The United Kingdom has joined the league of the world's biggest buyers of drugs on the dark web-just as Dark Web News reported recently.
This statement is backed by a host of surveys focused on the proliferation of illicit online activities today.
Findings of the Global Drug Survey 2018 have shown that a large fraction of British drug users have made substance purchases within the darknet space.
Quite obviously, this reality follows a general desire, by drug buyers, to remain anonymous and pay for drugs using cryptocurrencies.
Usually, drug dealers use postal services to circumvent the sharp eyes of U.K. law as authorities sustain an aggressive onslaught against international drug trafficking.
The U.K. dark web-supported cocaine issue in particular was recently discussed on a forum hosted by Radio Sputnik.
The guest on the radio show, Fiona Measham, is a criminology professor at Durham University and an influential commentator on matters concerning drug use in British society.
In her conversation with Radio Sputnik, the renowned social expert explained that the dark web is a contributing factor for the U.K.'s looming cocaine problem.
In summary, the following snippets can be chipped off the discussion:
Reasons for the Spike in Cocaine Use in the U.K.
In response to the radio host's question regarding the above subject, Measham responded by citing a number of reasons.
Most notably, the currently high levels of European drug consumption is to blame for the increase in cocaine use across the continent.
While this aspect holds truth in the general context of cumulative drug use across Europe, cocaine's market features have contributed to its supremacy.
Cocaine's price in the U.K. is very low vis-à-vis other narcotic options.
Additionally, the cocaine sold in the U.K. boasts of relatively high purity, added to the fact that the drug is easily available.
The Dark Web: An Explanation for Relatively Low Cocaine Prices in the U.K.
According to Measham, the dark web has contributed greatly to the current cocaine problem in the U.K.
A decent percentage of British drug users can now access the substance online without having to face the risks associated with buying cocaine on the streets.
Additionally, most of the cocaine found in darknet markets boasts of high purity levels. These factors are coupled with the fact that the dark web has greatly challenged the interception of drug consignments by authorities.
Therefore, cocaine pricing has become harmonized by the cumulative effect of market factors surrounding U.K. cocaine trade.
The other reason, in Measham's view, is still tied to the currently high purity levels of cocaine found in the U.K. drug market.
The time preceding the year 2010 was associated by a scarce availability of good quality cocaine.
In addition, sometime in 2010, very little coke was finding its way into the U.K. market. This aspect stemmed from successful drug enforcement efforts by U.K. authorities.
To adjust, drug users resorted to abusing Chinese-manufactured psychoactive substances. This observation explains the initial slump in cocaine prices in 2010, a factor that has not changed much to date.
So, accordingly, the currently low cocaine pricing is an aftershock of the drug's market conditions eight years ago.
Latest Findings: The U.K.'s Dire Cocaine Ecosystem
The recent European Drug Report 2018: Trends and Developments has intimated that England and Wales have accounted for the largest figures regarding cocaine use in Europe.
The analysis used 2016 statistics to show that 4 percent of youth, aged 16-34 years, have consumed cocaine in the previous year.
The E.U.'s drug monitoring agency revealed that the figures surpassed the E.U.-wide average of 1.9 percent of consumers abusing the Class A drug.
Other European countries (mainly Denmark and Spain) also reported significant cocaine prevalence.
An Imminent Reality: The U.K., Europe's Cocaine Capital
While glossing over the shocking figures asserted by the damning report, U.K. lawmakers have raised alarm over the advancement of cocaine use among younger populations, and its relationship with darknet websites.
Ben Wallace, the U.K. security minister, has come out to declare his "worry" over the looming cocaine crisis in the U.K.
According to his sentiments, the U.K. is certainly edging towards becoming the cocaine capital of Europe.
The minister cited high supply and profitability of the drug as an aspect contributing to high cocaine use in the U.K.
Technology has also added to the wealth of challenges inhibiting a sufficient law enforcement grip on cocaine trade.
The official told a Commons debate that smartphones and encryption have accorded adolescents with an opportunity to deal drugs with ease.
Previously, drug purchases were made difficult by the need to physically travel to drug sources.
The recent years, on the other hand, have featured a shift from that scenario to an easy access of products and services online.
These days, you can deal drugs right from the comfort of your home. Money laundering has also been simplified by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
Similarly, Labor MP David Lammy issued a warning about the realities of drug-related crime in the U.K.
The minister cited the smartphone age and message encryption techniques as culprits in the rise of cocaine use in Europe.
Concerning this, the dark web has greatly eliminated the need for middle-men, and this aspect has surmounted drug enforcement initiatives.
Cocaine is no longer the preserve of the rich and famous, but is now an easily accessible substance that can be shopped through a simple web click.
