Gerrit Kamphausen

Centre for Drug Research / Goethe-University Frankfurt | Frankfurt (DE)

Lecture
Buying Drugs Online – Quantitative and Qualitative Data from a German-Austrian Research Project on Drugs and Organised Crime*

Selling and buying drugs on the darknet has become an established part of illicit drug markets, yet still being scarcely recognized by lawmakers, treatment and consulting professionals, and researchers alike. Findings from a quantitative online survey on German-speaking users’ buying behaviour are summarised, and additional qualitative content analyses of darknet forums related to the sales of drugs is presented. Statistical Data from the online survey includes types of drugs bought and frequency of buying, preferred sources for ordering drugs, measures of security applied, and negative experiences when ordering drugs online. The qualitative analysis of darknet forums aims at finding and explaining relations of trust and risk perception, logistics applied and discussed by sellers and buyers, as well as reasons for and courses of disputes. Findings from the online survey include, among others, that ordering drugs online is a small but relevant part of the overall drug market, with mostly experienced drug users ordering drugs occasionally, in some cases regularly or frequently. Findings from the qualitative analysis reveal aspects of the language commonly used to describe selling and buying drugs online, especially when regarding disputes subsequent to failed logistics. This leads to deeper understanding of how the trade is organised in general.

* Funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research