Vigilantes Are Outing Cocaine Narcs Using Billboards

Narcs may just be some of the most hated people in the underworld. They're the people who pretend to befriend dealers, then turn around and tell the police all the details about how drug deals are going on around them. Being a narc may get you out of a conviction, but it also can get you killed.

In the cannabis using community, nothing is more despised than a narc. Narcs are the ones who get people who are doing nothing but enjoying a smoke jailed - often at times when they're at their most vulnerable, like when they're in college or just getting a job. It's a major betrayal, and it's one that can ruin a pothead's life.

Apparently, some vigilantes who enjoy cocaine have gotten sick of seeing narc get away with their tattle-tale behavior. According to The Rooster, there are now groups that are buying up billboards to expose coke narcs in communities in the South.

The first billboard was spotted in Tucaloosa, Alabama.

They were placed up there by a vigilante drug user by the name of Ryan Orlando. When his house was raided, police found a bunch of cocaine. He says that he was ratted out by a former friend who had gotten in trouble with the law for her illegal Xanax habit.

When he was released, he was understandably pissed about the woman who betrayed him. He wanted revenge - and he got it by buying a mobile billboard, plastering it with the narc's photo, and driving it through he neighborhood.

But, that's not all he did.

Orlando also started a website where he outs other narcs in the Alabama area. The site, called ExposeNarcs.com, gives people information on how to avoid getting raided, talks about possible police moves, and also outs other people he believes may have become informants.

That's right - he outs the people who are working with police, complete with their names and photographs. Similar sites, such as WhosARat and Rats-NoSnitch, also warn people against potential snitches in their areas.

Many drug users are applauding his work and the work of other vigilantes as a way to make sure that people avoid police raids. But others aren't so sure that this is the right way to go about things.

Snitches get stitches, and really can end up in ditches.

Though it may be a movie trope, there is some truth to the idea that "street justice" can happen to informants. At best, someone who tells police who's dealing may end up being shunned by fellow drug users - even if it's later proven that they aren't actually snitches.

At worst, well, there have been plenty of cases in which police informants have been killed for opening their mouths about the wrong people. In one case, a promising college student who had become a police informant was found shot in the head after dealers had gotten word of his decision to talk.

Women who heard about the snitch warning vigilanteism also are worried about other forms of problems that may be more common among women. Ladies accused of snitching may face stalking, harassment, threats, or even rape...even if the accusations are unfounded.

In Orlando's defense, he warns people against going after snitches. His advice? Just avoid them - it's not worth the effort.

Is this really the best way to handle this?

In an ideal world, we would have legislation against having cops coerce people into talking. Or, better still, pot would be legal. But, until that happens, there's not much one can do about snitches aside from listening to the rumors and trusting one's gut.