Convicted dealer says ‘it's easy' to sell drugs, weapons on Facebook

NZ Herald

6 days ago

That technology can detect posts including images of drugs or depictions associated with the potential intent to sell, the company said.
A former drug dealer told Michael Morrah there's been a huge increase in illegal products being sold on social media platforms.
The Herald's informant, who asked to remain anonymous, said Meta never disabled the closed groups on Facebook Messenger he'd use to advertise and sell drugs.
'I've never seen Meta take down a [drug dealing] group. I've never seen Meta take down any of my posts. I've never seen Meta do anything about any of the hundreds of people that I know that do the exact same thing,' he told the Herald.
On Friday, the Herald revealed dealers were blatantly advertising the sale of magic mushrooms on Facebook Marketplace – an open trading site used by millions of New Zealanders.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith called the situation 'outrageous' and said he'd be contacting Meta about the issue.
Following the story, the Herald was sent multiple screenshots of other drugs circulating on closed groups on other platforms including Facebook Messenger and Signal.
An ad on Messenger for cocaine in Auckland advised customers extra charges for fuel would apply for deliveries outside Mangere.
One ad offered cocaine ranging in quantities from half a gram to a kilogram of the drug, with the seller saying 'gas fee applies' for deliveries outside of Māngere.
Another listing showed hundreds of pink ecstasy pills next to a drug testing kit which said, 'bulk sales only'.
The Herald's informant, who said he's no longer selling drugs, was confident the ads were legitimate.
'You name it, if you want it, you can get it on these [social media] groups,' he said.
He said sellers would often emphasise their products had been tested for purity or include anonymous customer reviews in their posts which was 'just another marketing tactic'.
An ad posted to a private Facebook Messenger group claiming to sell ecstasy pills.
The man first started selling cannabis around a decade ago before switching to the sale of harder drugs.
He said part of the reason for speaking out was to raise awareness about the proliferation of illegal online sales, the massive quantities of drugs now on offer, and the risk to young people.
'There's a lot of kids on social media. There are a lot of impressionable people on social media. There are a lot of people who have never used a narcotic in their life and suddenly it's easily accessible,' he said.
An ad for MDMA claims the product has been tested for purity.
Court documents confirm the man interviewed by the Herald has multiple drug convictions and was most recently sentenced to home detention in 2023 for procuring and possessing stimulants and depressants.
'I've been convicted on procurement of LSD, Valium, possession of Xanax, selling cannabis, MDMA,' he said.
When he was selling on Messenger, he said he felt 'bulletproof' because police were unable to get access to such groups.
'How are police gonna get in there? Meta themselves have end to end encryption, so they can't read what's going on in there,' he said.
'I've never had an account banned for dealing drugs, and that's with drugs as my profile picture.'
Detective Senior Sergeant Kepal Richards says social media sales of drugs is increasing which reflects a broader shift towards online use. 19 March, 2025. NZME photograph by Mark Mitchell
Detective Senior Sergeant Kepal Richards of the national criminal investigations group told the Herald police are seeing a 'steady increase' in illegal sales on social media platforms.
'Offenders are increasingly using encrypted apps and other tools to conceal their identities, making these activities difficult to trace,' he said.
However, he said police remain committed to investigating all forms of online offending and encouraged the public to report any suspicious activity.
Ghost guns and tasers
As well as drugs, closed social media groups offer weapons, including 'ghost guns', some 3D-printed, homemade tasers and mace, according to the former dealer.
'In the last two years, there's a lot more firearms groups kind of popping up [on social media],' he told the Herald.
Ghost guns are untraceable firearms privately manufactured often using parts or components printed from computer blueprints.
The Herald's informant said 3D-printed guns appear to be 'hugely popular' on social media.
'Some groups have shotguns only; some are rifles only. There are ghost guns [3D printed versions]. You've also got niche things like tasers and mace, homemade mace,' he said.
An image of a homemade taser sent to the Herald being marketed for sale on Facebook Messenger.
The Herald was unable to verify the claims of 3D guns being sold on social media, but last year the Herald reported on police concerns about a 'ramping up' of 3D printed firearms being used by organised crime groups.
In 2023, a 501 deportee was charged by police for illegally manufacturing 3D printed pistols.
Meta's online policies allow educational material about weapon safety, training and licensing but say content promoting the sale of weapons, including tasers, ammunition or explosives is forbidden.
Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won News Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year at the NZ Television Awards. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald's video team in July 2024.