Yahoo Finance Illegal drug dealer kits offered for sale together on Amazon
Amazon has been accused of enabling the supply of illicit drugs to Britons after it emerged that the marketplace's algorithms guide users to equipment necessary for packaging and selling substances, and promoted drug paraphernalia across its marketplace.
The online retail giant - which has made its founder Jeff Bezos the richest man alive - was found to group together digital scales for weighing substances no heavier than 200g and multipacks of 100x40mm plastic bags adorned with smiley faces - synonymous with drug taking.
Several tools associated with taking drugs appear on the website under seemingly innocuous descriptions. A number of brands of grinders adorned with the Marijuana plant symbol are described as herb and tea grinders. When searching for “espresso grinders” adverts for crushing tools with marijuana logos appear on the website.
In addition, a variety of devices used to consume cocaine appear on the website under the description “sniff bullets”, some with “extendable spoons”.
Boris Pomroy, chief executive of Mentor, the young people’s alcohol and drug abuse charity said: “Too often we hear of the internet being a dangerous place for young-people, where harm - whether it be cyber-bullying or illicit substances is pervasive.
“We would urge the big tech companies to work together to do more to counter this narrative by ensuring they are more actively stemming the supply of illicit drugs and the equipment that enables that supply.”
The items can be bought using Amazon’s flagship subscription service, Prime, which offers next day delivery.
An Amazon spokesman said: "All Marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who don’t will be subject to action including potential removal of their account. The products in question are no longer available.”
Other marketplaces like eBay offer similar equipment, but do not suggest items to be shipped together.
A spokesman for the home office said: “what is illegal offline is illegal online” and that it “expects internet companies to have robust processes in place to act promptly to remove content and user accounts that do not comply with their own policies”.
