US Prosecutors Investigate Meta Regarding Illegal Drug Sales On Social Media Platform

JAKARTA - Prosecutors in Virginia, USA, are investigating whether Meta's social media platform, Facebook's parent company, facilitates and benefits from illegal drug sales. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal on Saturday, March 16, referring to documents and sources familiar with the matter.

Prosecutors sent a summons last year and have raised questions as part of a grand criminal jury investigation. The report added that it has also requested records of drug content or illegal drug sales through the Meta platform.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also assisted in this investigation. However, it should be noted that the investigation does not always lead to allegations of wrongdoing.

A Meta spokesperson said in a statement: The sale of illegal drugs goes against our policies and we are working to find and remove this content from our services.

"Meta is proactively working with law enforcement authorities to help combat illegal drug sales and distribution," he said.

The prosecutor's office and an FDA spokesman declined to comment to the WSJ. Meta, FDA, and the Virginia Attorney General's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the media.

Meta's global affairs president, Nick Clegg, said on social media platform X on Friday March 15 that Meta had joined the US State Department, the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, and Snapchat to help disrupt the sale of synthetic drugs online and educate users about the risks involved.