Olympia police urge parent vigilance after child dies from drugs bought on social media

Police in Olympia are warning parents to beware. Online social media drug dealers are targeting kids and the outcome has been deadly.

Last December, 16-year-old Avery Ping ordered what he thought was ecstasy from a drug dealer on Snapchat. What he got was something laced with fentanyl. He died of an overdose.

The process is, unfortunately, easier than one might think.

“They put an emoji in the search title or put in ‘drug dealer’ in the search title and the app will use their location and let them know dealers within their location,” Olympia Police detective Patrick Hutnik said. “They pay with a Cash App and can have it delivered to their home.”

Police were already investigating the online drug dealers before Ping made his purchase. In January, Olympia Police Department officers, along with a SWAT team, arrested a 33-year-old man for controlled substance homicide in the Ping case.

Olympia officer: Parents need to educate themselves 

The Olympia Police Department is warning parents that times have changed and they need to educate themselves.

“Education, education, education,” Hutnik emphasized. “When I was a kid, I kept something by hiding it under the mattress. Now, kids are hiding it digitally, so it’s harder for parents to find, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for.”

And it’s not just drugs.

“Sometimes it’s illegal narcotics,” Hutnik explained. “Sometimes it’s vapes. Sometimes it’s lighters, alcohol, or marijuana. The dealer can even post their menu.”

Parents are encouraged to learn as much as they can about social media apps and talk to their children about the danger.

For more information, parents can visit the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s website.

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