- The hashtag #Lille has become a keyword on social networks for drug traffickers.
- This keyword also brings up advertisements to obtain weapons or counterfeit money.
- The work of the police on trafficking via social networks is complicated by the ‘anonymity they provide and the rules of these companies.
Stups and collect. Only a few years ago, getting narcotics was still relatively complicated for the consumer without the contacts. You had to either master the mysteries of the dark web, or take your courage in both hands to get to a known point of deal. Social networks have radically changed the situation and it is now easier to dig up cannabis or cocaine than a spare part for an old Twingo. On WhatsApp , Snapchat or Twitter, the guarantee of an almost total anonymity complicates the task of the police officers and gendarmes charged with fighting against trafficking of all kinds.
For the dubious people persuaded that one exaggerates, it all they need to do is go to Twitter and type the very innocent #Lille in the search bar. The result is edifying, so much so that it is even difficult to find a hashtag-related post among dozens of ads offering various kinds of narcotics for sale. Cannabis, cocaine, heroin, ketamine, LSD … Rarer and also more worrying, we sometimes find advertisements for the sale of weapons or counterfeit money.
Catchy hashtags to entice the customer
“It is forbidden to use our service for illicit purposes or for the pursuit of illegal activities”, replied Twitter, questioned by 20 Minutes. At this level, what risk do offenders risk? “If your account is dedicated to the sale of illegal or regulated goods and / or services, it can be permanently suspended”, adds the operator. However, it was not specified to us whether the offending accounts were reported to the authorities.
In the process, Twitter deleted a few accounts that 20 Minutes had given as an example to illustrate his request. Accounts which were replaced almost immediately by others. Anyway, criminals only use this platform to “hook” the customer with topical hashtags like #coronavirus, #confinement and, therefore, #Lille. The idea being that people who are really interested can order on other platforms.
So we have took the experience a step further by contacting three different sellers, two on Snapchat and one on WhatsApp. The least that can be said is that they are very responsive. Within minutes, we had received the list of available products as well as the price list. For novices, the interlocutor explains the procedure. Just say what you want and pay, either in Bitcoins , or via a prepaid card. Delivery is then made to the address indicated. When doubts are expressed, the interlocutor wants to be reassuring, even going so far as to send screenshots of exchanges with satisfied customers.
“Promotional offers” and “home delivery”
“My dealer does Snap stories to inform about new products, for example. It also adapts to the context. For the New Year, he warned that we had to order in advance to be sure to be delivered, ”explains to 20 Minutes a regular of this type of service. The coronavirus epidemic has also induced some changes: “The delivery men no longer travel for small quantities and, with the curfew, they refuse to move afterwards 20 h “, assures the client.
” Many users to receive by SMS or via applications and social networks promotional offers ”, confirms 201207013936 a report from 2019 of the French Drugs Observatory
. This same report states that these “regular reminders and other marketing techniques aim to build customer loyalty” and that home delivery is booming.
Behind the multiple accounts on the networks social, there are probably quite a few people. After contacting several, the responses received were almost identical, word for word. An interlocutor on Snapchat, supposed to irrigate the whole of France, told us that he could ensure deliveries to Lille in 20 minutes. “I always contact the same number on WhatsApp, but it is almost never the same person who comes to deliver the product to me,” admits another customer. One of our contacts on the same network confirmed that the orders had to be “validated by the boss” before being sent. We did not go that far.
A particularly difficult task for the forces of the order
For the authorities, it is a real headache, especially because the headquarters of these social networks are installed abroad, mainly in the United States. Neither Snapchat nor WhatsApp spontaneously track this type of hijacking of their applications. For the first, it is up to a user to report illegal content to the police, who must then seize the company by means of a rogatory commission issued by a judge. For WhatsApp, the process is almost the same.
In this regard, the sub-directorate of the judicial police responsible for the fight against cyber crime refused to respond to requests from 20 Minutes. We are also still awaiting a return from the Anti-Narcotic Office (OFAST) and the national gendarmerie.