Elmshorn Man Arrested For Buying Drugs From Dark Web

A 31-year-old was arrested in Elmshorn, Germany for buying narcotics from the dark web.

The Customs Office in Essen intercepted a package containing 500 grams of amphetamines. The parcel belonged to the 31-year-old suspect. The package was delivered to an address in Norderstedt, but law enforcement authorities quickly tracked down the suspect’s location in Elmshorn.

On December 30, police raided the 31-year-old’s apartment where they seized 280 grams of marijuana, 30 grams of hash, as well as small amounts of ecstasy pills, MDMA, and amphetamines.

After authorities detained the suspect, he confessed. The 31-year-old said that he ordered the narcotics for resale purposes.

Since police were unable to keep the suspect detained, the 31-year-old was released shortly after his arrest. However, due to the amount of drugs found in his home, the minimum punishment will be one year in prison.

According to two major drug studies from the Global Drug Survey and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), dark web narcotics purchases increased by 2.2 percent from 2015 to 2016. The EMCDDA research exclusively mentioned the rise of dark net markets, such as AlphaBay.

Since bitcoin is not completely anonymous, and law enforcement authorities trace back more and more transactions, Monero came into the picture. According to the study, privacy-focused cryptocurrencies, including Monero, are in high demand on dark net markets. AlphaBay revealed that two percent of the transactions on the site are conducted in Monero.

In the European Drug Report 2016: Trends and Developments, the EMCDDA revealed the most common narcotics purchased from dark net markets.

“They can also operate on the deep web, through darknet markets or cryptomarkets, like AlphaBay or the defunct Silk Road. Cannabis products and MDMA are reported to be the illicit drugs most frequently offered for sale on darknet markets, alongside a range of medicines,” the study reads.

The EMCDDA report says cannabis products have the largest share on dark net markets. The substance is mostly used for recreational and medicinal purposes by customers. Marijuana is legal in the Netherlands and in most regions in the United States.

Viewing all narcotics purchases (clearnet, dark net, streets), the dark net drug trade increased from 4.5 to 6.7 percent, representing a small, but growing fraction. Focusing on cracking down the dark web drug trade seems impractical and inefficient since street deals add up a much bigger portion. German, Austrian, Swedish, Norwegian and US law enforcement authorities are the ones who are pursuing dark net buyers and sellers the most.

The Global Drug Survey reached a similar conclusion as the EMCDDA. According to the research, cannabis products are the most popular on dark web markets.

“Globally almost in 1 in 10 participants (9.3%) reported ever buying drugs off the dark net with those reporting last year dark-net purchase rising from 4.5% to 6.7%. MDMA, cannabis, new or novel substances (including 2C-B and DMT) and LSD are the drugs most commonly bought,” the Global Drug Survey’s study reads.