Drug dealers are using chip and pin to take payments for cocaine and ‘hippy crack’
DRUG dealers are using chip and pin to take payments for Class A substances and laughing gas, a Sun probe reveals.
One asked our reporter to enter his card and code into a wireless device to buy a gram of cocaine for £60 outside a dance music party.
The drug was tested independently and found to be genuine.
He also used the device to take a £30 contactless payment for canisters of nitrous oxide — laughing gas — which causes a rush of euphoria and even hallucinations.
After the card tap, an app linked to his phone indicated the cash was taken under the name “In2fitness”.
He said: “When people get funny about card payments, I tell them to just transfer it to me online. It’s the future.”
A second dealer whipped out a chip and pin device to take a £10 contactless payment for two nitrous oxide canisters after being told: “I’ve got no cash.”
In an undercover video, he tells our investigator: “I’m a businessman”, before filling two balloons with the gas.
Asked why he uses a card machine, he replies: “Who uses cash nowadays?”
The transactions took place in view of security staff at club Magazine in Greenwich, South East London.
Thousands of clubbers leaving nearby gigs were targeted by dealers. A number were seen to tap their cards and phones against wireless payment devices before walking away with drugs.
One reveller said: “Because everyone was in a party mood, nobody really noticed.
“But later, when I thought about it, the card thing seemed pretty questionable.”
It comes after we told that some homeless people were taking donations by card.
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