How Uber Is Changing Drug Dealing

Brian Anderson :

Erik* had been driving for Uber for over a year when it happened. To that point, almost every trip Erik logged on the ride-hailing platform was destination-to-destination, with the occasional passenger dropped off along the way. But one night in 2015 was different.

It started as any other pickup would in Schertz, Texas, a modest town 22 miles outside San Antonio. Erik rolled up to a house, the passenger hopped in, and off they went. But then the passenger asked Erik to make stops at a couple gas stations en route to a final destination, a sketchy motel in San Antonio. It was the same routine at each stop: Without ever going up to the register, the passenger would briefly encounter an employee and then come back out to Erik’s vehicle. The passenger would linger inside each gas station for under a minute, according to Erik, and never walked out having made an obvious purchase.