Research project DR/82 (Research action DR)
Description of the project
The interdisciplinary CRYPTODRUG-team is mapping the Belgian involvement in illicit drug trade on marketplaces in an anonymous part of the internet. These ‘cryptomarkets’, can be compared to eBay or Amazon in their modalities, except that they also allow for trade in illicit goods. The main category of these goods consists of illicit drugs.
The research project is funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office. The project, executed under the coordination of prof. dr. Colman by Ghent University, UCLouvain, and supported by University College Ghent, has three stages.
First of all, the vendors on these anonymous markets on the darknet are researched. Looking specifically at those who send their products from Belgium, the team has taken monthly ‘snapshots’ of two of the largest markets over a period of five months. This happened through a process of ‘scraping’ and ‘parsing,’ where part of the content is downloaded and set into databases. With this data it is possible to perform a longitudinal analysis of the content of these platforms.
This means that the changes over time in the Belgian offer will be measured, and these will be compared with prior knowledge about the offer in the region as well as worldwide. The team will look into what Belgian products prevail on these markets, what the size and success is of the vendors linked to Belgium, and what growth patterns there are in the Belgian darknet drug trade. Apart from the quantitative measurement the team will also make a qualitative assessment of the Belgian vendors’ profiles to discern any common typologies or uncommon elements.
The second phase, which will start early June 2019, engages Belgian buyers from these markets. As of yet there remains a knowledge gap in the role these markets play in people’s drug use career, and this is what the team will try to fill in. Do buyers use more, less, or different drugs because of the access to these markets? How might purchasing online improve or worsen their knowledge about substances they take? What does the possibility of sourcing from these markets mean for their risk taking behaviour?
Buyers are contacted through online fora that deal with drug use and through other online relevant groups. They are asked to fill in an anonymous survey about their drug use over time, and about the inner workings of the way they buy their goods online. Specific attention will be paid to drug career variables such as frequency, intensity, escalation, switching, expansion, substitution, and recovery of drug use. Afterwards they will be invited to anonymous semi-structured interviews. The interviews will be used to help the CRYPTODRUG-team clarify any anomalies that emerge from the surveys, and to gain more insight into the motivations and experiences of these individuals that buy on the darknet. A comparison will be made with their prior involvement in offline drug markets, if present.
Since the emergence of these markets there has been a steady overall growth in volume sold and activity. The cryptomarket ecosystem has turned out to be resilient, despite police interventions and against actions of sabotage from within this online hidden community. The third phase of the project hence consists of a range of efforts to disseminate the results to the relevant actors. The evidence that the project provides will be used to inform discussions among policy makers and practitioners. In addition, a website is in the making for wider public access to the findings. Finally, both through presenting at conferences and publishing papers in scientific journals, academia will be able to build on the CRYPTODRUG-project’s conclusions.
From the alley to the web. The rise of illicit drug trade on cryptomarkets and the involvement of Belgian buyers and vendors (CRYPTODRUG): final Report
Colman, Charlotte - Devresse, Marie-Sophie - Bronselaer, Antoon Brussels : Belgian Science Policy, 2020 (SP2876)
[To download]
From the alley to the web. The rise of illicit drug trade on cryptomarkets and the involvement of Belgian buyers and vendors (CRYPTODRUG): summary
Colman, Charlotte - Devresse, Marie-Sophie - Bronselaer, Antoon Brussels : Belgian Science Policy, 2020 (SP2877)
[To download]
VAN HET STEEGJE NAAR HET WEB. Belgische kopers en verkopers op drugs cryptomarkten (CRYPTODRUG): samenvatting.
Colman, Charlotte - Devresse, Marie-Sophie - Bronselaer, Antoon Brussel : Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid, 2020 (SP2878)
[To download]
DE LA RUELLE AU WEB. Les acheteurs et vendeurs belges sur les cryptomarchés de la drogue (CRYPTODRUG): résumé
Colman, Charlotte - Devresse, Marie-Sophie - Bronselaer, Antoon Bruxelles : Politique scientifique fédérale, 2020 (SP2879)
[To download]
