A drug dealer’s method to affording rent in Vancouver
Jasmine Garcha (they/she) // Writer
Chelle Lussi (Any) // Illustrator
While waiting at a red light, he watches a police car drive past with the sirens on. Dominic Shadowstrike*, in the driver’s seat, stares straight ahead with a blank expression until it is out of sight. He later revealed that he was driving without insurance and was not sure if he had drugs in the car.
Shadowstrike lives in Vancouver, an infamously unaffordable city. Many people will take on ‘side hustles’ to pay their bills; which can look like monetizing unique talents or skills or even just using convenient resources like social connections to make extra money. Fortunately for Shadowstrike, he has social connections in the drug world.
Shadowstrike first started dealing drugs five years ago by approaching someone he vaguely knew and asking if he could help out their business. He received phone numbers belonging to dealers and handed those out to potential buyers. He would watch those dealers make $300 in a single night, while he did not receive payment for the ‘favour’. He’s recently started dealing again, this time just for himself, to earn some extra cash.
During the day, Shadowstrike works as a mechanic, which is what he has wanted to do since he was four years old. “It all started when I was a wee wittle chap,” he said playfully. His father sells cars for a living; sparking Shadowstrike’s obsession with them since he was a kid. His father would give him the second cuts of keys from the cars he sold, which accumulated into a lofty key collection. Shadowstrike even has a tattoo of a car on his forearm.
Working 40 to 50 hours a week as a mechanic and about four hours a week as a dealer, Shadowstrike has not been sleeping. While recounting these stories, he was lying in bed with his eyes closed.
Without the money he earns from dealing, Shadowstrike would be able to afford rent and necessities, but not have money to save or spend. He also sends his mother money every few months, and without this extra income he would not be able to do so. While he admits he is not currently making a life-changing amount of money, he believes he will be sooner or later.
When further asked about familial relations, Shadowstrike explains that when he first moved out of his family home, things were rough. Now that things are stable again, he refuses to tell his family about this secret part of his life. As he comes from a religious Muslim family, that discussion would not go well. Referring to his mom, he stated, “If I told her, I think that it would break her heart.”
Although he encounters a touch of guilt about what he does because of his family, Shadowstrike is careful to follow ‘ethical dealing.’ He only sells to experienced users, regularly checks in with his buyers, cuts them off when he feels things are getting out of hand and only sells tested drugs or prescriptions bought from pharmacies. “If I didn’t take those precautions, I’d feel guilty,” he said.
Confidentiality is also a big part of ethical dealing. Shadowstrike recounted that he knows dealers who have sold drugs like methamphetamine to doctors and lawyers. “When a doctor has a 14-hour heart surgery to do, he’s not going to just drink coffee […] He’s on meth,” he said. However, as he explained, an ethical dealer does not disclose the names of their buyers.
Ethical dealing also entails only working for trusted suppliers. Shadowstrike’s suppliers are people he has known for a while or who he knows through friends he’s known for a while. He said this helps avoid situations where his safety could be compromised.
Although Shadowstrike doesn’t encounter dangers within the drug community itself, he does feel a touch of fear about being caught by the police. On what would happen if he was caught, he simply stated, “Oh, yeah, no, I’m screwed. I’m going to jail.”
Through other social connections, Shadowstrike had previously gotten involved in money laundering. “I was just the driver, keep in mind – while that was happening, I would just be in my car on my Nintendo Switch playing Animal Crossing,” he said.
Currently, Shadowstrike works for two suppliers. One supplies prescription Dexedrine, which is mainly bought to increase productivity but may be used at parties (as a stimulant, it produces similar effects to cocaine), and the other supplies tested party drugs – meaning that even when Shadowstrike is going to a party for a good time, he is still on the clock. Regarding prescriptions, he said that his lifestyle is typically shared with normal people who are broke. “If you have a script for Adderall and you’re like, ‘I need to pay rent or buy food,’ then yeah, why not?” This decision is one that comes from a heavy cost of living crisis.
He elaborated that the lifestyle is not for everyone; it takes certain skills, including conflict de-escalation, dedication, and, as previously stated, secret-keeping.
While others may follow in Shadowstrike’s path for their own reasons, in terms of his own inspirations, he refused to comment. “I don’t want people biting off my cheese,” he said.
While scrolling on his phone, Shadowstrike went on to state that curiosity is a definite motivator in his ventures. He then turned his screen around and added, “This is me on acid at Duffin’s.”
“I’m so curious by nature,” Shadowstrike later said, explaining that he regularly did things out of curiosity to see what the endeavour would entail. This was the case with both money laundering and drug dealing.
Shadowstrike explained that this curiosity quickly led to the realization that the business is cutthroat in a sense; dealing is competitive and dealers don’t appreciate it when they find out others are selling on their turf. He had even previously received messages telling him not to enter certain neighbourhoods again, verbatim stating, “You’re stepping on my toes.”
When asked if he would ever quit his job to become a drug dealer full-time, Shadowstrike said, “If I was like Walter White, and I was making Walter White kind of money, then yeah.” However, at the end of the day, Dominic Shadowstrike is just some regular guy playing Animal Crossing on his Nintendo Switch … for now, at least.
*Dominic Shadowstrike’s name has been changed to maintain anonymity
