Key findings

• Four key marketplaces have emerged in the wake of the Silk Road closure, Agora, Evolution, Silk Road 2.0 and The Marketplace, with many other, smaller marketplaces operating at lower levels.
• Cannabis and pharmaceuticals were most commonly sold across all marketplaces, followed by MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine), NPS and Cocaine, with slight variations in rank across marketplaces.
• The closure of the Silk Road saw a proliferation of new retailers in alternative marketplaces, many of which have subsequently closed down. Specifically, the previous bulletin monitoring until November 2013 saw three major marketplaces emerge in the wake of the Silk Road closure. Since this time over fifteen new marketplaces have emerged and are currently being monitored.
• Substances available on new marketplaces largely mirrored those sold on the original Silk Road, cannabis and pharmaceuticals were the most commonly sold substances. Cocaine, MDMA, NPS and methamphetamine followed, with some variation in order across marketplaces.

Resources

• Drugs&TheInternet_Issue3.pdf

Author(s)

Joe Van Buskirk, Amanda Roxburgh, Raimondo Bruno, Lucy Burns