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.