Australian police are coming for dealers who sell drugs on social media
There are drug dealers who don't seem to bother with the darknet, these days. Instead they're trying to sell their wares on social media.
Yep, traceable and far-from-anonymous platforms have become a marketplace for dealers in Australia, and police say they're hot on their tail.
Four men have been arrested for trafficking controlled drugs by South Australian police, following an operation targeting drug dealing on social platforms. Police allege the four men were working independently of each other.
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"Those drug dealing in this way should take this as a very clear warning," Detective Chief Inspector Tony Crameri, from the Drug and Organised Crime Task Force said in a statement online.
"It makes no difference to police if you are dealing drugs on a street corner, in a club or online. We will target those trafficking drugs to the people of South Australia. Police will continue to monitor internet sites used by people offering to sell illicit substances. And we will target these people no matter how small the amount."
A 23-year-old man from the suburb of Angle Vale was arrested for trafficking controlled drugs, as well as a 30-year-old man from Adelaide and a 25-year-old man from Greenwith.
A 32-year-old man from Aldgate was also charged with trafficking, but faces additional charges of cultivation of a controlled plant, possessing prescribed equipment and possessing a controlled drug for sale.
Of course, drug dealing on social media is nothing new. Early last year, Facebook closed a secret group called "Adelaide Street Pharmacists" dedicated to trading drugs, after local newspaper The Advertiser alerted the company of the group's existence.
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In July last year, Canterbury Police in New Zealand sent letters to people who were part of a Facebook group it suspected to be actively involved illegal drug deals. Police sternly asked recipients to immediately review their involvement in the group.
You should know this already, but Facebook isn't as "private" or "secret" as some people would like it to be.
[h/t VICE]
