While drug dealing has been around for almost as long as addiction itself—-the way people find and buy drugs has evolved over the years. From the use of pagers and payphones in the 80s and 90s to text messaging and social media in the 2000s, technology has increasingly played a role in enabling addiction and all the damage and heartache it brings.
The most dramatic change of all in the way people get hold of illegal drugs may be the dark web and clandestine, encrypted messaging services like Signal.
We may never know how many more people overdosed on fentanyl or other opioids because of the increased access to deadly opioids, methamphetamines, cocaine, and other drugs these new avenues made possible.
This Redemption Recovery article explores the dark and dangerous underworld of illegal online drug dealing and the dark web.
Silk Road: A Highway to Addiction and Misery
The Silk Road website, once found on the shady, unindexed underbelly of the Internet and known as the ‘dark web,’ was the first of its kind. Its creator, Ross Ulbricht, will spend the rest of his natural life in a maximum security federal penitentiary in Tucson, AZ.
The story of how Silk Road became a conduit for fentanyl, heroin, oxycodone, MDMA, cocaine, and every other drug you can imagine is too long to tell here. Suffice it to say that Mr. Ulbricht recognized an unmet need. Like any successful entrepreneur, he set out to meet that need in a new, innovative way that no one had ever accomplished.
He managed to keep what was effectively an open-air illegal drug market operating on the Internet for two years, much to the chagrin of the DEA, FBI, NSA, and countless local law enforcement agencies. In the end, it was a little carelessness and perhaps hubris and a penchant for murder that did him in and brought the Silk Road down.
Silk Road facts:
- Silk Road operated from February 2011 to October 2013, when the FBI shut it down.
- The total revenue from illegal drug sales on the dark web was approximately $1.2 billion.
- At least six people under 18 died as a direct result of drugs from Silk Road.
- At its peak, Silk Road had about 4,000 vendors and at least 150,000 buyers.
What Has Happened to Online Illegal Drug Sales Since Silk Road Closed?
The FBI raid and subsequent shutdown of Silk Road online drug marketplace sent shockwaves throughout the dark web. The Dread Pirate Roberts, as Ulbricht was known online, imagined he was almost invincible. So did those who idolized him and participated in selling deadly drugs to underage kids.
The New Silk Road: Alpha Bay, Hansa, and Dream Market
But, once the dust settled, the massive demand for heroin, oxys, and coke online didn’t dry up. It didn’t take long for imitators to emerge. Several of these, like AlphaBay, Hansa, and Dream Market, have picked up where the Silk Road left off, more or less.
Of course, the FBI and DEA learned a great deal about how all this works by seizing the Silk Road’s computers and questioning some of its biggest dealers, who agreed to plea bargains to avoid lengthy prison sentences. The online dark web drug marketplaces today exist in a different environment where fear is pervasive. They know that at any moment, it could all be over.
What Other Online Illegal Drug Dealing Methods Have Evolved?
Lots has happened on the Internet since Silk Road was taken down in 2013. Social media networks and chat apps have evolved and become a bigger part of everyday life. Encrypted and anonymous networks have popped up. More computer users are aware of encryption and VPNs.
In fact, it was in 2013, the same year that Silk Road was finally taken down, that Edward Snowden told the world just how little privacy and data security they actually had. So, as law enforcement agencies have become more astute, so too have the criminals responsible for countless deadly overdoses and the myriad of people who use the Internet to service their addictions.
Today, drug users are relying on some dark websites, similar to Silk Road, but this still requires a level of technical skill the average person lacks. The slack is being picked up by social networks like Instagram and messaging apps with encryption like Signal and Telegram.
Other Ways People Buy Drugs Online Today
Instagram Drug Deals:
Believe it or not, a lot of dealers use Instagram covertly with distinct hashtags and emojis to advertise their drug sales. It’s a serious and ongoing issue that Instagram and its parent company, Meta, continue to struggle with.
Snapchat Plugs:
Snapchat is a messaging platform that uses expiring temporary messages and a system that notifies the other party if a screenshot is taken. This clever privacy measure was intended to encourage more candid (and risque) exchanges. Unfortunately, it also makes it ideal for conducting online drug deals discreetly.
Encrypted Message Drug Deals (WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram):
Encrypted messages used to be something relegated only to business customers and medical professionals. Today, encrypted messaging apps are in the mainstream. Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram which all offer encrypted messages by default make it harder for law enforcement to intercept messages related to illegal activity (like online drug dealing).
Redemption Recovery: Raising Awareness
At Redemption Recovery, we believe one of the solemn responsibilities of substance use disorder treatment centers like ours is education. We constantly strive to educate the people we treat, the general public, and the friends, family and loved ones of people struggling with addiction.
Online illegal drug sales didn’t end with the fall of the Silk Road. On the contrary—they’ve become more accessible and common. Being aware of the routes people you love may use to get dangerous drugs is an important part of being there to support their recovery.
As one of Ohio’s most trusted addiction treatment centers, Redemption Recovery is invested in more than just the time you spend with us in treatment. We’re with you for the long haul and invested in your long-term recovery.
There’s never a wrong time to get on the right path: (419) 528-8007
