For example, recent investigations have found that the synthetic psychedelic drug 2C-B has become more prevalent in rural areas of Scotland due to its availability on the dark web. Similarly, methamphetamine use has surged in rural American areas, with rates now surpassing those in urban areas, likely due in part to easier access through online platforms. Aggressive online marketing by sellers also boosts awareness of, and accessibility to, drugs in areas where exposure to them is limited offline or among consumers who may not have encountered these substances through traditional channels. As discussed, there is lack of information about trends in these types of drug market, and despite the increasingly panicked tone of some recent media coverage a major question is whether cryptomarket research can shine a light on the reality of usage of these products. At the most general level, it is hoped that this work can further demonstrate that, with the appropriate limitations and nuances being included, cryptomarket digital trace analysis can be used as resource to understand wider trends in drug usage rates. Most studies have identified procurement via the internet as being endorsed by fewer than 10% of nonmedical prescription drug users (McCabe et al., 2018; Novak et al., 2016).
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Where an offender is caught with a large quantity of a drug, the matter can only be dealt with on indictment, and dealt with in a higher court rather than by a magistrate, with attendant increases in maximum penalties. Ransomware and cryptocurrency-based crimes saw a significant increase in 2023, with a nearly $176 million rise compared to 2022. For instance, cybercriminals can buy credit card details with a $5,000 balance for just $110.
Russian Market
Based on our observations from analysis on dark web data using Lunar, we’ve identified the top 7 marketplaces on the dark web in 2025. We developed Lunar to monitor the deep and dark web, including dark web marketplace sites. Superintendent Rice said an investigation was set up early this year to target the activity of an online dark web vendor trafficking in illicit drugs. They have slick-looking sites, contained on marketplaces on a part of the internet not indexed by search engines and usually accessed via anonymous and encrypted authorisation, selling all kinds of items.
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Freshtools is a unique marketplace in that it does not only provide the stolen data, but it allows criminals to purchase MaaS which can cause further damage to the victims. It is one of the most active and up to date markets and always provides new and updated malware and data. WizardShop has solidified its status as one of the best data stores in the dark web by providing an impressive quantity of quality data as well as providing a trustworthy, easy to use interface allowing criminals easy and secure buying and selling. Russian Market has consistently remained one of the most popular and valuable data stores on the dark web.
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However, these young people have no idea of the risks they are taking or the trouble they can get into if caught. Silk Road was the first dark market of its kind, and it’s best known for the buying and selling of illegal drugs online. Silk Road launched in 2011, and although it was shut down by the Federal Bureau of Investigations by 2013, it took less than a month for its successor, Silk Road 2.0, to launch. Silk Road 2.0 was then shut down once again in 2014, and the United States government later seized more than $1 billion worth of Bitcoin in November 2020.
Vendors may use Mylar bags, vacuum sealers, or Moisture Barrier Bags to completely hide the scent of the products. Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, held the record for the second-highest consumption of heroin. In Yennora, police uncovered an alleged clandestine drug laboratory and specialist police from the Drug and Firearms Squad’s Chemical Operations Unit, the Technical Forensic Support Unit and NSW Fire & Rescue were engaged to dismantle it. Fernanda Dahlstrom has a Bachelor of Laws, a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.
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Australian drug dealers are cashing in on booming “dark web” marketplaces, where buying illicit substances is cheap and convenient, and it’s virtually impossible to be caught. In addition, the surface web, including social media and e-commerce platforms, increasingly offers criminals – particularly in the illicit drug trade – a vast customer base, ease of use and a measure of anonymity. Wildlife trafficking is also becoming increasingly reliant on e-commerce, with Indonesia and China acting as major hubs for this trade.
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Predominantly, psychiatric drugs with potent sedative, stimulant or euphoriant effects are sold on cryptomarkets and this varies by country. With some caveats regarding the limitations of cryptomarket digital trace data taken into account, the study of trends of these products sold online over time may offer a novel and increasingly important window onto wider drug purchasing habits. Australian cryptomarket vendors sell a wide variety of illicit drugs, and are disproportionately represented in global terms for sales of ecstasy, opioids and, particularly, methamphetamine.
Vendors in the Netherlands, a substantial source country for cannabis, MDMA-type products, cocaines, methamphetamine and opioids, seem to shun trade across all three of these product groups. The shift to digital trade was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as lockdowns pushed many consumers and vendors towards online platforms. As these transactions are more insular and anonymous than in-person trade, it is more difficult to track user behaviour. However, new local patterns have emerged, along with unique risks that are less common in offline markets, such as exposure to cyber fraud or health concerns caused by the use of unregulated substances by unpractised users. Despite these risks, digital drug markets are often seen as a safer alternative to street dealing, attracting new users who might have avoided traditional markets due to fear of violence or law enforcement. Among the various illicit digital markets, the drug trade is one of the most prominent.
- It is perhaps unsurprising that the USA, with its considerably larger population and more active cryptomarket trade (Martin, Cunliffe, Décary-Hétu et al., 2018) than the other countries displayed, has the largest share of each market.
- It forms a small part of the deep web, the part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines like Google.
- Despite its name, the marketplace operates primarily in English and serves a global audience.
- This revelation comes amid a decline in dark web drug purchases in favor of more accessible platforms such as messaging and social media apps, as reported by the 2023 National Ecstasy and Related Drugs Reporting System survey.
- ANU has a huge variety of support services, programs and activities to enhance your student experience.
- Their study, recently published in the journal Addiction, uncovered a complicated relationship between the quality of drugs and their source.
Digital drug marketplaces demonstrate remarkable resilience in the face of legal action. When sites are shut down, vendors and purchasers simply switch to another platform, ensuring that trade remains relatively uninterrupted. To combat online drug trafficking, states are introducing new laws, enforcement measures and digital reforms.
Increasingly, sophisticated detection techniques are being employed in a bid to slow the flow of imports. And one dealer who trades exclusively in crystal meth promised the “best service possible” and product “direct from the top of the chain”, with 350 positive reviews this month. And experts say business is booming, with Aussie users making up the largest cohort per capita of dark web drug buyers in the world. This analysis is part of the GI-TOC’s series of articles delving into the results of the Global Organized Crime Index.
“As the market gets bigger and more saturated, there’s even less need to buy from international dealers,” he said. Long-term dark web sellers boast of their shipping techniques and detection-free track records. “Intercepting drugs sent within Australia is complicated, especially when you’re talking about small quantities,” he said.
