Now, Facebook, Orkut used for drug peddling

It seems that drug peddlers have found a high-tech way to reach their clients and mange their business. The latest development in drug-peddling is the use of social networking sites to enhance their network. By the click of a mouse, customers are getting narcotic substances delivered at their door step. Police investigation revealed the use of social networking to expand the drug trade in the city. The matter came to light when police busted a drug racket two days back. Police found customers were placing orders and depositing money through networking portals like FaceBook, Orkut and Twitter. After learning that the drug trade has gone hi-tech, police are now keeping tabs on these social networking sites. “The entire transaction is done by creating various user-IDs on FaceBook, Orkut and Twitter,’’ sources said. “There is no scope of doubt. Social networking portals are helping drug sellers and drug addicts run their activities, by using multiple IDs. We suspect that the drug trade is running online utilising these networking sites. Drug addicts were forming a chain system and spreading the network by creating different user-IDs,’’ said Banjara Hills police inspector M Sudarshan said. City police caught five persons, including a Kenyan and two Nigerians on Tuesday for allegedly selling narcotic substances in separate cases. Sudarshan said they would start tracking selected user-IDs activities in connection of drug offering and purchasing. Police officials have taken initiative to track down users on social networking sites to obtain more evidence in the drug trade. “We can not come to a conclusion on drug-peddling based on the telephone caller list. Even after obtaining a detailed callers list from the accused mobiles and laptops, we cannot confirm the caller’s involvement. But, we are trying to find out more evidence based on the accused’s confession,’’ said Central Crime Station (CCS) inspector Ram Das Teja.  “We are investigating into various aspects to find out evidence. But I cannot reveal what we obtained from the accused. We are suspecting that social networking sites are helping the illegal drug trade to continue discreetly the buying and selling of drugs,’’ said R Ravinder Reddy, assistant commissioner of police, Banjara Hills said.

By Mouli Mareedu,
moulimareedu@gmail.com