BUSINESSMAN PUSHES PAPER DURING THE DAY, POT AT NIGHT

Mikey brings in up to $500 a week. 'It's survival of the fittest,'
dealer says, but he draws the line at coke: 'It's a moral issue'

Every weekday morning, Mikey puts on a shirt and tie and heads to his
job in a Montreal office.

But after hours, he runs a much more sinister business.

He deals drugs.

The 30-year-old describes himself as a sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde, living two different lives, pushing paper during the day and pot
at night.

Mikey is a typical example of what police say is the average street
dealer. Despite common misconceptions, they don't look like sleazy
bikers or gangbangers, but are able to quietly blend into society.

It is very rare that dealers agree to discuss their business, but
Mikey was willing to open up if he wasn't identified.

He said he distributes more than two pounds of marijuana every month.
He also dabbles in the hashish trade, he said.

The profits involved are worth the risks, Mikey said.

While he earns about $350 per week at his day job, his pot peddling
business usually brings in about $500 per week and consumes much less
time, he said.

Mikey - not his real name - said he started selling drugs about two
years ago. His clientele is based in Montreal.

"I started off dealing with a few friends and then it branched out,"
the drug dealer said.

While Mikey agreed he is hardly a major drug trafficker, he still has
certain rules to follow to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

Most important, Mikey said, he is extremely careful about who he deals with.

"It's got to be a friend or a friend of a friend," he said. "Otherwise, it's
not worth it."

Dealing with unknown people can be dangerous, Mikey said.

A friend was recently robbed at gunpoint when he arrived at a meeting
to sell several ounces of marijuana to someone he didn't know, Mikey
said.

That's why he said he walks away from any deal that looks suspicious.
"If it costs you some sales, so be it."

It's also essential to be as inconspicuous as possible, he said.

Too many dealers dash from customer to customer in expensive cars,
blasting loud music, attracting attention to themselves, he explained.

"People aren't stupid. When they see that kind of thing, they know the
guy is probably dealing. That's why I try to be invisible," he said.
"Stupid criminals get caught.

"It's survival of the fittest."

Mikey said he drives a simple, generic car and dresses nicely, but not
flashy enough to draw attention to himself.

Being prudent has paid off for him. He said he has yet to be arrested.

Mikey said he usually meets with his drug supplier once per week. He
buys a half a pound of pot each time at a price of $1,300. He resells
the drug at $10 per gram with deals for customers who make multi-gram
purchases. A half pound of marijuana sold at its maximum value can
generate $940 in profit for Mikey.

The exchange of cash for drugs is always done away from prying eyes,
he said.

"We're not going to meet in a parking lot at 10 p.m.," he said.

Before he started selling, Mikey said he spent several years addicted
to marijuana.

"When you need that joint at the end of the day, you know it's a
problem," he said.

But while Mikey says he doesn't smoke pot anymore, he sees nothing
wrong with marijuana use, as long as it's kept under control. There
isn't much difference between the person who smokes a joint and the
person who drinks a beer at the end of the day, he said.

They're both drugs and potentially addictive. One just happens to be
illegal, he said.

Mikey said he stays away from peddling harder drugs, such as cocaine
and heroin, because of the dangers involved.

"I could pull in $3,000 a week if I wanted to, but then I'd also have
to be willing to carry a gun," he said.

"If I'm selling someone coke, I know that guy is probably going to end
up selling his car to support his habit. It's a moral issue."

The marijuana trade in Montreal is largely controlled by organized
crime, according to Montreal police Commander Giovanni Di Feo, head of
the drug squad for the south section of the city.

The typical drug dealer usually doesn't have long hair and a beard, Di
Feo said. Rather, they come from all walks of society and are able to
blend into their environments, he said.

Police regularly crack down on street dealers, Di Feo said.

Sellers are quickly replaced, but police bust them as well.

But as long as there is a demand for drugs, a market will exist, Di
Feo said.

Gerald Fidel, director of Addington Addiction Treatment Centre on
Earnscliff Ave., said we are treading on dangerous ground when we talk
about legalizing drugs.

Softer drugs, such as marijuana and hashish, are more dangerous than
people realize,

Fidel said. The marijuana consumed today is about 10 times stronger
than it was in the 1960s, he said.

"People (who use the drug) tend to lose drive, lose desire, and become
very lazy," Fidel said.

It also takes approximately seven years, Fidel said, for the
tetrahydrocannabinol coating that marijuana use forms around the brain
to disappear.

As for Mikey, the neighbourhood drug pusher, he said he plans to stop
dealing at some point in the next year.

"My basic goal is to pay off all my bills," he explained. "Once I pay
off my MasterCard and my bank loan, I'm out."