Close calls in the hooch business.
First published – Feb 19 2008.
Back again,
Time for another trip down memory lane.
After my time in prison and all the time I‟ve spent working on building Koky Prik Rekordz and a music career selling smoko seems like it was a lifetime ago.
In a way it was but that aside I still have a million and one stories from them days.
The one Im going to go over now is proof that it pays to at least pretend to be polite to our officers of the law because sometimes it can be all that saves you from getting in the shit.
The day of the close call started like any other day.
I switched on the mobe and ate my cocoa pops while I took the first rush of orders for the day.
I took a quick shower, bagged my deals and headed out the door to do the morning drops.
I made my first couple of stops and then decided to pull in to Macca‟s at Erindale (a suburb of Canberra) to grab a snack to eat while I cruised around.
Coming out of Macca‟s I went left and drove out of the shopping area past a school.
I cant recall the street name but I was headed just down the road to Wanniassa a suburb near by.
As I came up the road I spotted some cops doing speed checks further down the street and decided to slow up from 80kmh to the speed limit of 60kmh.
Having a little giggle to myself I slowed up and was about to pass them when suddenly they pulled me over!
I must have been extra buzzed of skunk that morning because as they pulled me to the side of the road I realized it wasn‟t a 60 zone at all it was a bloody 40 zone despite the fact that the school was way back up the road.
A dumb move on my part.
I had my back pack of deals chock to the brim and sitting on the passenger seat so as I rolled up to stop I took the chance to grab the back pack that should have been in the stash spot and slid it under my seat.
I pulled up and was ordered out of the car.
I hopped out not sure if they had seen me shifty the bag under my seat or not.
Being on bail for an armed robbery and on a suspended gaol sentence while serving a good behaviour bond meant my chances were well and truly up if I got pinched.
I would find myself in prison not to long after this for the armed robbery but at this stage all I was stressing on was the couple of pounds in oz‟s n stuff that I had under my seat.
So as I said I was ordered out and luckily it was a couple of piggers I had not had the pleasure of dealing with yet so I knew I wasn‟t quite busted yet.
When I was doing business I was always really polite to the cops, I found it was the best way to try and manoeuvre around them and often it worked.
This time was no different and I stepped from the car with the usual morning officer, what seems to be the problem?
You were doing over sixty in a school zone was his reply followed by show me your licence as his mate checked out my rego sticker.
I normally had my girl of the time driving me around on drops as I didn‟t have a drivers licence but some days if I felt like rolling solo I would chance it.
In other words I had no licence to show them.
I explained I had just been visiting a friend and didn‟t have a licence.
I told the copper I never drove unlicensed.
My girlfriend was suppose to drive me to my mates house but fell sic and I had taken the one off chance to drive there but had now been caught.
Just my luck officer.
Having the rego in my girls name made the story a little believable.
The cop seemed to go for it and acted a little sympathetic as I had been straight forward in admitting my wrong doing.
Next of course came the computer check, I decided to inform him of my current legal issue‟s before the station wired back my sheet.
Again I put the good kid on a bad run spin on things and again to my shock he seemed understanding.
I couldn‟t believe my luck when he decided to just fine me for driving unlicensed and leave it at that.
For a second I thought I was home free when suddenly his partner decided we couldn‟t leave my car on the side of the road and so the cop that was dealing with me said we had to move it on to the grass along the road side.
I took a few steps toward the drivers seat and said no problem but the copper told me there was no way he could even let me drive to the roadside without a license.
Whats worse is the copper decided to move it himself.
I took a step back and even over a meter away I could smell the pungent odour of skunk coming from the car, I figured I was gone now.
The cop jumped in and moved the car on to the grass while I tried to keep a straight face.
Sure enough the cop got back out of the car and called to his partner with a joke I wont forget for a while….‟Ive got the munchies just from sitting in this car‟
Of course the two cops then headed my way again while I tried to keep a straight face while in my head I was debating the pros and cons of just high tailing out of there but I stood firm.
As soon as they got face to face with me again the cop that had been dealing with me asked if there was anything that I wanted to tell him before he searched the car.
With little choice I just tried to call his bluff.
I put on the most sincere and worried face I could muster (the worried part was easy) and said yes officer I have to level with you.
I told him I hadn‟t been entirely honest with him and that the reason I had driven to catch up with my friend was to smoke a joint.
I told him we had just finished up shortly before I was pulled over.
Then something happened that had never happened to me before….Nothing….
He said he believed me and thanked me for my honesty, handed me my infringement notices for unlicensed driving.
Then he told me to lock the car up and get a friend to pick me up!
No worries officer I said and as quick as I could without looking suspicious I locked the car up and wandered down the street.
I couldn‟t believe my luck, even when I was not breaking the law the old Canberra coppers would always search my car if they got the chance.
So I wandered a few meters down the street and as I did the guy who I was late meeting phoned to check where I was so I had him scoop me up out of the danger zone.
I left the car for a few hours and then picked it up stash intact and ready for sale.
I still have a laugh when ever I think about what went down that day, as I said earlier I ended up in the nick not long after that went down but still it was a few months extra party time.
And that guys was a close call in the hooch business and a damn lucky break for me at the time.
Have a good week guys.
Back soon.