Drug dealers using social media to target teens

Drug dealers using social media to target teens

Muscat: Criminals are trying to sell drugs on social media to teenagers, often relying on a lack of parental control to get through to them, the Royal Oman Police has said. To further ensnare them, narcotics are often marketed by these peddlers as performance enhancers that increase their memory and physical power. An increase in illegal online activities involving the promotion of drugs has been noticed recently, thanks to the latest technological developments, said Lieutenant Colonel Sulaiman bin Saif Al Tamtami, the director of enforcement administration at the Directorate General of Combating Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. "While there has been a general increase in the number of crimes we have witnessed, owing to developments in technology, crimes around drugs and psychotropic substances are no exception," said Al Tamtami. "These are among the most serious crimes worldwide, in terms of their impact on the health of individuals, families and the societies, and the security and sustainable development of the country." "Drug dealers resort to illegal promotion of their products on social media, as they hope to target those teenagers who use such sites without parental control," he explained. "Although Oman does witness some crimes of this nature to a limited extent,