CROSS-border police operations targeting the dark web have had a significant impact on the availability of opioids, in particular the lethal drug fentanyl,?according to a new ANU report.

“Since their inception, dark web markets?have continued to evolve and they present unique problems to law enforcement agencies,” says emeritus professor at the ANU Cybercrime Observatory, Roderic Broadhurst.

“We found evidence that shutdowns resulting from transnational police operations dispersed and displaced markets, vendors and buyers, and it also reduced the availability of these drugs and their prices rose on the markets.” 

When a darknet market is closed or a specific product is targeted, the report commissioned by the Australian Institute of Criminology’s (AIC) Serious and Organised Crime Research Laboratory, found the impact is complex and subtle.

“When there is a crackdown there is a knock on effect; it is like a searchlight and markets become aware that they are going to get a bright light shined on them for that particular product, especially high-risk product such as fentanyl,” says Prof Broadhurst.

Market operators and vendors are keenly aware of the risks and adapt accordingly, he says.

“We found markets close down and pop up again with a refreshed set of security features, price hikes or even self-regulation of the kinds of products sold to avoid the spotlight,” he says. 

“Many markets, particularly markets that want to stay operational, will often ban vendors from selling those sorts of products, just like they do with child exploitation materials.”  

Researchers collected data from 352 weekdays, from January 2 to December 20, 2019, looking at eight “high street” darknet markets. 

The markets sell a variety of contraband including illicit drugs such as Apollon, Empire, Dream, Nightmare, Tochka (aka Point), Berlusconi, Valhalla (aka Silkitie) and Wall Street.? 

Researchers tracked trends to measure changes in the price and availability of opioids, as well as the numbers of vendors or dealers selling them, and found in April 2019 three new markets – Agartha, Dream Alt and Samsara – were added after Wall Street and Valhalla were seized by police and Dream voluntarily closed. 

AIC deputy director Dr Rick Brown says the research results highlight the importance of sustained law enforcement operations. 

“This report has shown that darknet markets are complex.?Vendors move quickly to sell their products elsewhere when markets shutdown, and it’s not until several major markets closed that we saw a real impact on total opioid listings,” Dr Brown said. 

“The results really reinforce the importance of sustained efforts by law enforcement agencies to combat the sale of opioids and other drugs online.” 

Prof Broadhurst says the disruption to the online supply of fentanyl, which is a designer synthetic opioid that can be up to 80 times more powerful than morphine, is notable.

“This research was done pro-covid but what we’ve been seeing now is a lifting of all boats as buyers seek alternative means of supply. A small stealth package posted home becomes an easy option,” he says.  

“Since the pandemic everybody’s going online. Markets have been boosted by increased demand by buyers and vendors able to supply or substitute products such as opioids, partly to get around problems with lock downs, and border closures.”