ALMOST 70 people have now been publicly linked to claims of drug dealing and other criminal activity in Counties Down and Armagh by anonymous social media posts over recent weeks.
The total can be revealed as yet another list emerged in recent days, accusing people of being involved in criminal activity in another area of Co Down.
Details of four separate lists circulated in recent weeks have come to light.
Many of those identified in the anonymous WhatsApp posts, which have been criticised as irresponsible, have been alleged to be linked to criminal activity including drug dealing, money laundering, and machinery theft.
The latest list alleges that one man has threatened teenagers in an area of Co Down "with guns and violence if debts aren’t paid".
Another man is alleged to be in the drugs trade and a PSNI informer.
The unknown authors of the recent list claim that a third man has been "put out" of a village and appear to refer to him in a threatening manner.
Earlier this week 27 people in the south Armagh and Newry areas were targeted in separate social media campaigns alleging they are linked to criminal activity.
One document, which is more than 5,000 words long and circulated on WhatsApp, is headed “republican movement notice” and signed by “official movement”.
That list emerged just weeks after The Irish News revealed that almost 38 people in south Armagh had also been targeted in an anonymous social media post.
SDLP Policing Board member Dolores Kelly said members of the public are concerned about drug use but police are the only lawful authority to deal with any information.
"I would say in my experience at constituency level it's one of the biggest concerns in the community in relation to criminality and the health and well being of all age groups," she said.
"Given who is advocating and issuing these warnings it's almost laughable given that many of them and their organisations are involved in dealing drugs and I would really question their motives.
"At the end of the day the police service is the only lawful authority and anyone with information should be giving it to the police."
