Forensic drug intelligence and the rise of cryptomarkets. Part II: Combination of data from the physical and virtual markets

Morelato, Marie; Broséus, Julian; Grazia, Adrian De; Tahtouh, Mark; Esseiva, Pierre; Roux, Claude

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.05.002

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…This could be particularly interesting if adapted to forums focused specifically on one country as problems may be country specific (see for example the Swedish and Norwegian forums studied respectively by Ledberg (2015) and Bilgrei (2016). In the future and to address these limitations, it could be interesting to combine the results obtained through online monitoring to data from the physical market, such as results of drug-testing programs, waste-water analysis and seizures from customs and border forces (Morelato et al, 2018). As any source of information, discussion forums have limitations and the authors believe that the combination of complementary information would provide policy makers with a more complete picture of the NPS phenomenon.…”

Section: General Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring new psychoactive substances: Exploring the contribution of an online discussion forum

Rhumorbarbe

Morelato

Staehli

et al. 2019

International Journal of Drug Policy

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Background: The rapid emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is a challenge for public health authorities and law enforcement. The phenomenon is strengthened since the increase of the Internet usage. Not only used to trade NPS, the Web is an important source of information for both potential drug consumers and experienced users. Discussion forums are among these sources of information. They are meeting points for different groups of users and include a wide range of trip reports, questions and consumption tips. Since the discussions are archived over a long period, they can be used to monitor the interest of consumers for particular substances over time. This research aims at understanding the contribution of data extracted from a major online discussion forum within a systematic monitoring process. Method: Data were collected from a discussion forum (i.e. Drugs-forum). Within the sections of the forum, the titles, content of discussion, number of replies, and the date of the first discussion were crawled and stored in a dedicated database. The intensity of the discussions related to 42 substances considered as NPS was measured through an indicator allowing to assess the popularity of substances. Furthermore, the appearance of 15 substances on the forum was compared to the date of formal notification to the EU early warning system. Results: An evolution of the different classes of substances, as well as an evolution of specific substances within a class were highlighted. Some substances were discussed for a long period of time (e.g. Kratom, 25i-NBOMe, MDPV) while others were discussed very briefly (e.g. 5-MeO-DPT, NM-2AI). Out of the fifteen substances subjected to a risk assessment from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), nine of them appeared on the forum before or at the same time as their first date of notification to the EU early warning system. Conclusion: In line with previous research on doping products, this article shows the potential of the monitoring of online forums in the context of psychoactive substances. Besides, the system designed to collect the data is flexible and can be systematically updated to fuel a monitoring process. It informs not only on the presence/absence of a substance in discussions between consumers, but also on its evolution over time. Such results could benefit academic research and organizations studying the NPS phenomenon. Precisely, it could complement existing early warning systems and benefit law enforcement agencies and policy makers.

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Section: General Discussion and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring new psychoactive substances: Exploring the contribution of an online discussion forum

Rhumorbarbe

Morelato

Staehli

et al. 2019

International Journal of Drug Policy

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“…Drug checking data give information about the composition of illicit drugs. Several studies on cryptomarkets showed the benefit of combining different sources of information, like the physical, chemical, and the digital data [10, 11, 25, 28]. Morelato et al.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Morelato et al. [28] used triangulated data, including WBE data, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of drug trafficking and consumption. This, in turn, can better inform policy makers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of wastewater analysis in forensic intelligence: drug consumption comparison between Sydney and different European cities

Bannwarth

Morelato

Benaglia

et al. 2019

Forensic Sciences Research

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Wastewater analysis offers objective and complementary information to illicit drug agencies by monitoring patterns of illicit drug consumption. In this study, wastewater samples from three different wastewater treatment plants in Sydney, Australia were collected in March 2016. Ten targeted drugs were analysed and temporal and geographical analyses were performed to obtain a better understanding of the type and amount of illicit drugs consumed in Sydney in comparison with similar studies conducted around Australia and in Europe. Among the targeted drugs, methamphetamine was consumed the most, followed by cocaine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Weekly patterns were observed where a peak during the weekend was present. The geographical analysis showed differences between the regions targeted. This observation may be related to socio-demographic aspects. The comparison of our study to other data sources from Australia showed a high consumption of methamphetamine in Sydney and Western Australia. The comparison between Sydney and different European cities revealed a difference in consumption, which is in line with traditional market indicators. The information obtained through wastewater analysis provides complementary information regarding illicit drug consumption, the size, and the evolution of the illicit drug market. This, ultimately, will assist authorities in making informed decisions.

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“…money laundering and drug trafficking) without being traced easily (Kabra and Gori, 2023). Cryptocurrencies give peddlers drug distribution without affecting the supply chain (Morelato et al , 2018). In the supply chain, ethical questions regarding material sourcing, fair trade practices and labor conditions in BCT can be raised.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Editorial: the dark side of blockchains: threats, risks, ethics and biases in blockchain adoption

Behl,

Sampat,

Zhang

et al. 2024

JICES

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Forensic drug intelligence and the rise of cryptomarkets. Part II: Combination of data from the physical and virtual markets

Cited by 9 publications

References 16 publications

Monitoring new psychoactive substances: Exploring the contribution of an online discussion forum

Monitoring new psychoactive substances: Exploring the contribution of an online discussion forum

The use of wastewater analysis in forensic intelligence: drug consumption comparison between Sydney and different European cities

Editorial: the dark side of blockchains: threats, risks, ethics and biases in blockchain adoption

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