UK police bust drug dealers’ gang using WhatsApp photo

The social media site WhatsApp proved to be beneficial for UK’s South Wales Police as it just helped convict drug dealers via a picture sent to buyers on the messaging platform.

The police tracked down the dealer after figuring out his fingerprint from a sent WhatsApp picture. The image was found in one of the dealer’s phone who was already in police custody.

According to The Verge, the technique was helpful in arresting not only one but 10 more criminals who were involved in the racket. These convictions are believed to be the first in Wales from fingerprints extracted from a picture.

The picture shows the drug dealer holding ecstasy pills in his palm. This visible part was enough to take out a possible fingerprint. “While the scale and quality of the photograph proved a challenge, the small bits were enough to prove he was the dealer,” told South Wales Police’s Dave Thomas who was involved in the investigation to BBC.

The phone also contained messages that indicated its usage is drug deals. The police also declared that they located £20,000 (around $28,500) worth of bitcoin in the dealers’ account. As per Business Insider, the phone that contained the photo was acquired back in August 2017 raid in which cocaine and large amount of marijuana were also seized. The image was reportedly used for offering drugs for sale on the social media messaging app.

The next big thing in the age of social media could be how the police will make use of such platforms to hunt down criminals. “These guys [the dealers] are using the technology not to get caught and we need to keep up with advancements,” Thomas added.

Technologies like these have previously helped solving such cases for instance, back in 2016, Apple Watch helped solve a murder in Australia via its data, reported Apple Insider.