Drugs for Sale! An Analysis and Estimation of Drug Products on the Cryptomarket Ecosystem

Abstract

Cryptomarkets are marketplaces on the dark web that facilitate the sale of mostly illicit goods and services between vendors and buyers. There were few to no studies that examine the cryptomarket ecosystem using data from multiple cryptomarkets collected at one point in time. This study strives to fill that gap by collecting all product information from eight large or notable cryptomarkets between June 2021 and January 2022 to understand the cryptomarket drug ecosystem, the products available, and identify factors that encourage or discourage vendors from shipping globally. The eight cryptomarkets annually trafficked an estimated 13.4 tons of drugs for $188.3 million USD. The characteristics of drug products will be examined to determine whether it influences the vendor's willingness to ship globally. Larger quantities and less expensive products were more likely to be shipped globally. Specifically, products that cost less than $50 were more likely to be able to ship globally.