SOCIAL MEDIA DRUG TRAFFICKING THREAT
By: Chief Ezechukwu N Obonna
@ISSUP
Former SA on Narcotics and Illicit Drugs Monitoring.
With the growth of social media and the proliferation of smartphones, a dangerous and deadly new
drug threat has emerged. Criminal drug networks are abusing social media to expand their reach, create new markets, and target new clientele. This includes by selling deadly fake fentanyl and methamphetamine pills, often to unsuspecting teenagers, young adults, and older people who
think they are buying the real thing. No longer confined to street corners and the dark web, criminal drug networks are now in every home
and school in Nigeria because of the internet apps on our smartphones.
HOW IT WORKS
Drug traffickers have turned smartphones into a one-stop shop to market, sell, buy, and deliver deadly, fake prescription pills and other
dangerous drugs. In just three steps, deadly drugs can be purchased
and delivered to your home just like any other good or service.
- ADVERTISE Drug traffickers advertise on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. These advertisements are in disappearing, 24-hour stories and in posts,
which are promptly posted and removed. Posts and stories are often
accompanied by known code words and emojis that are used to
market and sell illicit and deadly drugs on social media. These code
words and emojis are designed to evade detection by law enforcement
and by the preset algorithms used by social media platforms. - CONNECT Prospective buyers contact drug traffickers on social media apps
in response to their advertisements – either using direct
messaging or by commenting on a post. Once contact is made,
drug traffickers and potential buyers often move to an encrypted communications app like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram. Drug
traffickers typically switch to these encrypted communications
apps to arrange drug deals with prospective buyers. - PAY
After a deal is made, drug traffickers request payment using
one-click apps like Cash App bank to bank online transfer .
WHAT YOU CAN DO
● Stay vigilant and aware of the drug trafficking threats on smartphone apps.
● Know the dangers of counterfeit pills: their accessibility, availability and
increasing lethality.
● Share message, the message that One Pill Can Kill.
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