Dirty Business Street Dealers — July 2026 | Dirty Business Wiki
Street dealer networks in Dirty Business EA — unlock, supply, heat, security, product mix, and pairing with front companies.
Street dealers extend your Dirty Business empire above the sidewalk — converting packaged product into steady street income while your underground production floors keep running. Available in full Early Access (not the demo), dealer networks trade visibility for velocity: you offload weed strains and mid-tier goods without waiting on every elevator delivery window, but heat and security pressure rise if you scale dealers before disposal and upgrades catch up.
Unlocking and Prerequisites
Street dealers sit in the distribution layer — unlock after core elevator logistics work reliably. Typical gates:
- Completed introductory walkthrough or progression milestones
- Cash for surface-adjacent upgrades
- Disposal tier II+ from base upgrades
- At least one stable production line — usually weed
Do not unlock dealers before reading base distribution — channel stacking matters.
How Dealer Supply Works
Dealers consume packaged units from your outbound pool — not raw trim or unfinished parts. Supply loop:
- Produce and package on underground floors
- Elevator goods to garage staging or direct dealer handoff points (EA layout dependent)
- Assign stock to dealer routes or passive dealer inventory
- Collect payouts and monitor heat
Running dealers empty wastes surface risk — schedule production blocks like mini complete orders cycles.
Product Mix Strategy
Dealers excel at high-frequency, lower-tier product:
| Product | Dealer fit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Weed mid strains | Excellent | Overflow when board quiet |
| Low counterfeit | Good | Pair with front companies |
| Weapons | Caution | High heat — secure routes only |
| Premium LSD | Poor default | Use secure elevator / airstrip |
Cross-check production tier list — dealer-suitable tiers may differ from elevator S-tier.
Heat, Security, and Raids
Dealers increase visible criminal activity. Trash, packaging, and failed handoffs spike heat faster than pure bunker play. Mandatory pairing:
- Evidence disposal upgrades
- Security tiers from upgrades
- Clear co-op comms in co-op so surface runs are intentional
Turning dealers off without reducing production floods storage — plan throttle knobs before first supply drop.
Front Companies Synergy
Front companies launder dealer-scale revenue into usable empire funds. Dealers feed fronts with volume; fronts stabilize books while elevators handle deadline orders. Read distribution guide for full laundering loop — dealers alone are not endgame finance.
Co-op Street Operations
Split surface runner vs bunker producer. Runners manage dealer timers, heat checks, and quick disposal topside; producers never leave machines during peak dealer hours.
Rotate runners to avoid fatigue mis-clicks on controls — rebind interact in keybinds for sprint-loot cycles.
Scaling Dealer Networks
Add dealers incrementally:
- One route, one product, one week stable heat
- Second route after security upgrade
- Mix products only when disposal III proven
- Link bulk offload to cartel airstrip for dealer overflow at cap
Overexpansion is the classic EA mistake — slower than counterfeiting print rush but just as lethal to save files.
Demo Players
Demo saves do not include street dealers. Practice elevator-only meta in demo, then adopt dealers on EA day one using this guide — do not assume demo habits transfer without heat planning.
Worker Assignment
NPC workers can support packaging but rarely replace human runners for early dealer meta — see hire workers. Automate bunker side first; dealers stay player-facing longer than lathes.
Troubleshooting
Symptoms and fixes:
- Dealers idle — upstream packaging bottleneck, not dealer bug
- Heat spikes — disposal lag or weapons on dealer routes inappropriately
- No payout — front company not connected or wrong product tier
Mechanical issues: controls troubleshooting. Design issues: building staging.
Updates and Community
Dealer payouts and heat formulas will patch during Early Access — monitor updates. Tools may add dealer ROI sheets as data firms.
Street dealers turn a hidden factory into a city-facing operation. Respect heat, feed them deliberately, and pair with fronts and elevators so no channel starves while another drowns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Are street dealers in the demo?
No. Dealers require full Early Access and meaningful disposal/security upgrades.
What product should dealers sell first?
Mid-tier weed strains — high frequency and lower risk than weapons or premium LSD.
How do dealers interact with heat?
Surface activity raises visibility. Upgrade disposal and security before scaling routes.
Do I still need elevators with dealers?
Yes. Elevators handle timed orders; dealers absorb overflow and steady retail volume.
When should I connect front companies?
After at least one dealer route runs stable — see base distribution for laundering flow.