for writing - where do all those confiscated drugs go?

[more]

Hey guys, I'm thinking about writing a screenplay or story where my addict stumbles upon one of those warehouses where all confiscated drugs go. I was wondering where the location would most likely be, and how much security would be there.

And don't worry, I'm not planning on going after one anytime soon, this is all for the sake of writing. xD

 

[TheDeceased]

Evidence rooms are typically located within police compounds. So unless you're a cop, or somehow pretending to be a cop, it'd be rather difficult to pull it off. It would be safer to try and steal drugs from a shotgun-wielding crack dealer. Even if you are a cop, everything is weighed and categorized and you have to sign in upon entering the evidence room. Surprisingly they don't just leave the door open so addicts can walk in off the street and stumble upon millions of dollars worth of narcotics. To get into that room, your character would have to be very clever. If you want to write something where somebody stumbles upon a shitload of drugs, it's probably better to do it before it gets to the evidence room. In order to suspend disbelief, there would have to be a damn good explanation as to how an addict could possibly get into an environment like that. "Stumbling" into it is just plain ridiculous. I would think it would be more difficult than robbing a bank, given the close proximity to a building full of armed policemen. It might make an interesting heist movie, but if you want your character to stumble upon the drugs, it's probably better he do it somewhere else.

 

[maxalfie]

Surely if an addict was to find and have access to such a place,wouldn't the story just revolve around him constantly getting wasted. I know if I had access to such a place I would do as many drugs as I could possibly do and more than likely be dead in a week.

 

[EU4RIK]

While the idea of stumbling upon a police warehouse full of drugs (some of which would probably be damn good quality too) is droolworthy, The Deceased has a good point that it would probably be pretty unrealistic, and the story would have to change a fair amount to accommodate.

Another thing you could go with that would still keep your idea's intact, plus give you plenty of different options is that he could stumble upon a dealers safehouse.

You still have a house full of drugs that can be taken, and it could just be one drug, or a number of different drugs, of any quality you choose.

The location can be anywhere and still be reasonably believable as a safehouse could be deep in the woods, in the country, really any remote location could be used.

Security also has a number of options too: It could be a high up cartel leader with lots of protection, a lower down dealer without anybody there at all, or anywhere in between.

I'm sure if you want to stick with it, you could find a way to make the police warehouse idea work, this is just another option.

 

[dhcdavid]

Perhaps a more realistic scenario could involve "drug amnesty" bins outside festivals?

I don't know how it is elsewhere but here in the UK one often encounters drug amnesty bins within the outside perimeter of music festivals (particularly dance music festivals) before you get to the main entrance: it is your last chance to ditch drugs before being well searched by entry security and sometimes if you're unlucky by real police with sniffer dogs.

I've often conjectured how jolly it would be to have the task of going through those bins later...... and believe me, the scary scenario of possibly being searched very well and quite possibly being caught and arrested is enough to scare plenty of folk into ditching their hard-earned drugs. Seen it plenty of times but couldn't bring myself to join in: the gambling instinct within is too strong.

Suffice to say that regrets enter your mind as soon as you're really searched by sniffer dogs and cops knowing that you're holding enough to practically guarantee a long prison sentence.

Just a thought on the original theme...

 

[leiphos]

There's also the possibility of setting the story in a post-apocalyptic environment, or in an environment of degraded government and social structure (like the USSR after the fall of the Berlin Wall), or in a war-time environment where authorities and officials are occupied with fighting or are killed, and buildings are left unguarded.

But if one of this character's important actions is "stumbling" upon the drug cache, you may have problems with him/her becoming a weak or inactive protagonist. It might be more interesting if you set obstacles in his way, and establish a concrete goal, and have him overcome or be defeated by the obstacles in interesting ways that reveal things about his character.

Or the "stumbling" upon could be a premise, or inciting incident, and then you'd place it right in the beginning of the script, and create an entirely different goal for the protagonist.