On a sunny spring afternoon in Warwickshire, a reporter and cameraman were parked in a car, ready to meet a drug dealer. The dealer had agreed to sell what he claimed were THC vape liquids—an illegal substance and the main psychoactive component of cannabis—to a person he believed was a schoolgirl. Unbeknownst to him, the “schoolgirl” was an undercover BBC reporter who had been messaging him on Snapchat. They suspected the vape liquid was actually laced with “spice,” a much more potent, highly addictive, and dangerous drug.
This week, the BBC published an article exposing these dealers who are selling “spice”-laced vape liquid to unsuspecting teenagers through ads on social media. The report followed an undercover operation to catch the dealers in the act.
Parental Fears and a Shocking Reality
A year ago, the reporter saw social media posts from two mothers who were worried about their teenage daughters. At just 13, the girls started vaping what they thought was THC. Over several months, the mothers shared how their daughters had become addicted to what they now suspect was “spice,” often coming home so high they would collapse. One mother confessed her fear of finding her child dead in her bed, while her daughter described the withdrawal symptoms as feeling like she was “dying.” Both mothers wanted the responsible individuals to be stopped. They told the BBC that despite contacting the police a year earlier, the dealers were still active.
Using the information from the mothers, the reporters messaged a seller their daughters had bought from. The dealer’s Snapchat account, with an avatar of a cartoon man in front of a wall of money, offered a price list for THC—a chemical compound in cannabis that gets you high. The price list showed “special mixed flavour” for £10 and “pure concentrated THC” for £20, with deliveries across Birmingham and Warwickshire. The transaction felt as routine as ordering a pizza.
The Undercover Operation and a Horrifying Discovery
The meeting was arranged in a quiet suburb near a busy children’s playground, a detail that didn’t bother the dealer. The reporter, posing as a schoolgirl in ordinary clothes, walked towards a white SUV that pulled up. After a brief greeting, she handed over the cash while asking questions about flavors and bulk orders for a party. The deal was done in under 30 seconds. She returned clutching four bottles—one turquoise blue and three clear liquid vials. Independent tests later confirmed that all the bottles contained “spice.”
A few days later, the reporter showed the footage to the mothers and girls. One mother said she felt sick. Both were angry that the dealers were still active and that children were still buying from them. One of the girls recognized the man who took the cash, as she had bought from him before. The BBC attempted to contact the dealer again but was blocked. Snapchat later stated that selling vapes and illegal drugs is strictly against its rules and that it had removed over 2.4 million drug-related posts and disabled 516,000 accounts last year.
One of the mothers, Dawn, said: “This stuff’s dangerous… for adults, and it’s highly dangerous for children. Adults who are making money out of this are absolute scum. They should be locked up with the key thrown away.”
