Drugs are a major topic that is discussed in the security agenda of contemporary Sri Lanka, and law enforcement agencies have made strides in answering the problem. Due to the regional drug transit hub in Asia and the precarious socio-economic and political context of Sri Lanka, people, particularly youth, have been involved in illegal drug trafficking and drug use. According to the latest report released by the National Dangerous Drug Control Board (NDDCB) (2023), drug-related arrests in Sri Lanka show a 36% increase in the year 2022 than in 2021. When discussing the drug trade in the digital era, it has shifted from traditional to modern platforms, which are online, particularly on social media. Due to this transition, law enforcement agencies are closely watching the drug trade on the social media from the domestic and international levels due to its grave security challenges on national security.

How social media is used for dangerous drug trade

According to The United States Drug Enforcement Administration, most of the social media such as Meta platforms (Facebook and WhatsApp), TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit can provide easy access for communication between drug dealers and buyers, and for the purchasing of dangerous drugs. In this regard, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) pointed out that due to the nature of being convenient and user friendly, most drug dealers and buyers use social media than the dark web to purchase drugs. Thus, it is significant to mention that interconnectivity is a novel dimension to increase drug distribution. Criminal syndicates are predominant in the face of the dangerous drug trade on social media. They advertise drug-related contents, keywords and emojis which are dynamic with their own hidden objectives on social media platforms. Moreover, drug traffickers increase the interest of people, particularly among children and youth, by posting videos, images, statuses related to the dangerous drugs and they show their availability also via the above mentioned variables. As a point of fact, we can understand that criminals provide a forum to discuss drug-related information via anonymous profiles and chat groups and share drug-related information that impact on the behavioural change of individuals via social media platforms.

Further, when considering the activities of drug dealers on social media platforms for drug delivery, L. McCulloch and S. Furlong’s “Direct message for details: Selling drugs in the age of social media (2019)” highlighted that criminal groups use encrypted messaging apps to discuss information regarding the delivery system and they use different social media profiles to represent the drug delivery method. Likewise, when considering the language which they use to share the drug related information, individuals and criminal syndicates use their own coded language to represent the dangerous drugs. In this regard, they further corroborated that the language of criminals who are engaged in the drug trade on social media is very discrete and subtle in the sharing of information related to dangerous drugs. Further, they highlighted that drug dealers show quantity, price, the types of the drugs and their quality, the method of contact, the drugs which are available and the available time for order, and the country which they have imported to, using their own languages and emojis on social media platforms. 

Does social media contribute to destabilising national security in line with the dangerous drug trade?

When considering the national security implications of drug trafficking and use, the UNODC pointed out that cyber enabled and cyber dependent crimes, radicalisation and violent extremism, suicide and psychological issues particularly among young people are connected with illegal drugs. Accordingly, it is significant to mention that there is a linkage between organised crimes, terrorism, extremism, and violence, particularly youth marginalisation and drug trafficking. In point of fact, we can analyse that social media can have a distinct influence on the safety, peace, and security of the citizens by posting information linked with the dangerous drug trade. 

There is no argument that youth are profoundly susceptible in the face of the dangerous drug trade on social media. This is because criminal syndicates primarily target youth who are engaged with the social media to propagate their criminal ideologies. In this regard, the UNODC highlights that youth are vulnerable in the face of the drug trade on social media. Criminal groups who are engaged in drug trade on social media increase youth radicalisation and lead youth to terrorist activities and destabilise the social cohesion with the propagation of dangerous drug related information. Accordingly, social media is a tool that causes the propagation of extremist ideologies that influence the social, economic, and political security of the country in line with the dangerous drug trade. Moreover, it is important to mention that social media platforms have given an opportunity to criminal groups to earn illegal money by trading dangerous drugs on social media. Thus, it is an easy road to increase cyber crime. Accordingly, the dangerous drug trade on social media perversely affects the social fabric and destabilises the governability and stability of a country.

What mechanisms must Sri Lanka take to counter the dangerous drug trade on social media?

When discussing the countering strategies related to the dangerous drug trade on social media, the UN highlighted that: “The International Narcotics Control Board is calling on governments to do more to regulate social media platforms that glamourise drug related negative behaviours and boost sales of controlled substances”. Accordingly, is the existing legal framework on dangerous drugs to regulate dangerous drug transactions on social media, adequate? And, what are the measures that Sri Lanka must take? In Sri Lanka, despite the laws and regulations related to cyber crime and dangerous drug trafficking, dangerous drug transactions on social media are an emerging, novel, security threat that creates insecurity among people. For that, there is a pressing need for discussions regarding this issue and law and regulation reforms to regulate drug transactions on social media and to build resilience and to safeguard the digital environment in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, with the dynamic context of the digital era, legislative reforms and policy changes can be identified as a preliminary step to counter this issue. 

In Sri Lanka, the Computer Crime Investigation Division (CCID), the Police, the Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT), and the NDDCB, as major responsible agencies in line with cyber crime and the dangerous drug trade on social media, need to investigate the current situation of the dangerous drug trade on social media, particularly the activities of criminal syndicates, in collaboration with national agencies such as the Ministry of Justice, the Criminal Investigations Department, the International Criminal Police Organisation National Central Bureau and the Ministry of Defence. Moreover, the CCID needs to organise workshops and training programmes for the relevant officers in collaboration with the private sector, civil societies, and regional and international counterparts to give comprehensive knowledge and training to counter this issue effectively. 

Necessary and proper knowledge sharing by social awareness programmes can be identified as the best strategy to counter the dangerous drug trade on social media because it contributes to developing the individuals’ consciousness regarding the existing gravity of this issue and to harmonise their social life. Regarding this, the NDDCB necessarily needs to conduct their awareness programmes based on the dangerous drug transactions on social media, by connecting with the Ministry of Education, the CERT, the Police, the CCID, the Ministry of Health, non-governmental organisations, and the National Youth Council. Thus, the lack of awareness among people at all levels also directly contributes to an increase in the number of victims of criminal groups who are engaged in the dangerous drug trade on social media. Hence, information sharing is a timely requirement among the people. Moreover, anonymity, pseudonymity, and the sophisticated nature of criminal syndicates related to the dangerous drug trade on social media can be identified as major challenges faced by the law enforcement agencies in terms of investigations. For that, it is important to mention that the NDDCB conducting policy oriented research with the universities, and research think tanks with the assistance of the UNODC to promote the peace and sustainability of Sri Lanka is vital. 

Summing up, what is security? It can be defined as a concept that requires citizens' and states’ protection from traditional and non-traditional threats. Accordingly, the above factors note that the dangerous drug trade on social media detrimentally creates insecurity among people and can destabilise the sustainability and power of the country. Thus, all the citizens are at risk from increasing dangerous drug related activities on social media platforms. Accordingly, the consequences of the dangerous drug trade on social media encumber the entire economic, political, and social wellbeing of the country. And, countering the problem effectively helps to strengthen the peace and security of the country. Thus, before it becomes a huge threat, Sri Lanka must commit to safeguarding the future of all humans by implementing or reforming necessary the policies regarding this issue. If this action does not occur, all the citizens become at risk due to the dangerous drug trade on social media in the coming future. 

(The writer is a research assistant at the Institute of National Security Studies, the latter a think tank under the Ministry of Defence. The opinions expressed are her own and not necessarily reflective of the Institute or the Ministry)

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.