- Drug Trafficking

Saint's Row 2 Guide - Activities

Drug Trafficking

In this activity, you must protect a dealer while he or she sells drugs around the city. You ride shotgun while the dealer drives to each buyer. The dealer has to make the number of deliveries indicated in the top-left corner of the screen for you to progress to the next level.

When the dealer reaches a buyer, it’s your job to protect the both of them from the enemy gang while they make the deal. Sometimes the buyer will refuse to pay and run off, at which point you’re tasked with killing him or her. Once the required number of deals has been made, you’ll just have to protect the dealer on their way home.

The number of deals needed to complete the level increases as you progress, and so does your notoriety with the enemy gang.

Depending on which instance of this activity you are playing, your enemy is either the Ronin or Brotherhood. You are given some notoriety with the gang in question at the start of each level, and this gang will continue to pursue the dealer throughout. You are given unlimited pistol ammo, but none of the other weapons in your inventory share this perk, though you are given a generous amount of ammo for each.

When defending the vehicle, always spray the driver’s side of the windshield with bullets in an attempt to take him or her out. If you do manage to hit the driver, their vehicle will swerve off course, so don’t bother shooting at it anymore. The pistol, SMG, and assault rifle seem to be the best weapons to use here. Refrain from using the RPG Launcher and other explosives while not on foot unless the target is a good distance away, since you can damage your own vehicle with it.

Although the dealer is doing the driving, he or she will follow you while on foot. You do not need to stay in the dealer’s original vehicle for the duration of the level; just get in to any other vehicle and the dealer will get in as well and take the wheel. If the vehicle is smoking or catches fire, bailout and ditch it in favour of another, although you can likely stick to the same car for the first few levels. The best time to swap vehicles is during a deal, since the enemy gang, police officers, and Saints tend to get out of their vehicles when you do, leaving their rides unattended to.

You can also revive the dealer if he or she is incapacitated, so keep an eye on their status in the top-right corner of the screen. For the first few levels you can probably sit in the car during a deal and protect the dealer from there, but later on you’ll have to get out and fight off the gang members that roll up. This is the time to use the RPG Launcher, and also if possible, prepare a getaway vehicle by carefully picking off the enemies that step out of theirs to keep it optimal condition.

As with many of the other activities in Saints Row 2, things only really start to get tough once you reach the sixth level. At this point, you’ll have a five-star notoriety level with the gang that’s after you, which means that they’ll come at you with relentless fervour. It becomes necessary to swap your vehicle during each drug deal to give yourself a better chance of making it to the next buyer.

There are two instances of Drug Trafficking: one is in the Hotels and Marina District (Stilwater Boardwalk), and the other in the Airport District (Wardill Airport). Complete all 12 levels of Drug Trafficking between the two instances to unlock the “Purple Haze” achievement on the Xbox 360 version.

Hotels & Marina District (Stilwater Boardwalk) Rewards:

Complete Level 3 - Ronin Notoriety Reduced (Ronin Notoriety falls at a slightly faster rate).
Complete Level 6 - Ronin Notoriety Reduced (Ronin Notoriety falls at a much faster rate).

Airport District (Wardill Airport) Rewards:

Complete Level 3 - XS-2 Ultimax (added to your crib weapon stash).
Complete Level 6 - Unlimited Shotgun Ammo (available at your cribs).