Emojis as a lure

Drug dealers discover social media for themselves

(Bild: stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

Whether marijuana, ecstasy, meth, coke or heroin: if you want to buy drugs, you no longer have to visit dark parks or dodgy alleyways at night or dive into the depths of the darknet. Instead, all it takes is a few clicks on social media. Krone+ on a problem of enormous proportions that is apparently difficult to tackle.

"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, tap into new markets and target new customer bases," the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the US recently warned.