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Understanding Dark Web Drugs
The dark web has become an infamous marketplace for a range of illegal activities, with drugs being one of the most prominent. The anonymity offered by the dark web has led to its rise as a significant hub for the distribution of various narcotics.
- Online drug marketplaces seem to have started around 2011, when Silk Road disrupted the way people buy drugs, shifting from dark alleys to the dark web.
- This projective (third-person) technique can help when respondents do not want to reveal their real attitudes about something (Kumar et al., 2018) and has already been applied in cyber criminology (Parti et al., 2018).
- Investigations have highlighted the sale of substances such as prescription medicine, recreational drugs, and stupefying substances – more commonly known as ‘date rape’ drugs.
- Again, not all the dark web is used for illicit purposes despite its ominous-sounding name.
- That year, Ulbricht was arrested and charged with money laundering, computer hacking, conspiracy to traffic narcotics, and attempting to have at least five people killed because they threatened to reveal the truth behind the Silk Road.
The Landscape of Dark Web Drugs
On the dark web, users can find a vast assortment of drugs available for purchase, including but not limited to:
- Heroin
- Cocaine
- MDMA
- Marijuana
- LSD
Rather than ending with the usual .com suffix or similar, dark websites have a top-level domain suffix of .onion. You’ll need a browser like Tor equipped with the right proxy to access the site. One 2015 study of 2723 dark web sites showed 57% hosting illicit material.
If a price was absurdly high we ignored the page; such “holding prices” are used by dealers to indicate a lack of supply. Vendors may fake sales (though probably not often, since cryptomarkets take a cut) or reviews (though dissatisfied real customers would soon catch outright fraudsters). The volatile exchange rate between bitcoin and dollars means our conversions of prices are not completely accurate. Scientific analysis of dark net drug markets has been occurring since the inception of Silk Road in 2011.
We’ll look now at what you need to do in order to buy drugs on the dark web. While it’s hard to get a firm grasp on the scope of the deep web, most estimates hover around 5% of all internet activity being dark. So, the upper two layers of the internet might not all be entirely visible, but the content is not inflammatory.
The disappearance of AlphaBay followed an apparent exit scam executed by the owners of the Outlaw dark web marketplace in May this year, and the sudden demise of the Evolution Marketplace in 2015. The owners of Evolution are thought to have made off with $12 million (€10.5 million) of their customers’ virtual cash. EU law enforcement agency Europol coordinated the operation, dubbed SpecTor. It said it was its most successful operation targeting dark web drug trafficking to date, beating the 179 arrests made as a result of the DisrupTor mission in 2020. In today’s bifurcated illicit drug trade, it’s increasingly common for transactions to occur anonymously, online—on the 0.01 percent of the deep web known as the dark web, which is inaccessible on most browsers. More specifically, the new report suggests that following the takedown of the Hydra Marketplace by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office in April 2022, at least 10 darknet markets have risen to fill the regional void for drugs and other illicit goods.
Then, get a cybersecurity tool with a built-in VPN to encrypt your connection and secure all your web activity. Though the dark net can serve as a shield of protection for human rights activists and campaigners, it is also exploited by criminals. A common form of criminal activity on the dark net is the sale and distribution of illicit drugs, which has been bolstered by a change in the legal statuses of products or substances from “legal” or “unregulated” to “illegal,” “controlled,” or “banned” substances. Research from last year found that the ‘cryptomarkets’ have been going from strength to strength, with revenue doubled globally.
Silk Road, AlphaBay, Dream Market and Wall Street Market were some of these marketplaces that have since been taken down. All of these sites were large global dark web marketplaces that functioned like conventional e-commerce websites but were geared towards the trafficking of contraband. These dark web marketplaces required users to trade in digital currencies, primarily Bitcoin, and the marketplaces did not allow for transactions in official, government-backed fiat currency.
How Dark Web Drug Markets Function
Dark web drug markets typically operate as hidden services, requiring specific software like Tor to access. Here are some key features of these marketplaces:
- Vendor Ratings: Buyers can leave reviews and ratings for vendors, which helps in establishing trust.
- Escrow Services: Transactions are often mediated by escrow services to ensure fairness for both buyers and sellers.
- Cryptocurrency Payments: Payments are mainly made using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, adding an extra layer of anonymity.
Risks Involved in Purchasing Drugs on the Dark Web
While buying drugs on the dark web may seem appealing due to its convenience, there are numerous risks involved:
- Legal Consequences: Purchasing drugs is illegal and can lead to severe legal repercussions.
- Quality Assurance: There is no guarantee of the purity or safety of the substances sold.
- Scams and Fraud: Buyers are at risk of being scammed, receiving different substances, or losing money.
FAQs about Dark Web Drugs
What types of drugs are most commonly sold on the dark web?
The most common types include heroin, cocaine, psychedelics, and various prescription medications.
How can users stay safe while browsing?
Users are advised to:
- Employ reliable VPN services for enhanced anonymity.
- Verify vendor reputations before making purchases.
- Educate themselves about the risks of substance use.
Are all dark web drug markets illegal?
While the vast majority of dark web marketplaces operate unlawfully, some may claim compliance with local regulations, though this is often dubious.
Conclusion
The dark web presents both opportunities and dangers for those seeking to purchase drugs. Understanding the landscape, risks, and operational mechanisms behind these illicit markets is crucial for anyone engaging with them. Ultimately, awareness and caution can help mitigate some dangers associated with these illegal transactions.
