The Amazon Of Narcotics

August 26, 2013 in Daily Bulletin

Perhaps telling us something about its readership, The Economist outlined exactly how people are able to purchase (illegal) drugs over the internet:

  • Silk Road, a mail-order drug service allows anybody to purchase drugs online and have them delivered to their home.
  • To access it users have to use a specialized browser that anonymizes individuals by encrypting and bouncing internet traffic around the world.
  • Payment is made through Bitcoin – an anonymized currency that is difficult to track.
  • Buyers have to enter their address – but it is deleted from the system once the seller reads it (à la snapchat).
  • The seller doesn’t receive the money until the buyer confirms that they have received the drugs. Partial refunds are normally offered for missing packages.
  • The substances are often sent inside gifts such as birthday cards or sweets.
  • The buyer can then leave reviews for the seller.
  • The Silk Road takes 10% on every transaction. Its revenues in 2012 were estimated to be $22m.

Read more about the dangers of using the service for wholesale purposes, those who have been caught, the danger of using Bitcoins and much more over here.

Source: The Economist