Parents need to scrutinize what their kids are doing and watch for certain coded languages and transactions, said William Kimbell, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Houston. Based on DEA information and other sources, the Houston Chronicle created a guide to help parents identify emoji codes, slang and the transactions used on the black market for drugs.
How does it work
The drug-selling game over the internet is a two-way street where customers can find specific drugs, but where dealers may also approach unsuspecting kids. “It’s a very aggressive marketing,” said Timothy Mackey, CEO of S-3 Research, a big data startup funded by the National Institutes of Health focused on machine learning algorithms to scan and decode drug dealing language employed on social media.
Anyone searching social media for hashtags that include the name of drugs, including code and slang terms, will eventually find a dealer, Mackey said. Dealers also utilize intrusive marketing strategies, such as inserting selling pitches and emojis on forums and comments sections on internet platforms. Examples are comments where people complain about their struggles with opioids, needs for medications, or YouTube videos about related topics.
Typically, buyers and sellers connect on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and others. They move then to direct messaging applications with encrypted communications, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and Wickr Me.
Kimbell, from the DEA, said that drug dealers have turned cellphones into a one-stop-shop for this trafficking business, including payments made with Venmo, CashApp, Remitly, Zelle and other instant, one-click apps.
The emoji code
The DEA has identified emojis that are frequently used in the drug black market, but parents should pay attention to the context as they are employed generally in combination with slang, hashtags, or comments such as expressing desired moods.
Some emojis are universal for drug dealings, such as the maple leaf. Emoticons with dollar signs, a crown, or a male electrical plug are common dealers’ adverting emoticons. Emojis portraying rockets, bombs or explosions signal high potency drugs or good batches.
Some emojis have become popular in this business because their image may be somehow related to specific drugs. An example is the use of emojis portraying snow to convey cocaine by its street name. Green vegetables are associated with marijuana, a train emoji with amphetamines (or “Speed”), and candy with MDMA as the product resembles candies. Some emojis, like a banana for some opioids, may suggest “going bananas” or “slipping” in and out of consciousness. Such correlations are not always obvious.
Opioids: Prescription pills containing opioids are the culprit of the opioid epidemic, and last year alone more than 100,000 people died overdosing, the majority on these narcotics including heroin and fentanyl. A kid looking to “experiment” with a prescription pill can easily get instead look-alike, fake tablets sold by the millions in U.S. markets.
Other pills: Popular prescription medications among teens and adults are antidepressants, or “downers,” with Xanax among the favorites. On the other side of the mood-seeking spectrum are stimulants containing amphetamines like Adderall.
Just like with opioid medications, these prescription drugs sold illegally on the black market can be fake. According to DEA, 40 percent of counterfeit pills sold in U.S. markets are laced with strong drugs such as fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 10 times more potent than morphine.
Recreational drugs: Health statistics show that the fatal overdose rate has consistently grown among 15-to-24-year-old youth during the last decade. So-called recreational drugs have also become what experts call a Russian roulette as they are also appearing in batches analyzed by DEA mixed with other strong drugs. Psychoactive substances such as synthetic marijuana, or fake weed, have been linked to serious overdose events and deaths.
“The whites”: Batman, Charlie, Christina and Scooby are not necessarily your teen’s friends’ nicknames. Just like a cute snowman emoji, they may be hiding something as grim as heavy drug.
Proactive parenting
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration recommends that parents should have conversations with their children with five principal goals:
- To let them know that the parents disapprove of underage drinking and unprescribed drug consumption. Surveys have shown that the majority of minors see their parents as their leading influencers on this topic.
- To reinforce that the parents care for their health and success and how drugs can impact those objectives.
- To show that informed parents, rather than friends, can be a good source to talk about their drug concerns.
- To show that the parents are paying attention to their behaviors because they care. Children are more likely to engage in unwanted behavior if they think no one will notice.
- To build teens’ skills and strategies to avoid making bad choices in difficult situations.
The agency has a mobile application called “Talk, they hear you” to help parents.
Monitoring?
Whether parents should monitor their children’s internet use is debatable. Some parents and experts suggest that children should be trusted to make good choices on their own. Others emphasize parental responsibility for minor’s safety and recommend transparency on rules and supervision.
On HoustonChronicle.com: Fentanyl seizures rise in Houston
Besides social media interactions, financial transactions made with phone applications could provide a good inside about potential drug dealings. Kimbell recommends looking for regular unexplained payments to the same user made with person-to-person payment apps, such as CashApp, Venmo and others.
DEA recently announced that drug and fake pill trafficking in Houston is reaching “alarming” levels and expressed special concern about the vulnerability of children and the youth to drug overdoses.
