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Hunting the darknet dealers

The high stakes cat and mouse game between police and drug dealers on the secretive part of the internet known as the darknet.

The high stakes cat and mouse game between police and darknet drug dealers. Police in the UK say they are finally turning the tide on drug dealers selling on the darknet – a secretive part of the internet which has been described as like β€œonline shopping for drugs.”

The UK’s National Crime Agency says recent international takedowns of so called dark markets and arrests in multiple countries are a result of new techniques in cyber policing that is giving them the upper hand. However, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ research suggests that police around the world have an uphill struggle on their hands as many dealers - known as vendors - have survived multiple market place collapses by operating across many different darknet sites.

The programme explores the major role played by UK dealers in the global business which is estimated to be worth more than a billion dollars a year. The ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ’s cyber reporter Joe Tidy and ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ data journalist Alison Benjamin journey into this hidden world to speak to vendors and buyers and uncover secrets of the trade.

Reporter: Joe Tidy
Producer: Paul Grant
Editor: Maggie Latham

(Image: An ecstasy pill bought on the darknet, being tested at a lab in the UK. Credit: ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Thu 27 Jan 2022 21:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 27 Jan 2022 02:32GMT
  • Thu 27 Jan 2022 09:06GMT
  • Thu 27 Jan 2022 13:32GMT
  • Thu 27 Jan 2022 20:06GMT
  • Thu 27 Jan 2022 21:06GMT

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