The FBI's coded notes

[spot]

The FBI appealed this month for some lateral thinkers across the Internet to look at two pages of coded writing:Ricky McCormick’s encrypted notes are one of CRRU’s top unsolved cases. “Breaking the code,” said Olson, “could reveal the victim’s whereabouts before his death and could lead to the solution of a homicide. Not every cipher we get arrives at our door under those circumstances.”

FBI — Help Solve an Open Murder Case, Part 2



I just had a look for a couple of hours. I've taken shorthand note like that, decades ago. Not, I hasten to add, on the same topic, but it's a useful way of coming out of a meeting with accurate quotes instead of paraphrases and approximations.

It's not a key-based cypher, I reckon it's an abbreviated shorthand phonetic code. Each letter takes the place of a word, the pages are memory prompts of recent transactions. I suggest each B stands for Buy, S for Sell, NC for Not Currently, X for Deal, L perhaps for Later. It's a useful way of taking down quick reliable discreet notes using a frequently-used limited vocabulary.

Anyway - what I don't do is speak the language of late-nineties American underworld drug dealers. Here's a transcription of the photos, would anyone like to take a shot at putting one word per letter and making coherent sentences which use similar sounds and discuss dealing? What's WLD, for example? Would Like to Deal? Did a chap (not that I'm saying the deceased was, or how he came by the notes) use words like that when talking to the suppliers of street pushers?(MND MK NEA 8SE-N-S-M-KNA8E) (A(SMS))

?TFRNE N'?tNSE NPBSE R CBBNSE NPRSE INC

PRSE N MRSE OPRE HLD WLD NCBE (TFXLF TCXL NCBE)

AL-PRPPIT XLY PPIY NCBE MGK SE WLD RCB R NSE PRSE

WLD RCBR N SE N T OBNEN TXSE-C85LE-CLTRSE WLD NCBE

AL WLD N CBET5ME LISE RLSE v R GLSN-E AS N WLD NCBE

(NO PFSE N L S RE NCBE) NTE G D DMNSEN C U RE RCBRNE

(TENE TFRNE NCBR TSE N CBE INQ)

(FLRSE PRSE ONDE 71 NCBE)

(CDNSE PRSE ON5DE 74 NCBE)

(PR+SE PRSE ON RE DE 75 NCBE)

(TF N QCMSP SOLE MRDE LUSE TOTE WLD N WLD NCBE)

(194 WLD'S NCBE) (TRFXL)



NOTES



AL PNTE GLSE — SE ER+E

YLSE MTSE-CTSE-WSE-FRTSE

PNR TRSE O N PRSE WLD NCBE

N WLD XL R CMSP NE WLD STS ME XL

DULMT 6 TUNSE NCBE XL



end section



(MU NSASISTEN MU NARSE)

KLSE-LRSTE-TR SE-TRSE-MKSEN-MRSE

(SAE 6 NSE SE N MBSE)



end section



NMNRCBR NSE P+E 2PTE WS RC BREEE

36 MLSE 74 SPRKSE 29KE NO8, OLE 173RTRSE

35 6LE CLGSE OUNVTREDKRSE PSESHLE

651 MTLSE HTLSE N CUTCTRS NMRF

99.84.5 2UNEPLSE NCRSE AOLTSE NSKSE NB SE

NSRE ONSE PVT SE WLD NCBE (3XORL)



end section



PNMSE NRSE 1 NR NTRLERCB ANSE NTSRCR6 NE

LSPNSE N GSPSE MKSE R BSE N CBE AV XLR

HM CRE N MRE NCBE 1/2 MUNDPLSE



end section



D-W-M14MIL XDRLX

[CARLA]

I will get right on it I was a big 90's drug dealer know the lingo well. :yh_rotfl

[spot]

Hot Diggity, as they say. Presumably.

You certainly kept the Street Cred intact when you retired.