Small quantities of banned synthetic drugs (fentanyl) are flooding the market bypassing the custom official and used for recreational purposes. The rate of smuggling has increased at an alarming rate and all the buying is taking place with the help of Cryptocurrencies.
Small quantities of banned synthetic drugs (fentanyl) are flooding the market bypassing the custom official and used for recreational purposes. The rate of smuggling has increased at an alarming rate and all the buying is taking place with the help of Cryptocurrencies. Darknet markets are playing a huge role in this as all the deals are taking place via the dark web link which is an heavily guarded anonymous network not crawled and indexed by traditional search engines. The .onion links have been constantly monitored by law enforcement agencies around the world and the Australian National Drugs and Alcohol Research Centre have monitored the deep web link portals since the start of 2016.
According to the research which only follows the discovery that was previously made by another darknet researcher is that the most commonly available banned substances that were available were cannabis, cocaine, pharmaceuticals, MDMA and methamphetamine. The darknet drug market in Australia is flourishing because most of the drug consumers have turned to .onion link websites where they can get premium products without the risk of getting into trouble, i.e. revealing or disclosing their actual identity. Darknet markets which are anonymous networks built on top of the onion router provides its customer with eBay style product display catalogue and an anonymous payment system with the help of Cryptocurrencies (anonymous e-currencies) like Bitcoin, Monero, Dash and others.
If you visit the Tor .onion url directories you will come across many darknet markets comparison charts that lists all the markets still in operation and doing business. These markets have their own business model which is similar to the online e-commerce business model. They have their own escrow services, commission system, rating columns, feedback from satisfied customers and lots more. So it is a parallel world.
Alexander Shuglin, a chemist by profession, predicted strongly and confidently 40 years down the line that underground researchers will synthesise novel psychoactive stimulants and he was damn right. His prophecy came true as the latest trend shows, there has been a significant amount of rise in the production of these novel psychoactive stimulants (NSA) being sold at various darknet markets and in head shops. These darknet markets (DNM) exist in dark web link portals that are the hidden part of the internet. The side effects of these banned substances that are readily available are often unknown to the users as well as the doctors.
The United Kingdom has passed a special Psychoactive Substance Act which clearly mentions the fact that any individual or person who is involved in production, distribution and selling of these banned substances (nicotine, alcohol, caffeine and medicinal products) which have a desired psychoactive effect, they could be headed to prison and can be sentenced to up to seven long years. But having these NPA in possession is not a crime. These substances are readily available on the darknet sites links and also in the open streets of the UK but merely having the bill passed in the legislature does not guarantee success. This is evident in the case of Ireland which also followed the same line but after the bill was given a legal shape the sale has gone up many times.
If the law is implemented in a strict way the fear of imprisonment will no doubt deter the sale of NPA but even if the fear is achieved what about the deep web links which is also the shadow web which is also one of the places where these substances are purchased by .onion sites users.
Technology is considered to be a boon for some and bane for others. It depends on which side you are on, but according to recent research with easy availability of technology such as live streaming via the Tor anonymous network which runs on the Dark web links child exploitation cases have increased many times. The dangers of child exploitation is well documented and data that is revealed from the international law enforcement agencies, along with press releases given by government officials state that the menace is increasing and it must be stopped at all cost. If you were to take a look at the darknet site links you will come across tens of thousands of child images, videos which will make you truly sick from the gut.
The most alarming trend is seen in Australia where the childrens are most vulnerable and in fact the rate of abuse is increasing throughout the world. And the trend is supported by the figures provided by the Internet Watch Foundation. The increase in child exploitation has increased 417% and the Australian Police have received more than 11,00 online cases of child exploitation via the darknet site links. Technological advancement which includes peer to peer anonymised networks such as TOR and Freenet has facilitated the widespread sharing and storing of harmful material pertaining to child abuse. The above view is being shared by law enforcement officials across the world.
This is not a new trend because in 2016 an Australian named Mather Graham was sentenced to prison for 15 years on charges of distributing online child materials through the darknet portal. He was in fact an administrator of one of the .onion site links and shared thousands of images, including videos of teenage boys being tortured and raped. In once instances he also encouraged the rape and murder of an underage child in Russia.
The darknet market has facilitated the production, distribution and selling of harmful drugs and that is very evident as it grabs headlines all over the world, the most recent case was that a South American cartel was shipping drugs from South America to the eastern part of Soviet Russia (Ukraine). The South American continent is rich with these resources. Another child exploitation material that was circulating in darknet forums was that of a video of an underage child being abused. Although the video was taken down and the culprit was nabbed, are the examples of one the darknet sites helping the spread of banned substance and online child exploitation material worldwide.
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