While there have long been complaints that drug dealers are using social media to promote their products, the volume of advertisements has only become apparent after Facebook was forced to create a vast library of digital advertisements under new EU technology laws. 

This has revealed advertisements openly displaying what appear to be blocks of cocaine, bags of cannabis and synthetic drugs – some of which received thousands of views from accounts across Europe and the UK.

Facebook is already under investigation by the US Department of Justice over its failure to tackle the problem in America, according to the Wall Street Journal.

However, the latest findings illustrate how Britain is also vulnerable to the tech giant’s online drug problem, which has recently drawn the attention of the National Crime Agency.

In its most recent annual threat report, the watchdog said: “Online drug markets are used to sell illicit drugs, with users increasingly able to purchase drugs online. 

“Social media and encrypted messaging apps provide dealers with a quick, efficient, easy and anonymous way to advertise and facilitate the supply of drugs to large numbers of end users. The use of postal systems for distributing drugs into and throughout the UK is increasing.” 

In fresh analysis shared with the Telegraph, the TTP said it had reported 25 suspicious drug advertisements that appeared on Facebook. Only three were taken down before the group published its report last month, with Katie Paul, the TTP’s director, claiming that “most of it was pretty explicit”.

Some pages that had previously marketed drugs were also left online by Facebook even after their advertisements had been blocked. 

According to Meta’s advertising guidelines, it reviews all advertisements before they appear on its site, primarily relying on automated systems that can assess images, text and video for violations of its rules.