Drug traffickers expanded their market by selling drugs on social media sites. Tinder is one of the sites wherein most drug traffickers would openly sell illegal drugs to teenagers.
Drug dealers expanded their network by using the dating app, Tinder. According to The Guardian, the drug dealer would usually display subtle hints that he/she is looking for customer, and not a match. The drug dealer's profile picture would usually display hints that they are a perfect match to those who are in search for drugs.
How Does It Work?
Looking for a potential customer on Tinder is not that challenging. The drug dealer would just swipe right and someone who is interested with the goods would just direct message the supplier. As their communication would progress, both the supplier and the customer would go into a cryptic conversation so that it would be easier for them to deny things if ever they'll get caught.
The drug dealer would usually refer to the drugs as "research" materials to stay subtle and for them to easily escape interrogation. The drug dealer would then deliver the package or meet up with the customer.
"Despite packaging them specifically for human consumption, vendors attempt plausible deniability when it comes to what they sell," said Moe, a 16-year-old who purchased the drug online.
Teenagers Are The Usual Customers
Though statistics only reveal small amount of date in regards to the online drug trafficking market, it was revealed that most of the buyers were teenagers. Bilal Zenab Ahmed, a sociologist stated that there are other illegal transactions that are being done online. One of which is for the transgender transitioning which is secretly done to avoid the restrictions implied by the NHS.
Is It Just Tinder?
Aside from Tinder, Mirror also mentioned that Instagram and Facebook are also being used to traffic drugs. With the hype of social media today, it is easier for under aged individuals to access illegal substances which make it ideal for parents to monitor their kids screen time every now and then.
With the social media hype and the easy access of drugs, is it important for parents (mostly in teens) to monitor their child's social media usage? Do you think it's invasion of your child's privacy when you would lurk into their computer's history? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
