Drug Dealing in the 21st Century – Not Walking Streets, Instead Posting on Craigslist
Posted in General on January 12, 2015
In a recent blog, I discussed how a Chicago lawyer got into hot water with the state ethics board after he submitted a help wanted ad for a legal assistant that was willing to provide sexual services on Craigslist. While the actions of the lawyer only resulted in ethical violations and a supsension of a legal license for the lawyer, other people have also turned to Craigslist to further their criminal activities, primarily drug dealing. Some tech savvy prescription pill and cocaine dealers in New York used to Craigslist to sell drugs via the web and thereby stay
off the street corners. Bad news for the drug dealers was that the police are also tech savvy and targeted such online drug dealing via Operation Dot Com. In Operation Dot Com, New York City police scanned ads listed on Craiglist that seemed odd. My favorite posting was:
“Study longer and without anxiety! Be professional and not law enforcement.”
I am surprised that the police did not honor the poster’s request that law enforcement should refrain from responding. Maybe an express statement that drug detectives and confidentfial informants are not welcome to respond would have been more effective. Another poster emphasized that he was “easy, non-sketchy, straightforward.” If I were looking to buy illegal drugs, non-sketchy is a one of the qualities and characteristics I would be looking for in a supplier.
According to the article, the 11 month long sting netted 21 drug delivery suspects, ranging in age from 22 years old to 62 years old, and the drugs included cocaine and prescription pills.
In Pennsylvania, dealing drugs is a felony offense and thereby treated very seriously in the criminal justice system. If you have been charged with any drug possession offense, you should contact an experienced State College criminal defense lawyer for a free case review.