Drug dealers hiding in the 'dark web' - report

The 'dark web' is the new 'dark alley' for many drug dealers. 

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) released its latest report on Tuesday (March 5), warning that more and more dealers are using the internet to traffic drugs.  

They're using methods such as encryption and anonymous browsing to avoid authorities. The INCB says cryptocurrencies also allow them to send and receive money in the shadows. But the crooks are getting increasingly brazen. 

"Drug trafficking is not just carried out on the dark web," says INCB President, Jallal Toufiq. "Legitimate e-commerce platforms are being exploited by criminals too." 

Online dealers will often disappear if they attract attention from authorities. The report says "offenders can move their activities to territories with less intensive law enforcement action or lighter sanctions, or base themselves in countries where they can evade extradition." 

There's another complication. Dealers are not just selling the kinds of drugs that typically feature in movies and TV shows. The INCB says the illegal sale of pharmaceutical drugs across the globe is now worth $4.4 billion. So-called pharmacies are popping up on the internet, often selling powerful drugs like opioids directly to consumers.   

Opioids are typically used to treat patients recovering from surgeries or major injuries. People are supposed to take them with a doctor's prescription. But illegal pharmacies are ignoring the rules. 

Toufiq says his team "encourages governments to work with the private sector and our projects to prevent and detect trafficking of drugs online." But catching the crooks is not always simple. The INCB report reveals that one investigation in France involved 60,000 mobile phones and 120 million text messages.   

Authorities will have to find a way to catch up with the criminals because drug use can be a matter of life and death. Figures from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime show that deaths directly linked to drug use climbed nearly 130 percent between 1990 and 2020. 

But it's not all gloom and doom. The INCB believes the internet could help curb drug use, if it's used strategically. "We are concerned about the increasing use of social media to market drugs," says Toufiq, "but there are opportunities to use social media and the internet to prevent drug use, raise awareness of its harms and improve access to drug treatment services."

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