THE HAGUE, darknet market markets April 19 (Reuters) - The number of cross-border drug trafficking cases referred to the European agency for prosecutorial cooperation nearly doubled in four years to 562 in 2020, partly driven by a huge increase in the production of synthetic drugs, darknet market markets the agency said.
In a report published on Monday Eurojust said drug trafficking in the European Union alone has an estimated value of 30 billion euros ($36 billion) annually.
The rapid rise of production of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamines and their sale via online dark web market list places on the darknet market poses a big challenge to prosecutors across the European Union.
“By rapidly changing the composition of chemicals used for these drugs … or creating new substances, producers try to exploit legal gaps and avoid prosecution,” Eurojust said in a statement.
According to the report by the European prosecutor's body, the total number of cases involving cross-border drug trafficking nearly doubled to 562 from 279 between 2016 and 2020.
Synthetic and other new drugs made up almost one-third of them.
The Eurojust report said producers of new psychoactive drugs often don't work in old-fashion hierarchical drug trafficking networks and sale and distribution are done online.
“This phenomenon has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with organised crime groups adapting quickly to an online environment, using secured communication channels, crypto-phones, cryptocurrencies and darknet market markets,” Eurojust said. (Image: https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1495641974/de/vektor/euro-auf-vektor-3d-flagge-auf-rosa-violettem-hintergrund-mit-beleuchtung-und-fackeln.jpg?b=1&s=170x170&k=20&c=U-CEW6bxnxT4q0FnzOTaw00s1rGtjuGmRF5qirJS3Yc=) Likewise consumers of the drugs are also shifting to the darknet market, paying online and receiving the drugs in the mail, it added, making prosecution complicated.
($1 = 0.8317 euros) (Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)