Brazen drug dealers in Bradford are “peddling misery” by using online forums to sell dangerous and illegal Drugs, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal today.
Bradford MPs have reacted with shock after it was revealed drug pushers and users are using the forums to buy, sell, solicit and even review drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis in the district.
Killer heroin and M-kat – the class B drug Mephedrone banned last year after two teenagers died after taking it – are also among a catalogue of dangerous drugs readily available by contacting dealers on the Topix.com forums.
There are even price lists for MDMA – the active ingredient of ecstasy – from five grams at £35 to 50g at £250, on a forum called ‘Dutch crystal MDMA back in stock’. The poster, known only as ‘Tic_Tac’, promises “prices including first class recorded delivery”.
E-mail addresses and phone numbers of dealers in Bradford and the wider West Yorkshire area and ‘reviews’ of the drugs have also appeared in the postings.
One review reads: “The M-kat sparkles like the pre-ban gear (drug). Little line (of powder) makes you feel good.”
Shipley MP Philip Davies said: “This is totally inappropriate as far as I am concerned. The police should make the internet service providers aware of this and they should take it down.
“Drugs cause so much misery and there is so much crime committed by people who are fighting addictions.
“It is difficult to keep on top of internet sites because you often find that, if one is taken down, another springs up elsewhere but I would certainly encourage the police to take action to have this taken down.”
Bradford South MP, Gerry Sutcliffe said: “This should not be allowed and I would hope that the internet providers do something about it. The police should definitely be looking into this.”
West Yorkshire Police Drugs Co-ordinator, Bryan Dent, said: “We are fully aware that the internet holds the potential to act as a platform for a host of unlawful activities, including the sale of drugs or so called legal highs.
“We analyse information and intelligence from many different sources and would urge members of the public to let their local Neighbourhood Policing Teams know of any illegal behaviour.
“As and when we discover evidence of criminality, we will take positive and swift action to address the issue.
“The force takes the use or supply of illicit substances very seriously and work extremely hard with our partners to make our communities a safer place to live.”
Topix.net is a discussion board website with thousands of members, most of whom post items on a huge variety of perfectly acceptable and legal subjects. Topix LLC, the controlling company, has its headquarters in Palo Alto, California.
Andrew Kernahan, policy manager for industry watchdog the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA), said: “Topix, like other websites, has terms of service and cooperates with the relevant law enforcement agencies where appropriate.
“Rather than taking down a site that is used by many people for a variety of reasons, terms of service and forum guidelines can be used to remove content. This is a far more proportionate step.”
Anyone with information about drugs being sold online should contact Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.
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