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FBI Examines Snapchat’s Role in Fentanyl Poisoning Deaths

  • Social media under scrutiny as fentanyl crisis spikes in US
  • Lawyers say Snap’s disappearing messages appeal to dealers
Demonstrators march outside Snap headquarters in Santa Monica, California, in June 2021.
Demonstrators march outside Snap headquarters in Santa Monica, California, in June 2021.Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
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Federal agencies are questioning Snapchat’s role in the spread and sale of fentanyl-laced pills in the US as part of a broader probe into the deadly counterfeit drugs crisis.

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and attorneys with the US Justice Department are zeroing in on fentanyl poisoning cases where the sales were arranged via Snapchat, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity. The agents have interviewed parents of children who died and are working to access their social media accounts to trace the suppliers of the lethal drugs, according to the people.