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Fixed Wireless Business

Please Don't Deal Drugs Here

Members of the ISP-Wireless explain, in detail, why you should not accociate with drug dealers, and the advantages you can gain if your rival is caught dealing drugs. Please respect the law.

[January 11, 2002]

On the ISP-Wireless list in December, RE queried,

"We've been looking for tower locations nearby: just when we thought we had found the perfect site, we meet the owner. The guy comes out of his one-room shack drinking a Schlitz beer-and as I began the site survey, we noticed quite a few vehicles driving up and leaving. It turns out the guy is selling drugs out of this shack. My partner says we should just do it and the tower site contract will protect us, but I don't think this is a good idea. It is the perfect location, though. What would you do?"

A number of respondents said it's best to just stay away:

[BA advised] "Find another location. Do you really want your equipment sitting there when they finally bust him and confiscate everything in sight? If they get the idea you were actually doing business with him and he might have been using you as part of his setup, they may well show up at your own door when they start executing the search warrants. How much do you value your business and your reputation?"

[JN added] "Who's going to be maintaining the tower after the scumbag goes to jail? It sounds like a bad situation that I would look to avoid."

Others contended that the situation presents a great opportunity:

[TS suggested] "Call the police, then pick up the whole tower at auction when it's confiscated."

[JD added] "Get with your local law enforcement agency. If they seize the equipment, the local government may take over the site or auction it off. You could then work directly with them, or you could be the lucky new owner of a tower. Besides that, though, don't do business with them at all. It would look really bad if you were bringing this guy a couple hundred bucks a month and got caught on video."

Still others noted that there's another possible factor to consider:

[DD observed] "The guy probably doesn't own it. Go to the tax office and find out who the real owner is."

[JS advised] "You might want to check out the County Recorder's office and see if this guy really owns this property. Maybe the shack, as well as the tower, have been abandoned for a long time and this guy has just adopted squatter's rights."

[EG added] "Check whose name is on the FCC registration of the tower at http://wireless.fcc.gov/antenna/. If it's not his name, then contact whoever is registered there, and ask them about the tower."

[JD advised] "If the tower is on property that is leased from someone else, you could go directly to the property owner and discuss the issue. Find out if he's aware of what's going on. If not, maybe he'll be willing to make you the new site manager!"

—End