Content
Dream Market and other sites like it are likely helping fuel the deadly fentanyl crisis that has rippled across the country, says Sgt. Mike Lalande of the Calgary Police Service, who investigates cybercrime. In a recent scan of the site, Dream featured roughly 1,000 listings for drugs that ship within Canada, ranging from opium, morphine and fentanyl to ecstasy, ketamine and date-rape drugs. Liam gets his fix from a site called Dream Market, a one-stop shop for drugs. “There’s no dealer in Calgary that can match the huge selection that’s available on the dark net,” says Liam, whose real name isn’t being disclosed by CBC News because he fears potential criminal and other repercussions if he goes public. To increase shipping success rates, all vendors studied by Flashpoint encouraged their clients to use their real names, stating that they refused to offer refunds and reshipments in cases in which the recipient did not use their real name.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. It is a Schedule II controlled substance, which means it has a high potential for abuse dark web porn websites and is available only through prescription. However, fentanyl is also being sold on darknet markets, which are online marketplaces that operate outside the reach of law enforcement.
Darknet Markets and Fentanyl
Get Table Of Contents Alerts
So, the takeaway is that you should continue to strengthen your security posture to defend against potential attacks. The Elliptic report notes that the tens of millions of dollars worth of precursor sales it tracked on blockchains would likely be enough to manufacture enough fentanyl to, if distributed efficiently, kill every person on earth. Valerian Labs, Inc. has received shipments of methylamine hydrochloride, which is a precursor chemical used to produce methamphetamine and MDMA. Valerian Labs Distribution Corp. has attempted to procure 2,000 liters of chloroform, 800 liters of dichloromethane, and 200 kg of iodine, substances used in the production of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine. LTD. (金湖明生制药机械有限公司) (Jinhu Minsheng) is a China-based entity that advertises punches and dies for tablet presses with pharmaceutical imprints on e-commerce platforms and has provided pill dies for counterfeit oxycodone M30 tablets. On behalf of Jinhu Minsheng, Shen Xingbiao has made efforts to sell pill press machines and a pill die in exchange for funds in virtual currency.
Darknet markets, also known as “cryptomarkets,” are online marketplaces that are accessible only through the Tor network, a special browser that allows users to browse the internet anonymously. These markets sell a wide range of illegal goods and services, including drugs, weapons, and stolen data. Fentanyl is one of the most popular drugs sold on darknet markets, and it is often mixed with other drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, to increase their potency.
FBI, Europol Smash Global Dark Web Drug Empire With Operation SpecTor
No sensible site admin is going to give access to someone they knew nothing about six months ago ‘cause they could be anyone. That’s the thing about these dark markets; anyone could really be anyone, including undercover police agents. The DEA, FBI, and NCA are known to have their agents on undercover missions posing as buyers and vendors because they can use the anonymity of the dark markets to their advantage, hiding in with everyone else, watching and collecting data. In fact, in early 2016, the DEA started creeping around inside the Dream Market. They were posing as buyers and identified three vendors they were interested in. The DEA bought drugs from DigitalPossi2014, ReximusMaximus, and MethForDummies.
The conspiracies relied on sophisticated technology to distribute and profit from a staggering quantity of pills pressed with fentanyl. In 2013, the FBI shut down a dark web marketplace called Silk Road, founded by a young man in Texas named Ross Ulbricht. Silk Road operated in a similar way — allowing users to buy illicit goods and services and rate and review each vendors’ products. In 2015, Ulbricht was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for running the underground narcotics website. The Hydra marketplace allowed users to purchase a wide range of illicit goods and services, including illegal drugs, fake IDs and money laundering and hacking services. The study focused on a prominent organization based in Utah that primarily manufactured counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl and distributed them by U.S. mail.
A Homeland Security Investigations special agent testified that Shaughnessy directed thousands of dollars to himself, made through selling illegal drugs. Shaughnessy sold fentanyl, pentedrone, carfentanil (an elephant tranquilizer) and versions of fentanyl and pentedrone that would only be legal with a prescription, according to trial evidence cited by the DOJ. He did it using the darknet, an unindexed portion of the internet that can only be accessed with special software. The 288 vendors and buyers arrested in the operation “engaged in tens of thousands of sales of illicit goods” across Europe, Brazil and the U.S., where 153 of the arrests were made. Operation SpecTor was coordinated by the FBI and Europol, spanned nine countries and dozens of law enforcement agencies, and is believed to have met its goal of significantly disrupting fentanyl and opioid trafficking on the dark web.
Impact Of Darknet Market Seizures On Fentanyl And Opioid Availability
Why Fentanyl is Popular on Darknet Markets
Fentanyl is popular on darknet markets for several reasons. First, it is extremely potent, which means that a small amount can produce a powerful high. This makes it a popular choice for drug dealers, who can make a large profit by selling small quantities which darknet markets accept zcash of the drug. Second, fentanyl is relatively easy to manufacture, which makes it accessible to a wide range of producers. Finally, fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs, which can make it more difficult for law enforcement to detect and intercept.
Risks of Buying Fentanyl on Darknet Markets
- While it is impossible to predict what the future holds for these markets, it is clear that they will continue to be a significant part of the drug trade for the foreseeable future.
- He gave short answers in Hebrew and then the judge sentenced Gal Vallerius to twenty years in prison.
- The agency, based in The Hague, built intelligence based on evidence from Germany, which it said seized the marketplace’s “criminal infrastructure” in December 2021.
- Garland described the cartel’s fentanyl trafficking operation as “the largest, most violent, and most prolific” in the world.
Buying fentanyl on darknet markets is not without risks. First, the drug is highly addictive and can cause serious health problems, including respiratory depression, coma, and death. Second, the quality and purity of the drug can vary widely, which can increase the risk of overdose. Third, darknet markets are not regulated, which means that there is no guarantee of the safety or effectiveness of the drugs being sold. Finally, buying drugs on darknet markets is illegal, and users may be subject to prosecution if they are caught.
Conclusion
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is being sold on darknet markets, which are online marketplaces that operate outside the reach of law enforcement. While fentanyl is popular on these markets due to its potency and ease of manufacture, buying the drug on these markets is not without risks. Users should be aware of the dangers of fentanyl and the potential legal consequences of buying drugs on darknet markets.
