A catalogue of errors.

Veteran smoker here but I made a novice mistake last night when scoping out somewhere to buy from. Firstly I'll say it's pretty easy to spot the right people to approach being that they tend to have "Chav" written all over them, already look well lit up from smoking or drinking, or they just look like locals who knows what's up.

Lesson 1: Don't hang around and give them too much time to suss you out.
I'm pretty good at striking up a conversation and then battling away any ideas about me being a cop when they get a little suspicious but last night the first mistake I made was hanging around once the first couple of numbers this guy called didn't work out because after that this guy got more comfortable around me and in hindsight he was probably figuring out how he would rip me off from that point. I'm pretty sure I would have got the score before then because it was just me and him while his other mate was off to see his girlfriend, so it would take some balls to rip me off on his own and at this point the vibe was good.

Lesson 2: Begin your exit strategy as soon as other unknown people turn up.
Two other lads turned up so he must have texted them since the conversation immediately got on about my score, they say they know a place so I think fuck it, lets give this a try. In hindsight this was dumb. Trust no one.

Lesson 3: Probably most important. Don't hand over cash to middlemen.
I hand my cash over to the first guy I met and he hands it to one of the others who knocks at this dealers door but he doesn't answer. We stand around for a bit and I ask for my cash back which he did but I saw that look in his eye like it wasn't what he wanted. I say bye and walk away glad the situation was over as my gut just kept telling me something was off.

Lesson 4: When you've already decided its off, don't go back.
One of them shouts me back after I turned the corner and says they guy whose door we knocked on is in and I don't know why I took his word for it but I did. He gets a little edgy and asks for the cash and tells me to hang back, sighting that this dealer will be annoyed at a new face. I hesitate and tell him to knock on his door but he won't. I hand the cash over, follow him a bit in case he runs and notice the other 2 guys behind me go quiet......this was the moment I knew I was getting screwed. The guy ahead pretends he's signalling for the dealer to come out then walks past the gate and around the corner, by which point I'm acting on instinct, not even looking if anything is coming from behind I just charge forwards through the ally, around the corner and this twat is half way down the block already so I chase after him. Luckily for me he's not even looking behind him so I'm chasing and catching ever so slowly, difference is I'm overweight and he isn't. I get within about 5m of this dude before he suddenly notices me and steps up a gear by which point I'm out of breath and give up, he disappears, my money is gone.

It was so stupid. I'm never handing money to middle men again even if they don't like the idea of taking me directly to a dealers door. Too much risk and vulnerability is involved even though it was only the 3rd time I've lost money like that in 15 years of scoping for weed on my own. Stay when the vibe is good with the one or two guys you initially approach. After that, things will most probably go down hill.

The reason I didn't get jumped is because I'm quite big I guess. I used to be really fast when I was younger and went into the deal thinking I would still be fast enough to catch this guy but boy was I wrong because he was faster, younger and more in shape. I have been jogging lately as I am trying to get back into fighting shape but clearly I have quite a bit of work to do before I get my old legs back, which I will.

I'm normally pretty good at getting weed but last night made so many errors it's a joke. Good thing is, I don't buy big so I'm only out £20 but it still feels agonisingly brutal to my ego non the less. Live and learn, taking revenge is silly, especially on low life scum and for such a small amount. They won't con me again though, no doubt about that.

 

Yeah it's that pack mentality. That outsiders are there to be taken advantage of. Generally these things go smoothly but I ignored all the warning signs I've seen before. I'm kinda happy it happened, I feel more on guard and prepared not to make compromises. If they have a problem taking me to the door I can always promise a bit off the top from my bag. Done it before a few times, hasn't failed yet.