Data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime shows that while the number of marketplaces is decreasing, the average transaction size is rising, indicating growing wholesale activity. According to the study, most darknet sales in 2023 fell into the ‘large retail’ category (US$100–US$499), at 37.8%, followed by ‘potential wholesale’ purchases (over US$1 000) at 31.9%. ‘Small retail’ sales accounted for just 18.9%, with ‘social supply’ making up the remaining 11.4%. In 2025, dark web markets continue to grow more sophisticated, leveraging cryptocurrency as their backbone for financial transactions. These hidden digital spaces host a variety of illegal and illicit activities, from drug trafficking and weapons sales to data breaches and financial fraud. The decentralized, pseudonymous nature of cryptocurrencies has provided a strong foundation for these underground markets to expand, adapt, and resist law enforcement pressure.
Topics And Products Sold
This matrix is a crucial tool in our research, as it helps us identify and understand the relationships between these variables. The research did not require the use of human participants or private information that could identify individuals. All data analyzed were aggregated, public data, hence protected against the collection or processing of personal data or any identifiable information. The research was conducted while keeping a strict standard on data privacy to protect individual privacy throughout this study.
Exposure To Malware And Scams
Sellers are allowed to sell drugs (and other products) after depositing a $300.00 vendor-bond. In some cases, established sellers on closed-down markets are welcomed onto new markets as digital “refugees” and have joining fees waived. Unlike many other dark web markets, Cypher does not require buyers to deposit cryptocurrency upfront, which reduces the risk of exit scams. Archetyp Market was one of the few marketplaces allowing the sale of highly potent synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, contributing to broader health threats and overdose risks in Europe and beyond. In some cases, established sellers on closed-down markets are welcomed onto new markets as digital “refugees” and have joining fees waived. Known for its publicity stunt releasing millions of stolen card details for free, BidenCash specializes in credit card fraud and identity theft.
Media Landscape
These are markets which do not have or use “in-built wallets for each account”. Meaning, buyers can pay for each order directly from their external, third-party wallets. As for drugs, almost everything including Opioids, Stimulants, Cocaine and everything else can be found.
Why are these markets still seen as enticing places to sell drugs, despite the risks? To find out, our recent study surveyed 13 darknet drug vendors, via online encrypted interviews. Judging by that buzzing trade, there’s little hint that just the week before, global law enforcement announced the takedowns of two of the world’s largest dark-web drug sites, known as Wall Street Market and Valhalla. Or that the most popular market, called Dream, had taken itself offline at the end of last month, perhaps sensing law enforcement closing in. Or that a multiagency US law enforcement task force devoted to stemming opioid sales on the dark web arrested more than 60 people in a major operation the month before. Some of the sellers and their ads published at WayWay had references to another marketplace called Solaris.
History Of Dark Web Marketplaces
Both of these claims correspond with previous research showing that the dark web is perceived to be a safer place to buy and sell drugs. Trade is booming despite disruptions from law enforcement and particularly “exit scams”, in which market admins abruptly close down sites and take all available funds. Operation RapTOR includes law enforcement actions taken by JCODE member agencies, to include ICE HSI; the DEA; FBI; FDA-OCI; IRS-CI; and USPIS; in addition to foreign partners listed below.
Cyble Strato Cloud Security
This marketplace focuses on selling stolen financial data, such as BINs (Bank Identification Numbers), RDP/VDS access, and verified crypto accounts for money laundering. The market is also known for its listings related to financial fraud, such as phishing tools and stolen credit card information. It has built a reputation for being a reliable source of stolen credit card data and PII.
Feds Dismantled The Dark-Web Drug Trade—but It’s Already Rebuilding
“In any illicit markets, you’re going to have some quality uncertainty and uncertainty about what it is you’re consuming,” says Munksgaard, who wasn’t involved with the drug-testing study. “We’re targeting the vendor … who is selling uncontrolled and lethal substances to people on the dark web,” Lalande says. Liam buys only from Canadian drug vendors, fearing that importing heroin and meth across the border would put him at risk of investigation by the Canada Border Services Agency.
Latest Data
Rivalries between nation-state actors have also spilled into the dark web, with turf wars emerging between different sponsored groups over control of marketplaces and services. Vendors and marketplaces have invested in advanced cybersecurity defenses. Features like multi-signature wallets, end-to-end encrypted messaging, and decentralized hosting environments reduce the risk of detection. Many vendors rotate addresses and aliases regularly to avoid tracking and maintain anonymity. AlphaBay, which was the largest dark net market before it was shut down by law enforcement agencies around the world last year, accounted for $94 million US in drug sales from September 2015 to August 2016, Tzanetakis’s paper says. Still, the study’s authors cautioned they could not confirm whether their results would closely mirror what users would typically find on dark web markets.
According to Europol’s 2025 Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment report, nearly all forms of serious and organized crime now have a digital footprint. Criminals are leveraging the online domain to increase efficiency and maintain anonymity, and darknet markets are generating US$5–7.5 million in daily revenue. One of the key factors driving this shift is the increased focus on security. Boutique dark markets are implementing stricter security measures, including better encryption and multi-layered protections, to safeguard transactions. Buyers and sellers are often subject to vetting processes that reduce fraud and scam risks, making these platforms more reliable and secure for customers. By offering heightened anonymity and stronger defenses against law enforcement, these markets attract criminals who feel they provide a safe environment.
- We carefully considered the data structure and conducted spatial analysis to ensure a robust analysis.
- To the UNODC, this suggests “an increase in wholesale activities” on the dark web—though this could also reflect consumers who buy smaller quantities shifting from the dark net to the clear net and encrypted messaging apps.
- He recommends verifying market employees carefully, and to weed out law enforcement infiltration through barium meal tests.
- The use of these datasets is in accordance with ethical standards for research involving publicly available information.
- Same time, RuTOR may be definitely named one of the longest living underground communities surviving challenging times for other Dark Web actors without significant issues.
Luckily, Marie’s order wasn’t very large; she only lost about $30 CAD. “Except for those three times, I never got shorted, and the product ranged from good to excellent quality,” she noted. Mega provides an automated exchange service and a built-in wallet to process cryptocurrencies. To further attract buyers of drugs from other underground communities, the actors behind the Mega frequently organize “Black Friday” discounts to stimulate the sellers, by doing so offering lower commission rates from their sales.
- The dark web hosts a variety of illegal activities, many of which fuel cybercrime and real-world harm.
- Table 2 represents the 15 regions with the highest volumes of all drugs in Russia.
- However, the extent to which each drug relies on digital markets varies.
- Its emphasis on user anonymity and document forgery makes it a core tool for identity fraud.
- The data collection and analysis steps are presented on the flowchart in Figure 1 and explained below.
- These sites attract thousands of users every day, offering all kinds of illegal goods that keep the underground trade going.
Such models ensure that the market remains community-controlled and resilient to outside interference. The video offered suggestions that multiple arrests were made at all levels of the Archetyp hierarchy, and although Europol’s official announcement only confirmed one was made – the 30-year-old German – the BKA said seven people were arrested in Sweden. Silk Road offered drugs, porn and fake IDs and driver’s licenses for sale. It was shut down by the FBI in 2013, but the concept had already caught on. “To me, that’s very different than buying books or other things from people on a used market, where the risk is you don’t get that product, versus this product could potentially kill you.” Acting Staff Sgt. Jeremy Wittman, who leads the Calgary Police Service’s cyber-forensic unit, says drugs for sale on the dark web are potentially lethal.
