Drug dealers in Belgium are exploiting Google Maps by using fake shop listings to funnel potential buyers to Telegram and other messaging platforms where a variety of illegal drugs are sold.
A quick Google Maps search using specific keywords reveals dozens of 24/7 CBD/THC shops all across Brussels. However, the addresses listed aren't always legitimate smoke shops, but instead are other businesses, homes or random street corners.
According to Bruzz, several of these fake postings use addresses of real THC shops, which has confused buyers and concerned shop owners. When the fake listings were reported and taken down, new and nearly identical postings would apparently appear shortly after.
These listings rarely include any way to contact the business apart from an AI-generated image that lists the seller's Telegram or preferred contact method. Some listings also include AI-generated or stock images of cannabis products to make the business seem legitimate.
Three images used in an AI-generated promotional video for one of the 'businesses.'
To see firsthand how the system worked, The Brussels Times contacted one of these "businesses" over Telegram. The listing we chose had been added to Google Maps a day prior and had several warning signs like AI-generated imagery, only one review, and a listed address that did not exist.
We opened the conversation with the listed Telegram number with a vague question of 'What products do you have in stock?' Within 30 seconds, we received a response.
The Brussels Times received three messages, the first two confirming that the person we were speaking with was, in fact, selling something. The third message read, "Do you need weed, coke, hash or vape?" After learning that the person we were talking to was a dealer, we questioned the logistics of a potential deal.
They proposed a deal where they would sell us three grams of "top quality 98% pure cocaine" for €350, with a potential extra charge for delivery.
Left: Russian nicotine products are pictured. Right: Three individuals can be seen near a bag of marijuana promoted by the dealer
The Google Maps posting was removed within two hours of this conversation.
The seller doesn't appear to be operating alone, as photos posted to their Telegram profile showed several unidentified men handling the products.
It is unclear where the product is being produced, but one photo on their account shows that at least some of the nicotine products are being imported from a Russian-speaking country.
It is currently unknown if the same group of people is responsible for all the fake postings. The Belgian federal police announced earlier this week that they are investigating the matter.
The Brussels Times contacted the federal police for further details about the investigation, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
