The Dealer

Asif*, an Ice dealer in Karachi, interacts with a diverse client baseā€”from professionals to students from well-to-do families

I started out as an addict and, as my addiction grew, I realised I needed to do something to fulfill it. This was the main reason I started dealing in drugs.

It's been almost three years since I started selling crystal meth. As a dealer, I can save some of the supply for my personal use.

You need a proper lab to make meth. It's not something you can make in your own house.

People try to do this, and that's when you hear news of an explosion in an apartment.

I get my supply from the Afghan camp area of the city.

This is where most of the supply of crystal meth comes from. Either here, or Gadap.

The drug itself is not made at the Afghan Camp but comes from somewhere else. People tried to make it themselves at the camp but they were not successful.

I deal with a diverse client base. From students to mid-career professionals.

Most people first use it because it can help you stay awake for 1-2 days. They want to use meth to either party harder or work longer hours. Before they know it, they are addicted.

People who are professionals who buy this drug are mostly from the middle or upper class as meth is slightly expensive. However, students who buy it are mostly from well-to-do families. Crystal meth is very dangerous and people get addicted just by using it a few times.

In Pakistan, crystal meth is mostly imported, but there are local labs that produce the substance as well. The ANF cracked down on the use of the drug after a meth lab in Karachi's upscale Defence area exploded in 2015. But they have made little headway since then.