Do you know
the top-secret emoji code for buying drugs on the internet? Do you know that
teenagers are now using a secret emoji code to buy drugs online?
A recent
documentary has shown that teenagers are making hundreds of pounds daily
dealing drugs on Instagram and some other social media handles such as Snapchat
and Yellow. In the BBC series, examiners found that young people are using
symbols to hide the illegal deals, with different emojis for different drugs.
It was
discovered that a maple leaf is used to represent drugs generally, whereas the
diamond represents cocaine, crystal meth, or crack. An emoji of a pill
represents ecstasy or MDMA, while the needle refers to heroin, and it is
believed that a lightning bolt refers to ecstasy as well.
An enquirer,
Stacey Dooley, was given access to a drugs gang. In the sequence, Dooley met a
youngster, simply known as Denver at a train station to buy some drug pills,
while the 15-year-old was still wearing his school uniform.
Another
youngster, Tai, 16, spoke with the producer of the documentary and said he
makes around £300 per day. The teenage boy said he started dealing at the age
of 12. He said, ‘I’m a kid so kids know me and kids come to me to get their
thing. All these people that want it they’re going to come. It’s not my fault
that they want it.’
Tai claimed
to be making more money than he would if he got a regular job. He also added,
‘Money is addictive.’
Some of the
gang members also told the reporters that they are making thousands of pounds
in a matter of days by trading through the apps. A particular gang member told
a reporter that around 75% of the money they make is earned through social
platforms.
A Snapchat
spokesperson, however, has said that every one of the company’s policies
prohibits the use of their app for illegal activities. He added that they have
dedicated teams that work around the clock to enforce those policies and to
respond to demands from law enforcement.
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