Welcome to 2026, where you can buy illegal drugs from the same platform that brings you sports highlights, recipe videos, and pictures of your friends’ babies.
Driving the news: A CBC News investigation uncovered a network of websites selling illegal drugs, including cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy, by advertising them prominently to Canadians on Instagram and Facebook. One customer who bought cocaine from an Instagram ad compared his experience to shopping on Amazon.
The investigation found that customers can buy drugs using a credit card and simply have them shipped to them through Canada Post. They even get a tracking number just like any other package.
A man in B.C. reported in August that he was targeted with ads on Instagram and Facebook for ketamine just 24 hours after telling his family about his past struggles with the drug.
Catch-up: Social workers, law enforcement and companies tapped to flag these bad actors say the advertising and selling of illicit products online has grown rapidly in recent years.
In 2024, an illegal switchblade sold on Amazon as a “camping knife" achieved “#1 Best Seller” status on the platform in Canada before the listing was taken down.
Why it matters: New websites selling illegal items are popping up faster than they can be taken down. The head of LegitScript, a company that specializes in flagging these types of ads, compared it to playing a game of whack-a-mole that can never fully be won.—LA