Sam Clarance stands next to a screengrab from the video aired by Markíza’s Reflex programme, which falsely suggested he was involved in a drug deal. (source: Sam Clarance)
All Sam Jessan Clarance, a resident of Bratislava originally from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, wanted to do was sell an old power bank. The transaction, conducted in February 2025 for €10 through the second-hand platform Vinted, seemed uneventful – until months later, it appeared in a Slovak current affairs programme.
The brief 10-second video segment, broadcast without his knowledge or consent, was framed as part of a report on alleged street-level drug dealing. The footage, which has gained over 46,000 views on YouTube in a span of several days, appears to show Clarance handing over the device to a buyer, with no explanation or context offered.
“The video was sent around in a group chat I’m in,” Clarance told The Slovak Spectator, adding that he had forwarded it to his girlfriend without initially watching it. “I wanted to show her they were talking about the issue of drug use in our neighbourhood on TV.”
It was only after she asked whether he was the man in the footage that he made the connection. “I was confused at first, but then I remembered meeting someone back in February to sell an old power bank through Vinted,” he said. “I exchanged the item and went home. I didn’t think anything of it.”
Screenshots from his Vinted app confirm that a sale took place at the time in question. Clarance, who has no criminal record, said he was shocked that such a mundane exchange could be misconstrued so dramatically.
A screenshot from Clarance's Vinted messages. (source: Courtesy, Sam Clarance)
Drugs, police, and frustration
A short clip showing a young man exchanging a power bank for cash was played three times during a recent video report aired by TV Markíza’s Reflex programme - one of the channel’s highest-rated evening programmes. At one point, an unidentified law enforcement specialist offered a running commentary on the scene, describing the handover as if it were a drug transaction. Although the faces of both individuals involved were blurred, the man identified as Clarance was still recognisable to acquaintances.
