BANGKOK, Thailand – March 2021: A new report on “Darknet Cybercrime Threats to Southeast Asia” launched on 25 February 2021, highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic fuels an already increasing darknet usage. Drugs are the most widely traded category of illicit products available in darknet markets, globally. Out of almost 139,000 items on sale on four dominant darknet marketplaces, 68 per cent (almost 95,000) were drug-related items in December 2019. Drugs sold online included MDMA, amphetamine, methamphetamine, cannabis, cocaine, opioids, LSD, psychedelic mushrooms, ketamine and prescription drugs (mostly benzodiazepines). Precursor chemicals to produce synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs were also traded on darknet sites catering to the region.
While English is the primary language used on darknet market, content available in South-East Asian languages (Vietnamese, Indonesian, Tagalog and Thai being the predominant languages) indicates a diversified, regional customer base. While this suggests an increasing cybercrime threat in the region, the use of local languages and dialects may also assist law enforcement with pinpointing the location or origin of darknet users.
Recommendations to respond to cybercrime threats include increasing specialist knowledge, intensifying national and international cooperation, prioritizing the topic within government agendas and paying more attention to crypto currencies and parcel services as main enablers for ordering goods from darknet markets.
Figure: Percentage of drug types available on four popular marketplaces in December 2019*
Source: UNODC, Darknet Cybercrime Threats to Southeast Asia 2020 (February 2021).
Note: Combined data from four popular marketplaces (Empire Market, Apollo Market, Silk Road 3.1, Elite Market)
For more information please see:
UNODC, Darknet Cybercrime Threats to Southeast Asia 2020 (February 2021).
UNODC Southeast Asia and Pacific Office, UNODC report: darknet cybercrime is on the rise in Southeast Asia, web-story, 25 February 2021.
UNODC, Synthetic Drugs in East and Southeast Asia – Latest developments and challenges (May 2020).
UNODC, Global Synthetic Drugs Assessment 2020 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.20.XI.9).