Dealer used Instagram, apps to market and sell narcotics
Nye County deputies say a tech-savvy drug dealer used Instagram and a popular messaging app — along with guerilla marketing techniques — to advertise and sell illegal narcotics and marijuana.
Noah Cooley, of Pahrump, was charged on June 29 with drug possession and intent to sell, as well as possession of a fake ID, after the Nye County Sheriff’s Office was reportedly tipped off by a bartender at Irene’s Casino who found a card taped to a door there that contained a white substance.
The card displayed an Instagram handle and featured a scannable QR code that directed users to a Telegram page where people could message Cooley from their phone to buy drugs, according to a sheriff’s office report.
“I went to the Instagram page using [the] handle and was able to observe several stories advertising the promotion of narcotics for sales,” Deputy Breanna Nelson wrote in her report.
On June 15, a post from the Instagram handle featured two pictures of clear baggies containing an unknown white substance, according to Nelson’s report.
On June 19, there was a post advertising white pills, the report said.
On June 26, the Instagram handle reportedly updated its story to show two marijuana pre-rolls with a caption saying “HMU” — common Internet slang meaning “hit me up” for more details.
A similar post advertised two joints along with what is believed to be marijuana wax, the sheriff’s report said.
Deputies were able to use the posts to identify Cooley and about two weeks later, they observed a truck registered to the suspect in the area of East Manse Road and South Pahrump Valley Boulevard, according to the sheriff’s report.
After obtaining a warrant to search his home, deputies say they found evidence that linked Cooley to the crimes, including five small rubber containers of marijuana wax that were initially observed in previous Instagram posts.
“Throughout the dresser and desk drawers there was a large quantity of small plastic bags there were previously used to promote narcotics on [social media],” Nelson wrote in her arrest report.
Deputies also found equipment in Cooley’s home used to make fake IDs, according to the sheriff’s report, as well as at least one forged Nevada identification card.
Cooley was booked in the Nye County Detention Center. His bail was set at $15,000.
Contact editor Brent Schanding at bschanding@pvtimes.com
