From drug dealers to paedophiles, social media has played a vital role in catching criminals in the West Midlands, including paedophiles, drug dealers, and illegal dog breeders. Social media’s role in crime has increased across the board, with encrypted chats and disappearing messages on some apps leading some criminals to believe they can avoid detection, but it ultimately leads to their downfall. In the West Midlands, there was an over 200% increase in social media user data being used to solve criminal investigations between 2020 and 2025.
Dudley Snapchat Paedophile
Joshua Smith convinced girls as young as 12 on Snapchat to send him sexual videos that he shared online. The then 27-year-old, from Dudley, had multiple profiles pretending to be a child. After gaining their confidence, he pretended he would send them a list of sexual positions he wanted them to perform and send him the pictures. After being arrested by West Midlands Police in 2021, officers found evidence of more young girls he had met online and even more depraved videos, one included a toddler being tortured and a 20-minute compilation of sickening videos showing children being violently sexually abused. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court last year. Figures released by West Midlands Police under the Freedom of Information Act show Snapchat saw the largest increase in crimes recorded between 2020 and 2025, with an increase of around 540% (310 to 1,985).
Birmingham Snapchat Drug Dealer
Asim Akram was identified as the controller of the Snapchat account which advertised and sold drugs between February and September 2025, following an investigation by West Midlands Police's County Lines Taskforce into a drug line known as the 'Snowbrum' line. The 41-year-old, from Birmingham, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, cocaine, heroin, ketamine, cannabis, and possession with intent to supply the same drugs. He was jailed for 7 years after being sentenced on Thursday, February 12.
Jealous TikTok Abuser from Walsall
Mohammed Akbar subjected his ex-girlfriend to months of harassment which left her fearing to leave her home. The then 27-year-old, of Bath Street, Walsall, would fly into a rage when he realised his victim had not watched a social media post he had created. He set up a fake TikTok account to continue bothering her with constant messages, and also threatened to show the woman's mother embarrassing and intimate photos. Last year, he was jailed for 24 months and imposed a restraining order for an indefinite period. TikTok was relatively new when the data from West Midlands Police started in 2020, where it had only 2 cases documented. It increased to 386 by the start of 2025.
Stourbridge Illegal Dog Breeder Who Advertised on Meta Apps
Aiman Ahmed, who was 25 at the time, bred dogs from his garage illegally, then advertised them for sale on Facebook and Instagram as "bombproof" and "open for stud". Reports of dogs including a Belgian Shepherd, a Cane Corso, and two Chow Chows being kept and having puppies in the garage of the property in Stourbridge were made to Dudley Council between April 2022 and June 2023, Dudley Magistrates Court was told. He was ordered to pay a £200 fine, an £80 victim surcharge, and £3,805.80 towards the prosecution's costs. Of all the social media apps, Facebook/Meta-owned apps saw the lowest growth, though it still increased. Figures rose from 847 to 1,418 (67%) between 2020 and 2025.
How Does Social Media Play a Role in Police Investigations?
Investigations conducted by police forces in the UK are constantly evolving to keep up with the advancements of technology and the role of digital media in crimes. West Midlands Police is no different and will make requests for user data where necessary. A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "We regularly make requests for information from social media companies to assist with ongoing investigations. The nature of investigations is constantly evolving and frequently involves digital media, but we only make such requests where it is proportionate and necessary to do so, in line with legislation."
