Craigslist is an online market place where people can post and sell their wares. It is a great place to advertise a couch for sale or market your babysitting service, but it is also a website that spawns a lot of crime. For one, more and more police officers are discovering drug deals that are covertly taking place over Craigslist. 21 dealers in New York City have been accused of selling narcotics online through code names in recent months. Yahoo News says that some dealers will even place a parenthetical request for no law enforcement when they sell their wares. One New York resident was recently arrested after he offered black-market Percocet pills online. The police noticed the ad and approached his home shortly afterwards.

Police say that they see cases like that all the time. They say that lots of men and women who own strong prescription narcotics may even clean out their medicine cabinet and list the pills online for about $20. While they are trying to just make a profit, their actions are illegal. One special narcotics prosecutor for New York City says “whether a drug deal occurs on the corner of the street or online, it’s still a crime.” Undercover narcotics investigators are starting to answer the ads online and buying large amounts of the painkillers. Normally, the dealer says that he will meet a client at a coffee shop, train station, or another public place and makes the secret trade. The investigators then take the proof of the crime back to the police station and the cops are sent out to arrest the men and women later on that day.

Many of the dealers online aren’t full-time drug pushers. Instead, most are college students or small business owners who just need some extra cash. A lot of freelance employees also will turn to Craigslist drug dealing in order to make a profit. The police say that the most common drugs sold online are Perocet, Roxycodone and Adderall. These are all medical painkillers that can be issued to someone who is in the hospital. When people need money and have some pills left over, they think that they may be able to satisfy their financial problem by dealing the capsules. Some dealers say that the capsules were a family member's, and that member gave it to them to sell or use. While a lot of people are dealing these drugs online, most of them already know that it is illegal.

Drug deals aren’t the only illegal actions that often are advertised on Craigslist. As well, some illegal prostitutes will advertise themselves as “escorts” or “massage therapists” on the website. These illegal prostitutes are also commonly caught by the law enforcement. Many people forget that the police have access to the website the same way that all other civilians do, and can even pose as a client in order to catch an illegal prostitute in the act. In addition to this, Craigslist has been a key hub for scammers. Many people offer incredible real estate deals online, but then ask for upfront payments. In the past, many civilians have been cheated out of thousands when they drive to the address of the house or apartment that they have secured and discover that it is occupied or does not exist.

In the past people have advertised low prices for high demand electronics only to meet their customer at a discreet location and rob them of their money. Scams like this are common when dealing with online vendors who have not been licensed or regulated by their state. If you have been accused of a Craigslist crime, from scamming to drug dealing to prostitution, then you will want a criminal defense attorney on your side. With the right attorney, you may be able to fight your charges and show that you were not aware of the implications of your crime or that you were framed. Contact an attorney near you today for more information!