Report: Germany leads in darknet drug-related sales

By Kubra Chohan

ANKARA

Most sales on the darknet are drug-related with Germany among top European source countries, according to a new report released Tuesday.

Darknet is a hidden Internet platform which can only be accessed by using a specific software.

In the report, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol said: “Most sales on darknet markets are drug-related. A recent study, exploring sales on 16 major darknet markets between 2011 and 2015, estimated that drug sales were responsible for more than 90 percent of the total economic revenue of global darknet marketplaces.”

The main European source countries were Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Europol Executive Director Rob Wainwright said: “Addressing cybercrime and the use of information technology platforms for criminal purposes has become an important policing priority across the EU.

“Those involved in the online drug trade appear to be resilient to such disruption and able to re-organize rapidly.”