As students prepare to return to school, the DEA Omaha Field Division is warning parents about a hidden threat that could be sitting in their children’s smartphones, drug trafficking through social media.
The DEA says about 95 percent of American teenagers ages 13 to 17 have access to a smartphone. Drug dealers are using social media posts and disappearing stories to advertise counterfeit pills and other dangerous drugs, often using code words and emojis to reach potential buyers.
The DEA says conversations can then move to encrypted apps such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. Payments may be made through services including Venmo, Zelle and Cash App, with drugs sometimes delivered directly to a buyer’s home.
DEA Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie is encouraging parents to talk with their children about the dangers of drugs sold online. “Sit down as a family. Talk about the fact that pills sold online may claim to be one thing, when often, they’re laced with deadly doses of fentanyl,” Gillespie says.
“Stay on top of your kids’ phone. It’s not bad parenting; it’s a potentially life-saving measure.” Gillespie says pills advertised as one drug may actually contain a deadly dose of fentanyl. The DEA has released a series of videos called “Hidden on Your Kid’s Phone” to help parents recognize the warning signs.
So far this year, DEA agents across Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota have seized more than 67,000 fentanyl pills. Fentanyl powder seizures are up nearly 87 percent from the same period last year.
The DEA says the pill and powder seizures represent more than four million potentially deadly doses removed from communities.
Parents can click here to view the “Hidden on Your Kid’s Phone” videos.