For the most part I don't think that going after small time buyers is worth the trouble for LE, unless they can pressure them into some kind of deal to provide the details and grass up their source, to save their own skins. Many probably would take that kind of deal if it was offered..I think
@AlsoTapered meant that selling is the much more risky part. If LE decides to go after any seller, whether that's just someones who's dabbled a few times, to the others right at the other more big time end of the scale, then any communications or sales done electronically will leave a digital footprint and a trail of irrefutable evidence. Deleting messages only removes them from your own machine, As they are stored somewhere else centrally, (ISP or VPN logs) although I don't know how long for.. I'm guessing it wouldn't be 'for ever' as the amount of storage all that data would require would be astronomical, but who knows?
Using encrypted messenger services and crypto currencies obviously helps,and does make things more difficult for lE, but there are alway 'back doors' built into these so called secure messengers, and I gather that bitcoins history casn be tracked, although from what I understand it's a time consuming and laborious process.
I don't think I'd ever get into electronic dealing/supply services/'middelman broker' for people struggling with DNMS etc, although I suppose if I ever fell on extreme and absolute desperate times for any reason, and with nothingto lose, that could change. As it could for anyone.
It's mainly just knowing that one court order could probably get all of my communications released by my ISP or VPN to LE is enough to put me off. I'm probably being honest to the point of naivety here, but I wouldn't really have any moral or conscience issues helping adults of sound mind and mental health acquire what they want, and it's not like I'm a callous money grabbing sociopath either.,.,,,. (To my mind the energy companies that installl pre-pay meters at more expensive rates in the poorest households, and other such despicable but legal actions are far greater wrongs in a moral sense). But that's a diffrent subject, and back on topic, I would double check if the customer is absolutely sure if they want to go ahead as I'd know I'd potenially be enabling an escalation in someone elses drug usage. But that's the other person's decision to take.
Obvioulsy selling to school kids, using various ploys to lure them in is another matter. I'm not sure how much of that actually happens though, it's probably largely some kind of myth or at least exaggeration peddled by the MSM about those evil drug dealers being scum of the earth and getting school kides hooked on hard drugs, by giving them away cheaply to start with, until the buyer develops a liking and keeps coming back for more/
Also there's those community groups that take it upon themselves to beat the shit out of known heroin dealers in their communities. It used to be groups like that the IRA were known for doing this kind of 'c omminity protection', but this kind of vigilante action has spread a lot further of late.
All in all, I don't think I'd recommend drug dealing as a good career path for anyone.