After a quick exploration, we noted that several types of illegal drugs are offered on a daily basis on different Telegram markets in the Netherlands. Therefore, we wanted to investigate whether monitoring these markets could be a valuable addition to our current monitoring system. Main advantages could be that changes in supply of several types of substances are revealed in “real time” and that markets appear nationally oriented in contrast to the international darknet markets.
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Relevant data besides the post itself included its publication date and the Telegram group in which the post appeared. Telegram analysis shows that in the Netherlands, online psychoactive substance trade may have been affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The direction of this effect was different for different classes of substances. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether changes in psychoactive substance trade on Telegram markets in the Netherlands can be observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The messaging app has also become a key node of the drug trade in Russia, where it is used by narco bloggers who discuss different drugs and where to buy them, and increasingly in other countries such as Argentina. On Telegram drug buyers and sellers chat on invite-only “channels”, some of which can have tens of thousands of active members, where anything from mescaline and “pink cocaine” to mephedrone and steroids, is available to buy.
Cost Of Weed In Berlin
This is somewhat different from darknet markets where also wholesale amounts of drugs are being offered. Telegram could be one of the intermediary options between darknet markets and street dealing which are valued by end users according to the work by Moyle et al. 2. Figure 1 presents a graphical representation of the differences between the proportions of posts related to drugs before, during, and after the lockdown. Between December 2, 2019, and June 29, 2020, a total of 70,226 posts appeared in two analyzed Telegram groups.
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Engage with like-minded individuals who share a common interest and knowledge in the berlin drugs realm. These groups serve as platforms for discussions, problem-solving, and exchanging wonders related to the world of berlin drugs. In this article, we present an evaluation of online psychoactive substance trade via Telegram, a free encrypted cloud-based social media messenger service established in 2013 1. Because Telegram messages are end-to-end encrypted and can even be set to self-destruct, Telegram has become increasingly popular internationally to arrange deals regarding illegal products including drugs 2. Within these groups, you can access links to various communities, supergroups, and chats focused on Telegram groups related to drugs .
Weed Price & Weed Quality In Berlin
The recent emergence of Poland as a synthetic drug production hub is a prime example of this phenomenon. With Poland rapidly emerging as top regional producer of 4-MMC, 4-CMC, 3-CMC, and Alpha-PVP, Europe’s youth are increasingly in the crosshairs of a particularly dangerous class of NPS drugs. Also troubling is the rise of synthetic opioid production in Poland. Notably, Morty Smith lists 3-MMC and 4-MMC sourced from France. The link between the Morty Smith shop and European synthetic drug suppliers is interesting given the DTO’s operating base in Vietnam.
In 2023, Meta deleted 19.3 million drug-related posts from Facebook and Instagram. Meanwhile, Latvia’s targeted task force arrested 47 Telegram-based dealers in a year, proving that proactive policing can yield results. “Regardless, Telegram is definitely a focal point for illegal online activity, particularly drug trading, of all the digital drug sellers we track, the majority also link to Telegram channels.” Matias Dewey, an academic who has researched Telegram’s impact on drug dealing in Argentina, called it the “messaging service par excellence” for drug dealing.
Some of the drug-themed channels openly advertise/mirror their services on X. Notably, these DTOs’ operating footprints span the world, with HUNTER investigators identifying Telegram drug sellers operating in jurisdictions as geographically diverse as Vietnam and Brazil. The authors of the report point out thouugh that this ease of access comes with a cost. The low barrier to entry makes it more likely that young people, even those who might never have sought out drugs on the street, will be drawn into the market.
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The only legal way to buy weed is to join a cannabis club. It’s impossible to verify whether the transactions discussed on Telegram are really taking place. It’s possible that a lot of people are just indulging their fantasies out of boredom. The app reveals people’s desires amidst the isolation of the corona lockdown. You can’t see their phone numbers – and the Russian company doesn’t reveal on which servers the pictures are stored.
Where Do Berliners Buy Weed?
In order to compare changes between the months before the COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020 in the Netherlands, we created an indicator variable based on the post dates. As one of the market groups we monitored was suddenly discarded around March 7, 2020, for unknown reasons, this group was kept out of the analyses; hence, the presented analyses are based on the results of 2 Telegram markets. Hence, using the Telegram desktop client, on June 29th we exported the complete chat corpus of the market groups which we followed since December 2019. The chat corpora were stored as html files, which we imported in the R statistical computing software environment. In R, we extracted relevant data of the html-based chat corpora and stored these data as a dataset for further analysis.
- In order to compare changes between the months before the COVID-19 lockdown in spring 2020 in the Netherlands, we created an indicator variable based on the post dates.
- The authors of the report point out thouugh that this ease of access comes with a cost.
- This plan provides additional features and insights, making it easier to target and understand specific Telegram group members.
- Utilize advanced features and filters to precisely target your desired Telegram audience.
- For that price, you can’t be sure about origin & quality though, especially when buying weed in Berlin off the street.
- Also troubling is the rise of synthetic opioid production in Poland.
- Some chat admins explain in a group’s rules of conduct that nothing illegal should be shared.
- Over the years, the value of this work has been recognized and featured on Expat.com, Vice, Berliner Zeitung, Financial Times & more.
- You must give your money to the driver, get your weed, get out of the car and leave.
- As all data were collected from an open and freely accessible anonymized online data source (Telegram), no informed consent could be collected.
It is illegal to sell controlled substances unless a company is registered with the DEA as a commercial carrier or has other specific licenses. Karenza Moore, an expert on club drugs at Newcastle University, said neither banning drugs nor seizing them had much impact on the public’s ability to buy them. The average price for a wholesale pack of 1,000 ecstasy pills, of varying stamp and strength, dropped from £2,000 to £1,500, with some vendors offering to sell up to 10,000 or 20,000 pills at a time. Border forces seized more than 1.5 tons of ketamine between 2021 and 2022 compared to an average of around 180 kilos per year over the last decade. The current kilo price for ketamine is cheaper than it was a decade ago.
Germany Shuts Down Telegram-based Drugs Marketplaces
In response, buyers have created ‘Legit Check’ (LC) groups where they verify reliable dealers and warn others about frauds. These groups act as self-regulating mechanisms within the illegal marketplace, allowing users to exchange reviews, share scam experiences, and even offer ratings for different sellers. Buying drugs in Poland has become as easy as ordering takeaway.
Without urgent intervention – whether through specialized police units, stronger platform regulation, or better prevention strategies – the problem will only grow. And as it does, more teenagers like Jasiek will find drugs easier to buy than ever before. Despite the growing scale of the problem, Polish law enforcement has been slow to respond. While some isolated arrests have been made, there is no coordinated national strategy to combat online drug trafficking. “As Telegram has servers worldwide, it may be harder to directly regulate compared to other US-based social media and communication platforms that can be pressured or fall within a law enforcement agency jurisdiction,” he told Newsweek.
