Increase in Online Drug Trafficking: Social Networks as a New Distribution Channel

According to the National Drug Control Centre, the sale of drugs has increasingly moved to the internet, especially via social networks such as Telegram.

Last year, online drug trafficking recorded a significant increase, according to the annual report of the Czech National Drug Control Centre (NPC) published today. Traffickers use not only hidden websites but mainly social networks to send banned substances to consumers.

Payment is often made by means of cryptocurrencies. In particular, the sale of drugs via the social network Telegram has significantly increased.

The Czech police emphasize that the anonymity, relative ease, and wide range of substances that can be purchased on virtual markets are in no way inferior to traditional street sales.

According to the NPC, last year mainly new psychoactive substances and substances with anabolic or hormonal effects were offered on publicly accessible internet platforms. The distribution takes place via e-shops whose domains are mostly located abroad.

Demand is particularly high for substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, marijuana, and drugs with antidepressant effects. Until 2021, the activity of drug traffickers in this network was negligible in the Czech Republic, according to criminologists.

The annual police report points out that the number of Telegram groups trafficking drugs has increased dynamically in connection with the arrival of more than 400,000 refugees from Ukraine. The Ukrainian and Russian language versions predominate. New groups are continuously emerging, disappearing over time, and being replaced by new ones.

Currently, law enforcement authorities monitor about 30 groups, with the number of participants per group varying from 7,000 to 20,000 people.

Although the sale, distribution, and use of cannabis and methamphetamine remain dominant in the Czech Republic, the police say abuse and trafficking of psychoactive drugs are also becoming more prominent.

In 2022, the police intercepted and identified new substances containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine that were imported into the Czech Republic without authorization and used to produce methamphetamine.