Police slam Facebook for not helping inquiry
Chicago sting targets gun, drug dealers
CHICAGO – The city’s top law enforcement officer ripped social media giant Facebook on Thursday for doing too little to help the agency thwart illegal gun and drug sales facilitated through the social media platform.
The criticism came as Chicago police officials announced they carried out a months-long sting on drug and illegal gun dealers who used private Facebook groups to sell contraband.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Facebook offered no cooperation as officers conducted an investigation that led to the arrests of 50 people and the recovery of 18 guns and $46,000 in drugs. Police said some of the guns were illegally sold for three times their retail value by convicted felons prohibited from possessing firearms.
“Facebook has a responsibility to the people that they serve to ensure that these types of things don’t go on,” Johnson said.
The department’s narcotics division began investigating the private groups after a tip by a source who said users were brazenly selling drugs and firearms in private groups.
Facebook users could access the private groups only if approved by the administrator of the page.
Over the 10-month investigation, more than 17 different kinds of illegal drugs and 18 weapons — many of which had serial numbers scratched out so they’d be difficult to trace — were purchased by undercover officers who infiltrated the groups.
Among the sellers was a Chicago Public Schools elementary school teacher, said Anthony Riccio, chief of the department’s organized crime division.
Facebook said in a statement that it had been unaware of the Chicago Police Department’s concerns and was investigating how the matter was handled. The company also noted it routinely works with law enforcement agencies and prohibits the sale of guns and drugs on the platform.