Sales of fentanyl on the dark web are increasing so rapidly that sellers are able to offer deep discounts, leading researchers to worry that it may be difficult to stop sales. A new study has found that.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the University of Maryland, College Park analyzed the sales of PharmaMaster, an “early and prominent fentanyl sales operation” that sold the drug through AlphaBay. dark web organization. They published their findings in Global Crime magazine.
According to research, AlphaBay operated from 2014 to 2017, had over 200,000 users, and was considered the largest dark web marketplace at the time. Researchers investigated more than 5,500 drug transactions involving more than 870,000 items sold on AlphaBay for approximately US$2.8 million, mainly producing counterfeit prescription drug oxycodone pills containing fentanyl instead. The focus was on Utah-based Pharmamaster, Inc.
“This is a significant shift in the number of cases in which a number of people have been exposed to the virus,” said Jonathan P. Caulkins, professor of operations research and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College, who led the study. press release This means that online sales of pharmaceuticals may become even more popular.
“This raises the question of how it differs from traditional in-person distribution systems. To answer that, we need to understand how organizations operate, how much profit they make, and what their vulnerabilities are. We looked into whether that was the case,” Caulkins said.
Researchers believe that dark web marketplaces (also known as cryptomarkets) typically involve virtual currencies due to their anonymity, and that Pharmamasters can provide insight into drug sellers' organizational strategies. He said it was particularly interesting.
According to the study, Pharma-Master, which operated from 2015 to 2016, maintained a sales growth rate of approximately 15 percent per week.
“Increasing order size tenfold reduced the per-pill price by approximately 25 percent for oxycodone and 50 percent for Xanax. “Significant price increases have occurred when selling down the chain,” the press release states.
The study authors said it would be difficult for law enforcement to stop the online sale of fentanyl because drug sales organizations grow rapidly.
Researchers found that online drug retailers can expand quickly because they are not limited by geography, have lower costs, and can reach many customers at once without meeting in person. They also operate more like law firms than “traditional” drug organizations, with staff in specialized roles and ownership operating separately from workers. .
The researchers said their study was limited because it was unclear how much of AlphaBay's sales were from PharmaMaster sales, noting that many online drug sellers are “small and long-lived. Pharmamaster added, “Maybe it was special because it was short.''
Researchers also note that the black market has changed significantly since when AlphaBay operated, with most fentanyl now entering the United States directly from China via Mexico. .
Study co-author Philip C. Schicker, a master's student in public policy and data analysis at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College, said being a pharma master is just one of many drug sales jobs. .
“And while this organization was successful, it didn't last long. But because it was an organization that contributed to the early rise in the production of counterfeit prescription drugs, including fentanyl, which accounts for the majority of drug overdose deaths in the United States,” , there is still great value in studying this organization' states and Canada for several years. ”
