With its low self-esteem and high urban blight, Hartford is the ultimate underdog city. Sad City Hartford documents the joys, sorrows and eccentricities of New England's Rising Star.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Local Sunoco Station Aids, Profits, Off Of Drug Trafficking

For years the Sunoco station at the busy intersection of Brown and Wethersfield was known for one thing; Fried Chicken. With the Fried Chicken sign prominently displayed outisde, one would get overpowered by the small of the frying grease inside that seemed to never get changed. A couple years ago the store was closed for awhile while it was remodeled and the owners have taken a different approach to business. Today, when one walks into the Sunoco station, they are greeted to their right by a large glass display selling various types of electronic scales. At the other side of the front counter there is another large glass display case.

In that case there is not only the garden variety of glass pipes (sold at nearly everywhere gas station in town) but also a large selection of folding knives and large containers of lactose powder. Lactose powder is commonly used by drug dealers to cut cocaine before selling it on the streets. So a drug dealer in the South End needs only to go to the gas station at the very busy intersection of Wethersfield and Brown and he can purchase all the accessories needed to prepare narcotics for sale on the street.

While this is a disgrace for the owners of the gas station, why is this tolerated in the community? I can only imagine the outrage in surrounding suburban neighborhoods if a gas station so brazenly sold products to aid in the drug trade. The fact that this is allowed is further commentary on the decline in the South End precipitated by most home owners moving to the suburbs and residents not being invested in their neighborhood.



Gas station owner parks his Lexus outside the shop that peddles drug trade aids.

9 comments:

  1. If you ever find yourself in need of some bad pot after midnight, this is the place to go. I have scored some within ten minutes of pulling into the lot at around 2 or 3 in the morning. It is blatantly obvious what goes on here...and I've never seen any police presence.

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  2. In before both sad city editors "disappear" under mysterious circumstances

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  3. This is a dumb question, but is the lactose powder being used to thin the actual cocaine, so it is a blend of coke and powder, thereby reducing the actual quantity of drug in the mixture, kind of like adding water to that last bit of latex paint, trying cover that last section of trim?

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  4. "Cocaine is nearly always diluted by dealers in order to increase the overall quantity and maximize profits. Common additives in cocaine include lactose, lidocaine, cornstarch, talcum powder, and sugar."

    Connolly, Sean. 2009. Cocaine. St. Louis, MO: The Saunders Group, Inc.

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  5. Thanks H.L., I tried Google after posting and did find similar info. It is really a shame that this is so brazenly sold at said gas station...

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  6. The owner(s), of course, live anywhere but Hartford. They would not dare do this in an area where they'd have to face their neighbors.

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  7. the Police are nowhere near the Southend, much less the city limits, they are too busy up in the Dreaded, Rough, Tough and Deranged Northend.

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  8. It's probably the same reason the police allow the prostitution and public sex going on at the two adult bookstores on West Service Road. Tried turning around in one of their parking lots after getting lost after dropping my car off for repair at the dealer and more male crack prostitutes came up to the window of the loaner car and solicited me and the person with me. Called the police but those places are still there.

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  9. I love this gas station! Been going to it for their chicken for at least a decade. I would defend this place tooth and nails if anyone tried to take it away.

    Personally I dont care about wth they do with Lactose. I don't do coke so I don't care if I'm getting ripped off or not.

    Unsavory characters will still hang out at this gas-station regardless. Why?
    Because they have the best fried chicken in the greater Hartford area. You hang a neon sign that says "FRIED CHICKEN" on it ANYWHERE in a city and you'll get unsavory characters.

    The police are around our town, quite a bit actually. They do a lot for our community. It isn't perfect, it isn't clean, but its ours.
    It's home.

    At risk of sounding like some deeply southern individual; "If you aint from around here, keep your nose out of our business and head on back home."

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