Fentanyl Availability on Darknet Markets
Broadhurst R, Ball M & Trivedi H 2020. Fentanyl availability on darknet markets. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 590. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
14 Pages Posted: 1 May 2020
Date Written: February 25, 2020
Abstract
A snapshot of the sale of fentanyl and its analogues across several popular darknet markets between 2 January and 27 March 2019 reveals the amount, types and physical forms available.
Of the 127,541 unique drug listings identified, 13,135 were opioids (10.3% of all drugs), of which 1,118 (0.876% of all drugs) were fentanyl or its analogues. Between 27.3 and 39.3 kilograms of fentanyl and its derivatives were available over the period. The average price of fentanyl was A$99 per gram, while carfentanil was A$26.8 per gram.The shipping methods, cross-market operations and product specialisation of the 303 active fentanyl vendors on these darknet markets are also described.
Keywords: fentanyl, illicit markets, opioids, drug trafficking
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