ALARMED members of the public have voiced concerns after receiving a barrage of WhatsApp messages from suspicious contacts enticing them to buy drugs.
The messages are being sent from outside of Bahrain, the General Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Forensic Evidence revealed.
A GDN reader forwarded voice messages he had received from a suspected drugs dealer under investigation by the authorities at home and abroad.
The contact offered a range of illegal substances, including hashish, Lyrica, crystal meth and more. The dealers are randomly targeting people using WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
The Anti-Narcotics Directorate has confirmed that they are not only aware of the situation but are also hard at work to ensure the dealers are identified and arrested.
Investigations have begun, in co-ordination with relevant authorities and international law enforcement partners, in order to monitor and track down the accounts overseas.
The directorate has advised people not to respond to the messages, whether on WhatsApp or any other social media platform, and to avoid spreading them around in order to protect the community.
The Central Investigation Department (CID) also highlighted its efforts to educate younger members of the community about the dangers of illegal drugs and informing them on how social media is being used to promote their use.
It is also urging parents to keep an eye on their children so that they are not influenced by the dealers.
Over the course of the past two years, more than 400 lectures have been staged in schools, clubs and institutions with around 25,000 participating to date.
Similarly, 12 exhibitions and 16 awareness campaigns have been arranged since the beginning of last year.
Members of the public have been urged to block any accounts promoting the sale of illegal products and immediately inform the authorities by calling the hotline at 996.
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