Key Points:
·Undercover find: Dealers sold spice-laced vapes via Snapchat, marketing them as THC; tests confirmed the presence of spice.
·Teen harm: Two 13-year-olds became addicted, suffering collapses and withdrawal described as "dying"; mothers feared fatalities.
·Platform response: Snapchat says it bans such activity, removing 2.4 million drug-related posts and 516,000 accounts last year.
·Police action: Warwickshire Police confirmed investigations into the sale of spice-laced vapes to young people.
·Dealer tactics: Operated via a new Snapchat account (old one banned), delivered locally, and met near a children’s playground.
2Firsts, September 8th - according to BBC reported in September 6th, on a sunny spring afternoon in Warwickshire, a BBC journalist and their cameraman waited in a hatchback to meet a drug dealer. The dealer had agreed to sell what he claimed was illegal THC vape liquid (the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) to an undercover BBC reporter posing as a schoolgirl, though they suspected the liquid contained THC—a more potent, addictive drug with severe side effects.
The undercover reporter had messaged the dealer via Snapchat. A BBC exposé on such dealers, who sell spice-laced vapes to teenagers through the platform, followed this undercover operation.
A year earlier, two mothers had shared concerns: their 13-year-old daughters, believing they were vaping THC, often collapsing from being overly intoxicated. One mother feared finding her child dead, while the daughter described withdrawal symptoms as feeling "dying." Despite police reports a year prior, the dealers remained active.
Using information from the mothers, the team messaged the seller their daughters had bought from. His Snapchat account—a new one, as the old was banned—featured a dollar-bill avatar and a price list: £10 for "special mixed flavour" and £20 for "pure concentrated THC," with delivery in Birmingham and Warwickshire. The team placed an order, claiming a school friend had recommended him, and set a meeting point.
They waited near a children’s playground in a leafy suburb. The undercover reporter, dressed as a teenager, met a white SUV with three people. She handed over cash, chatted briefly, and returned with four bottles. Tests confirmed the liquid contained THC.
The mothers and girls were upset upon viewing the footage; one girl recognized the dealer. When the team contacted him again, he blocked them.
Snapchat stated such activity violates its rules, noting it removed 2.4 million drug-related posts and 516,000 accounts last year, using technology to target dealers and assist law enforcement. Warwickshire Police confirmed ongoing investigations.
