This opaqueness makes the flash of blood impossible to see, so you never quite know whether you’ve hit a vein. This analysis is part of the GI-TOC’s series of articles delving into the results of the Global Organized Crime Index. The series explores the Index’s findings and their effects on policymaking, anti-organized crime measures and analyses from a thematic or regional perspective. TWO Co Antrim men linked to a UDA feud who were involved in separate plots to buy guns and drugs over the ‘dark web’ have been jailed, while a man who helped facilitate part of a deal was freed. Keep up with stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap and important breaking news alerts.
Despite the fact Archetyp had clearly raised the bar on security on the dark web, Operation Deep Sentinel—a collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies in six countries supported by Europol and Eurojust—took down the market. Compared to its predecessors, Archetyp enforced enhanced security expectations from its users. These included an advanced encryption program known as “Pretty Good Privacy” and a cryptocurrency called Monero. Unlike Bitcoin, which records every payment on a public ledger, Monero conceals all transaction details by default, which makes them nearly impossible to trace. CFISA was formed by a group of academics, security and fraud experts to explore ways to increase security awareness among audiences, including consumers, employees, businesses and law enforcement.
PRIVACY POLICY

Also last year, a number of people were prosecuted for using The Dark Web for illegal purposes. He sent large packages also to the United States through US mail or other shipping services. Banmeet Singh, a 40-year-old from India has been sentenced to five years in a US prison for running a dark web drug empire. The senior official said she was “very conscious” of the impact delays in cases coming to court were having on victims, as well as those accused of crimes.
An Indian man who trafficked countless shipments of drugs on the dark web to Ireland has been jailed for five years in the United States. Users on Darknet sites can see how products are rated by others and the prices are often lower than those on the street. The five sentences handed down to Ulbricht showed that the US legal system is taking a very heavy hand against those involved with illegal activity on the Dark Web. Det Gda Murphy agreed with Pieter Le Vert BL, defending, that his client took responsibility for importing the drugs and said he was not going to sell them, but admitted he would give some to his friends. The judge previously adjourned the matter to allow for the canvassing of charitable organisations and for a proposal to then be put to the court regarding a suitable entity that could benefit from the student’s experience and skill-set.
Recent News
- Ross Ulbricht was arrested and sentenced to life in prison, marking one of the first significant takedowns of a dark web marketplace.
- Whilst a great many products are sold, drugs dominate the numbers of listings, with the drugs including cannabis, MDMA, modafinil,108109110 LSD, cocaine, and designer drugs.
- Individuals in these distribution cells received drug shipments and then re-packaged and re-shipped the drugs to locations in all 50 states, Canada, England, Ireland, Jamaica, Scotland, and the U.S.
- In September 2023, the marketplace had transactions worth €12 million (about $12.67 million), the Dutch police said.
- Jehanzeb Amar, 29, and Salahydin Warsame – jailed for a total of 24 years on Wednesday – were part of an organised crime network suppling cocaine, ecstasy and LSD across Britain.
- When you can’t necessarily count on cryptomarkets offering a safer supply, local drug checking becomes even more essential.
There’s no escrow system when you do that and, therefore, no guarantee they’ll actually send you something. Being able to order drugs for self-medication so easily and discreetly, Marie continued, also kept misguided friends from trying to force her to quit. Contrary to popular belief, making a loved one become abstinent (even if you can) won’t cure the underlying issues that may have led them to use in the first place. For people who use opioids, it also increases their risk of overdose when they resume use with lower tolerance. My sources agree that unwanted fentanyl is found in lower levels in drugs bought online compared with street drugs. North America, Northern Europe and Western Europe are also major consumer hubs.
Download Drugs And The Darknet
He said he had ordered drugs online on three previous occasions and paid using a cryptocurrency. The marketplace also featured advertisements for cybercrime services such as malware and DDoS attacks. At its peak, Bohemia/Cannabia hosted approximately 82,000 advertisements daily and facilitated around 67,000 transactions monthly. The 2015 National Student Drug Survey found that 82 per cent of students had tried illegal drugs – 18 per cent bought them on the internet and 4.5 per cent “usually” got them on the darknet.
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At a previous sentencing hearing, Judge Melanie Greally indicated she was “not completely opposed” to imposing section 100 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. This section allows the court to impose a fine and defer the passing of a sentence of imprisonment for the offence. The listings are organised by category, and you can refine your search by filters including auction or fixed-priced listings. The first thing I see is a listing for fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 100 times more powerful than morphine and responsible for the death of Prince. “Nearly 15 years ago, when I was 27 or 28, I first tried heroin – it was just another new thing. I was in a great job at the time, but the place closed down in my town, and moved off to another site and I got a lump sum.

