A rising number of New Zealanders are buying drugs via social media, including dating apps, an extensive research project has found. Herald composite photo<\/p>\n
Dating apps accounted for 5% of those sales.<\/p>\n
While that figure is dwarfed by the 54% who have purchased drugs via other social media platforms such as Facebook<\/a>, 48% by Snapchat and 25% by Instagram, drug research team member Dr Robin van der Sanden told the Herald it was a growth area.<\/p>\n \u201cSo many of these kinds of structures [social media and dating apps] can be repurposed for drug market purposes,\u201d van der Sanden said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very convenient, it\u2019s very easy. A common theme you hear from people is also that they feel like it makes buying drugs kind of safer. It can take a lot of the stress out … having to go to a tinny house and deal with a gang member.\u201d<\/p>\n The annual New Zealand Drug Trends survey<\/a> is completed by the New Zealand Drugs Research Team at Massey University\u2019s Massey Shore & Wh\u0101riki Research Centre, which van der Sanden is a member of.<\/p>\n The 2024 survey garnered insights from almost 11,000 drug users.<\/p>\n Its findings included how gangs were increasingly controlling the sale of meth and cannabis in some regions, and the rise of social media as a tool for drug deals.<\/p>\n How Kiwis are hooking up with drug dealers on dating apps <\/p>\n Tinder and Grindr are the highest-profile dating apps where drugs are being bought and sold.<\/p>\n Tinder, which launched in 2012, says it is the \u201cworld\u2019s most popular dating app\u201d, boasting 55 billion matches to date.<\/p>\n Grindr \u2013 which is three years older \u2013 says it is the \u201cworld\u2019s largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans and queer people\u201d.<\/p>\n It has facilitated dealing in Class A and B drugs such as meth, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine and GHB, according to researchers.<\/p>\n Those behind some Grindr profiles would \u201cadvertise\u201d through certain emojis that they had access to, or dealt in, specific drugs.<\/p>\n That has included a diamond emoji to signify meth and a snowflake to signify meth or cocaine.<\/p>\n Some users who had access to drugs were also using emojis to indicate what substances they could share if there was an intimate hook-up.<\/p>\n \u201cOn Grindr the profile might have a certain kind of emoji, like a diamond emoji or something in the bio, and that … could signal like, \u2018I\u2019ve got meth for sale\u2019, or \u2018I\u2019ve got meth that I can share with you if we meet up\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n The emojis were constantly changing, van der Sanden said.<\/p>\n The research also found some drug users were using Tinder only to try to source drugs \u2013 they were not trying to find potential love matches.<\/p>\n That included people who might have relocated to a new region and wanted to buy cannabis but didn\u2019t have local contacts.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could do it kind of reasonably safely if you look for a certain kind of person that you think, \u2018Oh, he looks a bit like he might enjoy the odd bong on the weekend\u2019,\u201d van der Sanden said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can try and match with that person and say, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m actually looking to buy some weed. Do you know anyone?\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cYou probably will need this person to help you meet up with their dealer, if they have one, so they might have to come and pick you up and buy the weed for you. You might give them some of your weed to say thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n Police respond about social media drug sales \u2013 but researcher warns they are fighting a \u2018losing game\u2019<\/p>\n The ever-rising use of social media platforms and apps to deal drugs \u2013 and to carry out illegal firearms sales \u2013 is not news to New Zealand Police.<\/p>\n Last year, Wellington police arrested two men and charged them with a range of drugs offences, including the alleged sale of drugs online.<\/p>\n One of the men was allegedly offering to sell \u201csignificant amounts\u201d of cocaine via social media<\/a> and encrypted applications.<\/p>\n When asked about the use of dating apps to carry out drug deals, a police spokesperson told the Herald police were aware \u201csome apps and social media platforms are used for drug-related activity\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe routinely scan a number of open-source applications and platforms for signs of illegal activity,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Police added that anyone who had concerns about drugs being sold online or via social media apps should contact them.<\/p>\n But van der Sanden said going after mostly \u201clowest-tier\u201d drug dealers selling via social media would be a time-consuming and complicated matter.<\/p>\n Apps were increasingly being used for drug transactions \u201clargely because of convenience\u201d, including most adults having smartphones with encrypted messaging apps.<\/p>\n Snapchat was \u201cdistinctly appealing\u201d for drug deals<\/a> because of the app\u2019s security features, including \u201cself-deleting messages and anonymous usernames\u201d.<\/p>\n She believed it would be very hard for police to thoroughly crack down on social media drug-dealing \u2013 including via dating apps \u2013 saying it would be like fighting \u201ca losing game\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not like they\u2019re stopping these drugs coming into the country,\u201d van der Sanden said.<\/p>\n The researcher said those advertising on social media \u201cgenerally speaking, they are not going to be the big-dog sellers\u201d.<\/p>\n Given the amount of time it would take to try to chase down some of the smaller sellers on social media, she questioned whether that time would be worth it for police.<\/p>\nDrug researcher Robin van der Sanden says an increasing number of New Zealanders are buying drugs via social media \u2013 including from dating apps \u2013 so they don’t have to deal with gang-affiliated drug dealers. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
The Grindr app has been used for drug deals, as well as personal hook-ups with the offer of drugs thrown in. Photo \/ 123RF<\/p>\n
Some people have used Tinder to match with other users to find drug-dealing connections, rather than intimacy. Photo \/ 123rf<\/p>\n
Two men were arrested in Wellington last year for allegedly using social media apps to sell large quantities of cocaine. Photo \/ 123RF<\/p>\n