very wealthy from it - who are they making their money from? Presumably to make enough money to have flashy cars and designer things they will need to be taking a lot of money from people hooked on drugs and not making money from it.

You go the hairdresser EVERY WEEK??

Lol ok seriously they all sound rough as fuck. I’d wouldn’t get involved with these types. Drugs are absolutely wrecking lives direct & indirect. I live in the north west (Manchester) but don’t know personally any drug dealers, but you can defo see the dodgy looking people in the area who no doubt will be! It’s rife! And everywhere seems to stink of weed 🤦🏽‍♀️

I think I know your demographic, usually found on a jet ski off Abersoch in the summer? The truth is drugs and dealers are everywhere though. You only have to look at private school fees to know that a lot of parents can only afford to pay them by dealing.

I’ve been to Liverpool once and as soon as I stepped out of the train station, I saw a man sort of covertly pass a carrier bag (Toys R Us!) to another man and walk off. I’m someone who’s had nothing to do with drugs and is pretty naive generally, but it was obvious what was happening even to me. I couldn’t wait to get away from the place…I hated Liverpool. I know lots of people love it but it felt threatening to me.

Right I have just googled my hairdresser rates and they charge £17 for a wash and blow dry. I'm on it.

I am quite serious! You are an influencer OP!

Oh fgs of course this isn't the case. You can't take your own little world view / social circle and extrapolate that to the rest of the population.

My social circle is, on the whole, pretty similar to me in outlook, hobbies, income etc. That doesn't mean I don't realise that there are millions of people living very different lives and lifestyles to mine.

I live in Manchester, a north west city known for having readily available drugs. It’s a night-life city and undeniably has a high incidence of drug use. But I still don’t know anyone - literally nobody - who is mates with, dates, or is related to a drug dealer. And also, the flashy, cosmetic procedures, tan and big hair look isn’t something I see particularly often here. Obviously there are people like that, as there are in every city, but it’s not the norm. You might get that impression if you only ever ate in San Carlo and The Ivy and never had a drink anywhere except Deansgate Locks, but it’s not at all the norm.

If you really are meeting only people who deal drugs and/or people who socialise with drug dealers, then I’m afraid that’s entirely down to your choice. It’s not remotely representative of any city.

FWIW, my hairdresser has a shaved-sides mullet, and full sleeve tattoos and dresses in ripped denim shorts over opaque tights and platform Docs. She collects skulls and likes yoga, weight training and camper van holidays in Wales with her husband. She’s definitely not mates with any dealers and she wouldn’t employ people who chatted about dating dealers at work.

@volunteersruz that same ‘social tribe’ is also in BarLounge on Friday and Saturday nights 😂

@BatteredScallops im with you. I’m wondering how much it would be for them to straighten curly hair.

I’m not denying there is a drug/gangs problem in Liverpool but the OP said that ‘everyone’ is a drug dealer or knows a drug dealer and people jumped to the conclusion that she must live in Liverpool, my point was that pretty much every city in the country has a problem with drugs!

Whether you see this happening every day, depends on the circles you mix with.

There are people on this thread suggesting the OP needs to move away from Liverpool to remove herself from drug dealers. It’s more appropriate to say she needs to assess the circles she mixes in. I’m sure if you know the right (or rather wrong) people you can get hold of drugs on a night out in any major city/town!

I seen a similar transaction in a car park in London once too but it didn’t make me view the whole of London as ‘threatening’!

I'd assume a "city" would have quite a few streets with multiple barbers etc, its really very common and the ones near me are definitely NOT fronts or money laundering.

I think people are using the word "city" very freely

I don't know any drug dealers either tbh

I'm in the North West. We are not in a city but a nice commuter town. Drugs are rife here, we have a real issue with county lines grooming in our schools and parents seem oblivious till it happens to them because they don't think it happens to nice, middle class families. I have a professional job and most of my friends are either teachers or work in the NHS in a professional role. I also know a few women like whom you describe and their husbands are dealers.
I do feel that since lockdown, the drug issue has got much much worse here.

I just want to add that I didn't know they were married to dealers until it was pointed out to me quite recently. They've all in trades (window fitters, electricians etc) so assumed business was going well.

I'm over 35, but my brother was a heroin addict who sold drugs to fund his habit, so yes, I knew various dealers. And thus all my friends were able to 'know' a dealer via me.

As I grew up, I realised that if you wanted drugs, it's easy to find them. But many people will never know this, because they never ask, just as my friends never asked me.

Even (especially) in 'posh' circles, just ask around and I guarantee within 2 people you will find a fix. Tara Palmer Tomkinson wasn't exactly heading to the rough side of town to get her drugs.

Even in the sticks where I live, if I wanted drugs I'm pretty sure I could quickly find them. I've already seen the signs in one pub, so that's where I'd start. Drugs really are everywhere.