THE IMPORTANCE OF NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES (NPS) IN ONLINE DRUG MARKETS:

DATA FROM SILK ROAD 2.0

DR. FERNANDO CAUDEVILLA

ENERGY CONTROL (ABD)

• The original Silk Road Marketplace operated between January 2011 and October 2013

• Original site was shut down by FBI in October 2013

• According to FBI, the site generated revenue sales over 9.5 million BTC (3.000 million EUR) (1)

• Actually, there are 21 active operative on-line drug markets using SR system (2)

• Silk Road re-opened in 21 November 2013 and it is still the most popular market

(1) https://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb/UlbrichtCriminalComplaint.pdf(2) Busted but not broken. The state of Silk Road and the Darknet Marketplaces. Digital Citizens Alliance.

https://media.gractions.com/314A5A5A9ABBBBC5E3BD824CF47C46EF4B9D3A76/5f8d4168-c36a-4f78-b048-f5d48b18dc0a.pdf

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF NPS IN SILK ROAD?

OBJECTIVE

• To obtain data about NPS in Silk Road Marketplace

• Type of substances offered

• Country of origin (sources of the merchandise)

• Estimated volume of sales and demand

• Comparision with traditional drugs

MATERIAL AND METHODS

• Data from all the products offered and sales in Silk Road Marketplace 2.0 were collected from Nov.13 to May 13 (1)

• Kind of product

• Name of the vendor

• Country of delivery

• Number of sales

• Price

• Feedback from user

• Analysis was limited to data from psychoactive, illegal drugs

• Legal drugs (alcohol, tobacco), prescription drugs, and other products (art, jewels…) and services (money laundering, fake credit cards…) were excluded from analysis

(1) “Silk Road statistics” On-line document. Available in: twam2dcppennla6s.onion (Access 10/5/14)

“Classical drugs”

• Cannabis (hashish, marijuana, oils, wax, extractions…)

• Classical psychedelics (LSD, Psilocybes, DMT, 2C-B, mescaline…)

• Classical stimulants ( cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine…)

• Opioids (heroin, opium, kratom)

• Ecstasy (MDMA, MDA)

• GHB

• Ketamine

NPS• Synthetic cannabinoids

• JWH, UR, CP, URB,THJ,AKB families

• NPS dissociatives

• Methoxetamine

• PCP derivatives

• NPS-ecstasy related:

• Bk-MDMA (methylone), bk-MBDB (butylone), bk-MDEA (ethylone)

• 5,6-Methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane (MDAI)

• Methiopropamine (MPA)

• NPS psychedelics:

• 2C- phenethylamine family (except 2C-B)

• Synthetic tryptamines: 4-ACO, 5-MEO families…

• Hallucinogenic amphetamines: DOB, DOI, DOC…

• 25-x-NBOMe family

MATERIAL AND METHODS

• NPS stimulants:

• Synthetic cathinones: Mephedrone (4-MMC), 4-MEC…

• Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV)

• Fluoro amphetamines: 4-FA, 2-FMA, 4-FMA…

• Benzofurans: 5-APB, 6-APB

• A-PVP (α-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone)

• Synthetic opioids:

• AH-7921

• MT-45

RESULTS

• We obtained data from 15.836 products offered in Silk Road from Nov 13 to May 14

• We analyzed data from 6653 illegal psychoactive drugs

5197 (78,11%)

1456 (21,8%)

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

CLASSICAL NPS

Number of products offered

NPS PSYCHEDELICS;

654; 44,9%

NPS STIMULANTS;

314; 22%

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS;

235; 16%

NPS ECSTASY RELATED; 173;

12%

NPS DISSOCIATIVES;

60; 4%

SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS; 20; 1%

NPS offered in Silk Road (n:1456)

RESULTS

SYNTHETICCANNABINOIDS

n NPSPSYCHEDELICS

n NPSSTIMULANTS

n NPSECSTASY

n NPSDISSOCIATIVES

n SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS n

JWH family 42 Tryptaminederivatives

39 Cathinonederivatives

6 Beta-ketones

3 PCP derivatives 4 MT family 1

AM family 11 2C- family 17 Amphetamine derivatives

5 Other 4 Ketaminederivatives

2 AH family 1

HU family 8 DOx family 5 Pyrovalerones 3 Other 1

CP family 5 NBOMe family 2 Benzofurans 3

URB family 4 Other 11 Other 7

PB family 3

AKB family 6

MT family 2

Other 12

TOTAL 81 TOTAL 74 TOTAL 24 TOTAL 7 TOTAL 7 TOTAL 2

• A total of 195 different NPS compounds (1456 items) are offered

2) How many and what kind of drugs are purchased in Silk Road?

CLASSICAL DRUGS 13.474.353 EUR

NPS 1.030.920 EUR

CLASSICAL DRUGS

N < 200 EUR >200 EUR

STIMULANTS 922 61,4% 38,6%

CANNABIS 1864 79,8% 20,2%

PSYCHEDELICS 836 81,7% 18,3%

ECSTASY 1234 69,5% 30,5%

OPIOIDS 159 85,7% 14,3%

NPS

N <200 EUR >200 EUR

STIMULANTS 313 34,6% 65,4%

CANNABINOIDS 235 14,6% 85,4%

PSYCHEDELICS 654 21,1% 78,9%

ECSTASY RELATED 173 57,1% 42,9%

OPIOIDS 20 5% 95%

Proportion of drugs with cost above and below than 200 EUR

NUMBER OF DRUGS CLASSIFIED BY GEOGRAPHICAL ORIGIN (AS REPORTED BY VENDORS)