She claimed the vast majority of Sinclair’s customers are in England, with around a dozen based in Northern Ireland. Some supplies were purchased using bitcoin currency while others involved money transfers. Two addressed to Hall contained DVD boxes with £1,500 in each, according to the prosecution. Get the Picus Blue Report 2025 now for a comprehensive look at more findings on prevention, detection, and data exfiltration trends. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Drug sales on the dark web are trending downward in favor of Snapchat, Telegram, and others.

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A Southern California duo face federal sentencing for selling tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills and cocaine on the dark web, causing the death of at least one teenager. Using the lab data about each sample’s composition, the research team investigated whether drugs from the dark web were more likely to contain the substance advertised and less likely to contain contaminants, compared to those bought offline. Their study, recently published in the journal Addiction, uncovered a complicated relationship between the quality of drugs and their source. While the dark web offered a safer supply of some substances, others appeared more reliable when purchased offline. It’s thought the administrators made off with members’ funds, leaving customers’ wallets empty and vendors needing to rebuild their shops somewhere else.
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According to court documents, Singh used dark web marketplaces, such as Silk Road, Alpha Bay, Hansa, and others, to sell controlled substances, including fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, ketamine, and tramadol. Archetyp launched in May 2020 and quickly grew to become one of the most popular dark web markets with an estimated total transaction volume of €250 million (A$446 million). It had more than 600,000 users worldwide and 17,000 listings consisting mainly of illicit drugs including MDMA, cocaine and methamphetamine.
When the admins “exit scammed” and split the money members had deposited to the platform, the police traced the amounts and identified the administrators. In total, the Dutch police (Politie) and partners in Ireland, the UK, and the US seized over 8 million euros ($8.77M) worth of cryptocurrency from the two administrators. The man was arrested at the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam on June 27, 2024, and electronic devices containing incriminating data and access keys to Bitcoin wallets were seized.

Examination of the computer showed Sinclair intended to sell up to 1,000 MDMA tablets a week to a select list of a dozen customers, the court heard. Sinclair is further accused of transferring criminal property, while Hall faces additional charges of having Class B and C drugs with intent to supply and possessing criminal property. Sinclair (32) was arrested after police seized ecstasy pills, herbal cannabis and diazepam tablets worth an estimated £100,000 during separate raids at his Cranagh Road, Coleraine address and the home of a co-accused in east Belfast. Many of those members were previously identified and arrested, and the police expect that more arrests will follow as more evidence is unearthed from the seized infrastructure. It is estimated that the administrators have made a profit of about 5 million Euros ($5.47M) from the operation of the dark web market. The darknet market also had most of its server infrastructure in the country, which is now under the police’s control.
Mr O’Higgins submitted to Judge Nolan that Mannion had quit a €36,000 a year job with Eircom in 2013 and set up the online drugs business, an e-cigarette business and an auction website. The detective sergeant agreed with Michael O’Higgins SC, defending Mannion, that it was not difficult to access the dark net and anyone who was a “little tech-savvy” would be able to do so. According to prosecutors, Singh is one of eight defendants who have been convicted as part of the drug trafficking group. From at least mid-2012 through to July 2017, Singh controlled at least eight distribution cells within the United States. When investigators raided one property, they recovered 59 kilograms of MDMA, 14 kilograms of ketamine, and other drugs. Singh shipped drugs to over 2,500 addresses both national and international.
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According to Cory, only one online dealer in North America sells truly fentanyl-less heroin anymore. While a number claim to sell “fentanyl-free” dope, reviews indicate that they’re lying. (Some people also seek fentanyl and there are vendors who openly sell it.) Still, my sources agree, unwanted fentanyl is found in lower levels in drugs bought online compared with street drugs.