A surprising ad in a Texas community newspaper that called for drug dealers to snitch on their competition led to a social media firestorm. Published in the August 5, 2015 edition of the Lumberton Ledger, the ad asked drug dealers to turn in their competition. Inspired by the success of the first, a second later ad asked drug users to turn in dealers that ripped them off.
Considered public service announcements by Ledger editor David Lisenby, the newspaper both created the ads and donated the space as well. Shared exponentially on social media, the two ads quickly became viral sensations. Lisenby strongly believes that, “If it takes one drug dealer off the street, it’s worth it.”
Several empty spaces in the ad are left for the drug dealer to write down not just the name of their competition, but the person’s address, phone number and the location where they sell drugs. If the dealers or users would rather call police with information, there’s a phone number at the bottom for the Lumberton Police Department.
Designed to be cut out and mailed in, the proactive strategy by the Ledger has proven to be a big hit with local residents. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I think it’s very smart,” said Lumberton resident Joe Nelson.
Located in the Southeast of Texas near Louisiana, local police describe the drug problem in Lumberton as moderate. The small community is not viewed as a hot bed of drug dealing or abuse in the state. Lisenby, however, points out that the city population grew more than 35% between 2000 and 2010, suggesting that was part of the problem. Lisenby exclaimed, “If this little ad will take one of those bad people out? Yay!”
Despite several submissions, Lumberton Police Chief Danny Sullins says the ad has not led to any arrests. The local station, however, is getting a lot of prank calls, including many out-of-state calls from social media pranksters. Sullins also mentioned that there are some callers who have cussed at receptionists, angry over the ad. It’s unclear if those were drug dealers or someone else.