2023-12-29 09:33:00
A precarious status which often attracts people in an irregular situation. This is the case of Mehrez (not his real name), a young delivery man from Terbouba, in Tunisia. Arriving in Belgium recently, the boy has not found a better livelihood for the moment. So, like the other delivery men, he cycles around the Stock Exchange, near the many fast-food restaurants that abound in the area, while waiting for his next order.
He tells us about his daily life when he sees a police patrol arriving in the distance. The young boy steps back discreetly. Then disappears, mingling with the crowd on the pedestrian walkway.
When we meet him again a few moments later, Mehrez explains himself. “I don’t really like police officers. Some people understood that we were delivering other things. I’ve already been caught once. So I’m more careful.”
The “other stuff” that Mehrez “sometimes delivers” are narcotics. Because between burgers, pizzas and noodle dishes, it is not uncommon for a few bags of cannabis or cocaine to also be stored in these enormous cubic backpacks carried by the delivery men.
The police actually know the scheme and are monitoring it closely. She even gave it a name: “Uber Shit”, in reference to the word used to talk about hashish.
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Organized delivery
According to Mehrez, the modus operandi varies depending on the sponsors. But, usually, the people who use a ready-cooked meal delivery service are not the ones ordering narcotics. “For example, if I have a pizza delivery to a house in Etterbeek, I will be asked to make a detour, in the neighborhood, to deliver a little cocaine. As a precaution, I try to deliver the drugs first, so as not to show up with my pizza and risk dropping the other merchandise. Otherwise, I risk being reported. We are asked to be careful when we deliver.”
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“Usually, the police track down drug sellers. With this system, we should, ideally, target consumers. How to do this? They are quietly seated on their sofa waiting for the merchandise they ordered by contacting their dealer, generally via WhatsApp or social networks like Snapchat. You can imagine that it’s a little more complicated to contact.”
The implementation of the “Uber Shit” system demonstrates how creative drug traffickers are in slipping through the cracks of the police and justice. “Police control of drug sales points is a recurring thing. The dealers know this, so they innovate, explains an investigator specializing in the fight against narcotics. They sometimes change locations for the sale. But when it is no longer possible to offer consumers a discreet location, some dealers opt for other strategies. And the idea of what we call “Uber Shit” is really clever. Because delivery people on bicycles or mopeds are everywhere. And no one could suspect that between the dishes transported, there are narcotics”.
According to this police officer, this way of organizing drug trafficking is also more difficult to stop because, according to him, consumers will, in a certain way, facilitate the organization of deals. “Usually, the police track down drug sellers. With this system, we should, ideally, target consumers. How to do ? They are quietly seated on their sofa waiting for the merchandise they ordered by contacting their dealer, generally via WhatsApp or social networks like Snapchat. You can imagine that it’s a little more complicated to challenge, he laments. That said, we are starting to clearly visualize who does what in this system. They are creative, but so are we. Sooner or later, we’ll get our hands on them. Besides, we have already started,” warns the police officer.
One of the investigation strategies in place consists of analyzing and then monitoring potential delivery people already identified with one or another bag containing narcotics. This was the case for Mehrez, which is why the young man dodged the police officers he encountered during our interview.
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Races often imposed
Mehrez explains that the transition from Uber Eats to Uber Shit isn’t always a choice. “Some people do it to earn a little extra money. Others have this type of shopping imposed on them by dealers who have a little more influence in the neighborhood. I have a friend who refused to take drugs in his bag. He was too scared. He got beaten up and he can’t stay around anymore, Mehrez said. So, when we are asked to take these things, we try to avoid. But it’s hard to say no. I’ve done it before, but really, it’s rare. Whenever I can, I avoid”.
Some police officers interviewed confirm that they are well aware of this situation. And they do not hesitate to mention a new form of human trafficking. The police say they are vigilant, but admit that it is not possible to completely control this type of trafficking. “When you catch a delivery guy, he doesn’t dare to hesitate and we understand. Some are undoubtedly more talkative, but we don’t have time to check every bag and every delivery person. Not only is it impossible, but also, controlling them for no reason makes no sense,” explains a police officer.
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“Some do it to earn a little extra money. Others are forced to do this type of shopping by dealers who have a little more influence in the neighborhood.”
And another added: “In addition, the traffickers who get their hands on these delivery men are intelligent. They don’t choose guys by chance, he analyzes. They often target undocumented people or minors. The ideal, for them, is an undocumented minor. Because traffickers know that when we arrest a minor, he will be released very quickly, and that people in an irregular situation are not the police’s priority.”
According to Mehrez, even if they get their hands on all the delivery men involved in this drug trafficking, the police will, according to the young man, always be one step behind. “Today, the guys who ask us to hide drugs in our food bags know that it is something known to the police. So they are already looking for other techniques. And by the time the police realize it, it will have already had its effects,” explains the delivery man, smiling.
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