Amazon Unintentionally Created a Shopping List for Drug Dealers

One day, some drug dealer bought a particular digital scale — the AWS-100 — on the retail site, Amazon.com. And then another drug dealer bought the same scale. Then another. Then another.

Amazon's data-tracking software watched what else these people purchased, and now, if you buy the AWS-100 scale, Amazon serves up a quickstart kit for selling drugs.

Along with various scale-related paraphernalia, we find:

• Many "spice" grinders

• Pipe screens

• A rolling paper and tray bundle

• Bulk pure caffeine powder (perhaps to cut heroin?)

• Baggies

• More baggies

• Skull baggies

• Pot-leaf baggies

• An encapsulation machine and gelatin capsules

• A scientific spatula

• A diamond tester (?!)

• "Air Tight Odorless Medical Jar Herb Stash Medicine Container"

• Digital caliper

• Tweezer and snifter set for "miners and prospectors"

• A tool for cleaning a gun part

• A safe in the form of a Dr. Pepper can

• Potassium Metabisulfite (for decontamination?)

• A drug testing kit ("this kit contains the same reagent chemicals as found in Justice Department test kits") Read more...