GANGS GO DIGITAL TO SELL DRUGS DURING THE LOCKDOWN

Criminals are using codes to bypass filters and sell online

BRAZEN gangs in Glasgow are advertising drugs, fake cash and even guns online during the coronavirus lockdown – under the guise of common household items.

A Glasgow Times investigation found dozens of online listings for a range of Class A and Class B drugs.

They are being advertised on the American classifieds site Craigslist – with the cunning criminals using codewords and false headlines to bypass “custom-built filters”.

It comes two weeks after we revealed members of the public were using the ‘services’ section of the website to organise sex meetings with strangers, in clear contradiction of the lockdown restrictions.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) says fewer drugs are available in the UK as a result of the lockdown, making them a valuable commodity for criminals, who can sell them at a higher price.

But they have had to adapt their tactics in order to avoid detection – swapping to online adverts on pages like Craigslist and social media, doing “drive-by sales”, or letterbox drops to avoid detection.

Our investigation found 23 adverts from five different dealers posted on the ‘for sale’ section of the listings website in just one week.

In every occasion, the dealers would upload a picture under a headline completely off topic, for example “Queen size mattress & box spring & bed frame – £75”, a “modern dresser”, or even a”pair of high end mid century lamps”.

But within the advert itself, one example of which is pictures above, the image reveals a cannabis stash, with a list of products available – many including weed, coke (cocaine), ice (methamphetamine), pills, fake currency and even “guns”.

The customer is then given the usernames of the dealer’s social media accounts and are prompted to get in touch to arrange the deal.

When approached with our evidence, Police Scotland’s Superintendent Tim Ross, from the force’s Safer Communities division, said: “Criminals – including those who sell drugs – will attempt to manip