Drug Dealers Have Moved Onto Social Media

The proliferation of open drug dealing on Instagram, Snapchat , and X has transformed the fabric of illegal substance procurement.

The European Union Drugs Agency acknowledged in its latest report on the drivers of European drug sales that purchases brokered through such platforms “appear to be gaining in prominence ” Some dealers these days are even brazen enough to boost their posts and pay for sponsored advertising.

Social media companies are under growing pressure to eradicate drug dealing on their platforms.

Data released by social media companies shows that millions of pieces of drug-related content are already taken down every year .

DEA has warned that because dealers are “no longer confined to street corners and the dark web,” dealers are more difficult to apprehend online than the streets.

In a VICE documentary on drug sales on social media, it took the host just 5 minutes to connect with a dealer in London .

“You see little kids, 12-year-olds and everything, setting up accounts. It’s easy, isn’t it? You can sit at home, make an account, and make money,” says one dealer.