Social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Telegram are being used to “sell to youngsters” cannabis-infused candies wrapped in fake Haribo packets.
Drug traffickers are active on UK social media platforms and messaging apps, offering ‘gummies’ and ‘edibles’ in bright bags that resemble kid-friendly brands like Haribo, Skittles, and Jolly Ranchers.
Police have cautioned that these bogus bags, which are not connected to the companies, make the narcotics more alluring to young children.
On the messaging programme Telegram, readily accessible channels are hawking cannabis edibles alongside strong Class A substances like cocaine, heroin, ketamine, and ecstasy.
According to police in the east of England, a third of individuals detained on suspicion of offences relating to cannabis edibles are minors, according to a report by Sky News.
Seven additional kids including one youngster as young as eight had to be sent to the hospital after ingesting the medicines.
Drugs may also be used to entice kids into joining county boundaries, a kind of human trafficking.
Nearly 30,000 individuals subscribe to a Telegram channel for drug dealers in the UK that offers cannabis hash in extremely big amounts for £4,000 along with cannabis candies for as low as £5, including “Queen Elizabeth eggs” for £60 apiece.
Additionally, they offer their members bulk quantities of cocaine for £1,300 for 28g.
Cannabis “edibles” are freely searchable and promoted on Facebook marketplace in the UK.
When searching for “edibles,” these goods often show up at the top of the results, with traffickers offering tonnes of candy and potato chips laced with narcotics.
On the video-sharing website TikTok as well as Instagram, which is owned by Meta, Facebook’s parent company, dealers may be seen promoting candies that contain narcotics.
Almost all UK police units have experienced problems with cannabis candies.
The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit’s Detective Chief Inspector Rob Burns issued a warning about their illegality and expressed worry about how they were “marketed towards minors.”
According to him, they are being sold to youngsters because of the way they are packaged to resemble sweets, which is concerning since it also makes it possible for them to get into the wrong hands.
He said this to Sky News. Anyone with knowledge on drug sales or who suspects a minor is being used should call the police right away.
According to the social media businesses, they all have rigorous laws against selling narcotics and actively use technology and human reviewers to keep an eye on the situation.
According to Sky News, Meta, the company that owns Instagram, Facebook, and Whatsapp, actively eliminated 98% of this information in the most recent quarter and is collaborating with law enforcement and youth organisations to further enhance moderation.
Confectionery companies have spoken out against the counterfeit packaging, and some have even taken the issue to court.