Pubdate: Sat, 02 Mar 2002
Source: Guardian, The (UK)
Copyright: 2002 Guardian Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/175
Author: Steven Morris

WEB DRUG DEALERS RATTLE CYBER COPS

Traffickers Exploiting The Internet For Fast, Secure Communications

Drug gangs are making increasing use of the internet and exploiting the 
lack of cooperation between international law enforcement agencies to 
improve their operations, a new UN report claims.

The report from the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) also draws 
attention to the problem of smaller scale drug dealers using chatrooms to 
sell their goods.

It highlights the ease with which internet users can find websites which 
give step-by-step guides on how certain drugs, especially amphetamines, can 
be manufactured.

The report, entitled Globalisation and New Technologies, says that drug 
traders are discovering ever more sophisticated ways to use the internet.

They are improving the efficiency of distribution networks by using the 
secure, instant communication offered by the net and protecting themselves 
by employing "IT warriors" to launch cyber attacks on law enforcement 
agencies. The gangs are storing information such as bank details, contact 
numbers, grid co-ordinates of landing strips and recipes for the 
manufacture of drugs in encrypted form on computers and pocket organisers.

Some of the problems being faced by law enforcement agencies emerged after 
American and Colombian agents captured 30 suspected drug traffickers.

Security experts were amazed at the technology the gang members were using. 
The chat rooms they communicated in were protected by firewalls which 
officials found impossible to penetrate.

The suspects also had access to highly sophisticated encryption technology. 
One US official said it took some of their best computer experts 24 hours 
to crack a 30-second transmission, making the exercise largely pointless.

Significantly, the gang fed information about its daily activities into a 
computer housed in a ship off the Mexico coast. Raiding the ship would have 
caused all sorts of jurisdictional problems for prosecutors.

Even basic uses of services on the internet can help the traffickers. In 
Australia, for example, traffickers have been known to have used the 
facility offered by courier services which allows clients to track 
shipments on a website. If there is a delay - which could indicate that the 
shipment is being investigated - the gang can take appropriate action.

Aggressive use of the internet is also becoming common. Colombian and 
Mexican cartels have intercepted communications between investigators and 
collected personal information about investigators.

The Chinese authorities reported a case in which criminals used hackers to 
penetrate a customs database and alter the details of a freight consignment 
containing drugs.

In Italy heroin smugglers managed to put the authorities off their scent by 
setting up bogus websites which were difficult but not impossible to 
penetrate. While the authorities wasted time collecting information from 
the bogus sites, the smugglers continued their trade using genuine sites.

The creation of global money markets and the introduction of "virtual 
casinos" helps the gangs launder money quickly and with little fear of 
detection. Narcotics police in Hong Kong say following drug money has 
become much more difficult because of the advances in electronic commerce 
and internet banking facilities.

The INCB report expresses concern that not enough is being done to 
coordinate efforts to clamp down on drug traffickers.

While countries like the UK the US and Japan are taking the problem 
seriously, many others are doing little to tackle internet crime.

A fear is that some less developed countries may become "data havens" where 
gangs can base their IT system with little fear of being prosecuted.

Alan McGauley, a senior lecturer in social policy at Sheffield Hallam 
University, said: "A major problem all law enforcement agencies have is 
that the cartels have so much money they can get the very best experts who 
can help them stay a step ahead."

The way smaller scale dealers are finding customers using the internet is 
also highlighted in the INCB report. Drugs paraphernalia and items such as 
cannabis seeds have long been offered for sale on the web but there is 
increasing evidence that dealers are offering drugs through chatrooms.

A quick surf of the internet yields hundreds of chatrooms where drug taking 
is being discussed. Some sites give users the chance to record details of 
where they bought drugs, how much they paid and the quality. One entry by a 
Luton user spotted on the web yesterday read: "Marijuana: skunk crossed 
with haze: £20-25: Quality: mind blowing, especially through a water or 
electric pipe. Availability: grown local, so only available in season."

Another trend which is concerning the INCB is the proliferation of web 
sites containing recipes for making drugs. While in the past recipes were 
kept secret, they are now readily available to anyone with internet access.

It is easy to find websites which give a step-by-step guide to making 
drugs. Many carry warnings which claim the recipes are not meant to be a 
practical guide but published for "informational purposes"only.

The INCB said the likely consequences of this trend were "alarming". It led 
to the creation of "drugs clubs" whose members encourage and assist one 
another.

David Wall, of the centre for criminal justice studies in Leeds and one of 
Britain's foremost experts on cyber crime, said he found this trend 
particularly worrying. He said: "People have always been able to find out 
information if they really want to but the internet does make it more 
easily accessible."

Potted guide to world trends

Africa

Injecting heroin is becoming more common, a trend which is contributing to 
the spread of HIV/Aids. The abuse of crack cocaine is growing faster than 
the abuse of any other drug in South Africa because it has become cheaper. 
Cocaine abuse has also increased significantly in Angola and Namibia.

Americas

Drug traffickers in Colombia are diversifying, supplying substances like 
ecstasy as well as cocaine and heroin. In Canada and the US cocaine use 
appears to be stabilising but heroin is on the increase.

Asia

Opiate addiction rates in Iran and Pakistan continue to be among the 
highest in the world. Amphetamines are becoming more popular in Indonesia, 
Thailand and Japan. Ecstasy, virtually unknown in the region 10 years ago, 
is also widely used.

Europe

Remains the major source of illicitly manufactured synthetic drugs such as 
ecstasy. Illegal poppy cultivation has been discovered in Albania.

Oceania

More Pacific islands are becoming offshore financial centres which could 
provide opportunities for drugs traffickers to launder their money. The 
number of labs manufacturing amphetamines is increasing in Australia.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart