Teenagers in the UK are among those being targeted with adverts for commonly used drug dealing equipment on Facebook.

None of the items being promoted by the online marketplace Wish.com are illegal, but they include benzocaine powder, which is a common "bulking agent" used to cut cocaine, and "baggies" often used to sell illicit substances.

Sky News has seen three such listings from the eBay-style commerce site, and each states that Wish.com "wants to reach men aged 17 and older who live in the UK".

Image: The listings are being targeted towards boys as young as 17

Sky News has also found that typing "baggies" into the Wish.com search bar itself brings up "baggies for weed" as the top auto-complete suggestion, with "drugs" and "cocaine" featured as additional options.

The US-based company, which has more than 500 million users, said: "We would like to thank Sky News for bringing this issue to our attention.


"Our merchants are expected to follow a strict code of conduct, that commits them to adhering to the laws in the markets they sell to and which prohibits the sale of offensive or inappropriate items.

"We would encourage anyone who is concerned about a product on Wish to report it immediately."

The benzocaine powder and baggies were still available for purchase on Wish.com at the time the company provided its statement on Tuesday.

Wish.com has previously been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority over who is targeted by its ads, including three cases in the space of five months.

In April 2018, the UK watchdog said the company had behaved "irresponsibly" after an advert for a penis extender appeared in smartphone games played by children.

Another case was brought over an ad on Facebook that featured a woman wearing a black cat suit, pulling down a zip that exposed the top of her bottom.

The firm failed to respond to any of the cases, which were brought after several complaints.

Image: Searches for 'baggies' on Wish.com return additional suggestions of 'baggies for weed' and 'cocaine'

Regarding the ads seen by Sky News, Facebook would only point towards its advertising policies.

Its guidelines state that listings "must not promote the sale or use of illegal, prescription or recreational drugs", including drug-related paraphernalia.

Users are also asked to "avoid using images that imply the use of a recreational drug".

Anyone who sees such activity on any platform owned by the social media giant, including Instagram, is encouraged to report it so that it can be removed.

The adverts were seen by Sky News days after a report by advocacy group Volteface revealed how social media platforms are also increasingly being used as a marketplace for illicit drugs.

Head of policy Liz McCulloch told Sky News it was "shocking but not surprising" to think that drug dealers were expanding into other online marketplaces.

She said: "Drug dealers will take advantage of all the marketing opportunities that they can. What our report found was that dealers are using marketing tools on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

"But there are likely to be lots of other marketplaces they are looking at as well."

The Volteface report was based on a nationally representative poll of more than 2,000 youngsters aged 16 to 24, who reported seeing most adverts for illicit substances on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.