A document illustrates the hidden meaning of emojis used in drug trafficking.
And document published by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in the United States, warns parents that certain emojis can be a sign of online drug trafficking.
Not so innocent emojis
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a US federal agency, emojis are not, in and of themselves, a sign of drug use. But, in certain conversational contexts, these small symbols should arouse some suspicion.
The DEA explains that, on social media, drug traffickers use emojis to buy and sell counterfeit pills and other drugs. This makes it easier for people involved in trafficking to deny. For example, a car or shopping cart emoji would be code for the narcotic Oxycodone (an opioid), the pill emoji might symbolize Xanax (a tranquilizer), the snowflake emoji might symbolize cocaine, and the diamond emoji might symbolize methamphetamine.
The PDF document includes a guide to the emojis used by people looking to buy and sell drugs online.
The scourge of fentanyl made in Belgium
Last year in the United States, the agency seized more than 20 million fake pills. About 40% of them contained life-threatening doses of fentanyl. This synthetic opiate has euphoric properties, but is mainly responsible for most overdose deaths. It is considered 40-50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Little anecdote, fentanyl was synthesized for the first time by doctor Paul Janssen… in Belgium! Basically, this product was used as a sedative to relieve severe pain.
By providing a summary of emojis used on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook Messenger, or Snapchat, the DEA hopes to help parents and caregivers identify potential drug purchases and act accordingly.
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