Etiquetas de fila EUROPE NORTH AMERICA ASIA AUSTRALIA AND NZ AFRICA SOUTH AMERICA UNDECLARED

CLASSICAL STIMULANTS 488 211 5 122 5 2 88

ECSTASY 823 242 14 91 0 0 63

CANNABIS 978 730 32 44 13 0 66

OPIATES 83 51 2 2 0 0 20

CLASSICAL PSYCHEDELICS 450 246 10 45 0 0 84

KETAMINE 66 20 17 5 0 0 2

GHB 43 7 0 3 0 0 24

TOTAL CLASSICAL 2931 1507 80 312 18 2 347

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS 63 20 152 0 0 0 0

NPS DISSOCIATIVES 12 23 22 0 0 0 3

NPS ECSTASY RELATED 39 24 108 0 0 0 2

NPS PSYCHEDELICS 167 155 167 29 0 0 136

NPS STIMULANTS 91 52 147 7 2 0 16

SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS 0 3 17 0 0 0

TOTAL NPS 372 277 613 36 2 0 157

• There were 523 vendors registered in Silk Road during the period studied.

• 120 vendors (22,9% ) offered some NPS for sale

• 5 vendors (1%) offered a total of 561 different products (35% of the whole NPS), made a total of 1559 sales (23,41% total NPS sales). 4 of these vendors operated from China

TOTAL PRODUCTS OFFERED

PRODUCTS WITH MORE THAN 50 SALES

%

CLASSICAL 5197 590 11,35%

NPS 1456 28 1,92%

TOTAL PRODUCTS OFFERED

PRODUCTSWITH ZERO SALES

%

CLASSICAL 5197 647 12,44%

NPS 1456 753 51,17%

1 WEED SHROOMS COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA OPIUM

2 WEED LSD COCAINE METHOXETHAMINE MDMA HEROIN

3 HASH DMT SPEED KETAMINE MDMA OPIUM

4 WEED DMT COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

5 WEED NBOME SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

6 WEED LSD COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA OPIUM

7 WEED NBOME COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

8 WEED LSD SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

9 WEED LSD COCAINE METHOXETHAMINE MDMA HEROIN

10 CONCENTRATE LSD SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

11 HASH LSD COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

12 WEED LSD SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

13 WEED NBOME SPEED METHOXETHAMINE MDMA HEROIN

14 WEED LSD SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

15 HASH Mescaline SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

16 WEED LSD METH KETAMINE MDMA OPIUM

17 HASH LSD COCAINE METHOXETHAMINE MDMA HEROIN

18 SEEDS LSD SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

19 OIL LSD SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

20 CONCENTRATE LSD SPEED KETAMINE MDMA OPIUM

21 WEED NBOME METH METHOXETHAMINE MDMA HEROIN

22 WEED 2C-B COCAINE METHOXETHAMINE MDMA HEROIN

23 WEED LSD SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

24 WEED LSD COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA OPIUM

25 WEED LSD METH KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

26 WEED LSD COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

27 HASH LSD COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

28 HASH LSD COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

29 WEED 2C-B MEPHEDRONE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

30 WEED 2C-I METH KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

31 WEED DMT SPEED METHOXETHAMINE MDMA HEROIN

32 CONCENTRATE LSD MEPHEDRONE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

33 EDIBLE LSD COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

34 CONCENTRATE LSD SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

35 WEED 2C-B COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA OPIUM

36 WEED SHROOMS SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

37 WEED 2C.B COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

38 WEED LSD METH METHOXETHAMINE MDMA HEROIN

39 EDIBLE DMT COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

40 EDIBLE LSD COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

41 HASH SHROOMS COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

42 HASH DMT SPEED KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

43 WEED LSD METH KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

44 HASH LSD SPEED METHOXETHAMINE MDMA OPIUM

45 HASH LSD METH KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

46 WEED DMT COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

47 EDIBLE NBOME COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

48 CONCENTRATE LSD COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA HEROIN

49 HASH LSD COCAINE METHOXETHAMINE MDMA HEROIN

50 HASH SHROOMS COCAINE KETAMINE MDMA OPIUM

CANNABIS PSYCHEDELICS STIMULANTS DISSOCIATIVES MDMA OPIOIDS

1 SHROOMS 12 LSD 13 DMT 24 DMT 15 NBOME 106 LSD 57 NBOME 1008 LSD 109 LSD 5

10 LSD 111 LSD 212 LSD 513 NBOME 5014 LSD 115 Mescaline 516 LSD 117 LSD 1018 LSD 119 LSD 120 LSD 121 NBOME 1022 2C-B 1023 LSD 524 LSD 1025 LSD 126 LSD 127 LSD 128 LSD 329 2C-B 230 2C-I 531 DMT 232 LSD 533 LSD 334 LSD 535 2C-B 536 SHROOMS 337 2C.B 1038 LSD 539 DMT 140 LSD 2541 SHROOMS 542 DMT 143 LSD 1044 LSD 545 LSD 146 DMT 1047 NBOME 10048 LSD 149 LSD 550 SHROOMS 5

PSYCHEDELICS DOSAGES

DISCUSSION

• On-line drug markets are an emergent tendency that must be followed and monitored

• Internet and on-line markets can provide valuable information about NPS

• It is possible to detect very limited phenomena

• In “free market conditions” drug users choose preferently “classic drugs” than NPS

• Limitations:

• Are data reliable?

• Are data extrapolable to other on-line markets?

• Do NPS users buy drugs in on-line markets?

• Can NPS be used as adulterants to classical drugs?

CONCLUSIONS

• NPS are present in Silk Road

• There is a wide offer of NPS available to users, but, in general, they prefer classical drugs.

• Methoxetamine and 25-x-NBOMe seem the most popular substances in their cathegories. Importance of synthetic cannabinoids seem limited.

• Some NPS are being sold in great amounts, possibly indicating drug traffic instead of personal use

• It is important to pay attention to online drug markets, as emergent tendencies.