Research results show that illegal drug transactions are increasing in the virtual currency market

Cryptomarkets – marketplaces on the dark web that facilitate the sale of illegal goods between buyers and sellers – are an attractive alternative to traditional face-to-face drug transactions, according to researchers at Simon Fraser University. It has been proven that machine learning and market tracking is possible through the web. Crawlers can help curb the growth trend.

According to their research, crypto market and vendor pharmaceutical revenue increased by 80% from 2013 to 2021, indicating significant growth in the pharmaceutical and crypto market ecosystem.

“Cryptomarkets are typically short-lived sites that pop up and shut down periodically, but they can be used as an alternative way to access these products,” said Richard, professor of criminology and director of SFU's Center for International Cybercrime Research.・Mr. Frank says: Mr. Frank is also a panelist on the Academic Council of Canada's Expert Panel on Public Safety in the Digital Age, which today released its “Fragile Connections” report. He also collects data from the Internet and the Dark Web (sections of the Internet that are encrypted, anonymous sections that are accessed using special software and that are not indexed and can obscure your details and identity). He is also the creator of Dark Crawler, a tool for and analysis.

“Low prices, contactless transactions, and the availability of a wide variety of medicines in varying quantities for buyers to peruse, make them an attractive alternative to illicit trade,” Frank said.

In order to better understand the products available in the Cryptocurrency Market Pharmaceutical System and identify the factors driving or inhibiting vendors' global shipments, researchers analyzed the In between, we collected product information from 8 large and notable crypto markets.

Researchers presenting their findings at a recent international conference on systems science found that an estimated 16.8 tonnes of pharmaceuticals were traded on eight crypto markets for $234.7 million, with the most popular drugs being stimulants and cannabis. , opioids, and benzodiazepines.

We also found that high-volume, low-cost items are more likely to be shipped worldwide, while other items are only shipped domestically. This is likely due to the perceived increased risk of global shipping.

“While the crypto market is growing and will likely continue to grow, some aspects of trading may become less visible, such as if vendors choose to move to invite-only chat platforms. '' said Xu Liu, a researcher on Frank's team who is in charge of information gathering. and analysis of the data. “While it may be difficult for law enforcement to crack down on drug trafficking in the international cryptocurrency market, new tools and techniques are being developed and tested to ensure that illegally imported goods are intercepted by authorities in the mail. Your sexuality will increase.”

Frank said the cryptocurrency market ecosystem is expected to continue to grow in the coming years, driving an increase in illicit products.

“Machine learning could be a solution to better search and identify pharmaceutical packages during the shipping process based on their characteristics. As more packages are seized, vendors will be at risk. may decide to avoid worldwide shipments due to increased risk and potential economic losses.

Further research on the crypto market will help researchers learn more about how to thwart its activity. The researchers plan to continue tracking these using web crawlers to better understand the number and volume of wholesale products being traded, including custom listings that are difficult to find.