When one sees the words Facebook and drug abuse in the same sentence, one may be wondering how that is even possible. The fact is that teenagers are moving to cyberspace to make their drug deals instead of a phone that can be tapped by the police.
It seems as though times have changed for the abusers and dealers tactics, but have police tactics changed in tandem with everyone else’s?
The Police Force Is Coming To Facebook
Since social media has begun to take over teenagers lives and is fully integrated into mainstream culture, the police officers have had to move forward with the times as well. It is not as simple as watching teenagers exchange money for drugs in a parking lot anymore.
These teenagers are always trying to one up law enforcement and have begun using Facebook as a mode of dealing drugs. Law enforcement just recently moved some of their operations to Facebook in order to catch some of the abusers and the dealers.
The police officers in Maryland are the first to attempt this strategy. Law enforcement friend requested known drug dealers on Facebook, so they could more effectively see what the drug dealers were up to throughout the day. The officers also would request people who had pictures of drugs on their Facebook pages and stalk those pages as well. After a couple weeks of stalking law enforcement ended up making an arrest in a major drug dealing ring that was using Facebook to solicit their products.
What to Look For On A Facebook Page
If one is concerned about their children or others in the community because they suspect drug abuse or drug dealing, just take a look at their Facebook page. Most teenagers will take pictures of all the money, all of the drug or themselves high on drugs.
While many may think, “Why on earth would you do something so stupid” the teenagers think they are “cool” and want to fit in, so they are willing to post these pictures all over the internet and brag about them.
If the dealers are not using pictures to show their product, they are attempting to write messages that have double meanings as their status updates. While many may think they are being sly, the status update of “If you want to fly like a kite, message me” is not one of the cleverest double meaning phrases that exist.
These noticeable actions taken on Facebook are just the ice breaker of what drug dealers are doing to obtain more clients. There is plenty more behind the scenes messaging going on between the clients and the dealers. Messaging through Facebook drug dealers seem to find “safer” because they think the cops cannot hack into their Facebook such as cops can read your text messages and listen in on phone calls if you are suspected of dealing or abusing drugs.
The Last Place On Earth
Facebook is the last place a teenager expects the police to look for drug dealers. At first the social media outlets were the last place the cops would look due to the fact that they did not think anyone was dumb enough to post pictures an status updates about dealing an abusing drugs.
Now the police have realized these drug dealers and abusers are just not using their common sense at all. And, now that law enforcement has realized they are capable of following people on Facebook and obtaining arrests from doing so, surely there will be more and more operations like the one in Maryland across the United States an even the globe.
Not only the police but other organizations have also noticed this trend. One is Narconon of Vista Bay services who sees many clients that will post pictures and status information regarding drugs or drug use and even get drugs by communication through Facebook.
Programs like NA have likely seen similar trends to that of Narconon of Vista Bay Services.
Facebook drug abuse is a growing problem that police and rehabilitation are concerned about. For more information on this or Narconon of Vista Bay services contact us today.