Bangkok (Thailand), 25 February 2022 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organized a training course to counter the use of cyber assets in the online trafficking of opioids, synthetic drugs, and their precursors. The training focused on the rise of new technologies in the facilitation of trafficking of opioids and synthetic drugs over the Internet.
According to the UNODC’s Darknet Threat Assessment Report 2020, synthetic drugs, opioids and their precursors are among the most widely available illicit products on the darknet, accounting for 68 percent of the total marketplace. On a global scale, the use of cyberspace and cryptocurrencies on the illicit darknet market poses significant challenges to law enforcement and counter-narcotic capacities for governance and regulation, drug supply reduction, and crime prevention. It is critical that law enforcement agencies have up-to date knowledge and mechanisms to trace transactions and seize cryptocurrencies that may be used by criminals.
The five-day training, led by UNODC specialists, included of a series of theoretical content and practical simulations of real-life scenarios to help participants understand the clearnet, darknet and cryptocurrencies in greater depth, as well as improve their expertise in detecting criminal activity on the darknet and conducting investigations using cryptocurrency tracing tools. Participants improved their ability to identify evidence and seize assets and drug proceeds stored in cryptocurrency wallets, as well as their understanding of enforcement and prosecution methods for smoother cross-border cooperation.
The training was organized in collaboration with the UNODC Opioid Strategy and was funded by the Government of The United States of America. UNODC will offer additional courses throughout the region and beyond to assist criminal justice authorities in developing long-term capacity for effective investigation and prosecution of cybercrime and cryptocurrency related cases.
Click here to read more about Global Programme on cybercrime.
Click here to read more about Opioids Strategy.
Click here to download the Darknet report.
