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Shopping on The Dark Web: Pure Drugs and Plastic Explosives
As word of the secret online drugs marketplace spreads, I decided to see what kind of goods could really be bought and sold on the infamous Silk Road. Here's what I found...
When storming through the Ethernet cable and into government servers to pilfer top secret documents, hacker groups need a place to lay low after doing it “for teh lulz”, in order to plan their next mission without being spied on by the authorities. So where do they go when the work is done?
The truth is it’s a place shared with arms dealers, terrorists, and drug traffickers. A secretive fold within the internet where you can anonymously buy automatic machine-guns and kilos of cocaine using an electical currency known as Bitcoin that no government in the land can regulate, all via ecommerce sites such as “Silk Road” and “The Armoury”.
Welcome to the world of the Dark Web…
I’ve managed to access the Dark Web to see what can really be purchased on the notorious Silk Road website. Various British broadsheets have been recently hammering home the idea that it’s an Amazon for criminals, but whilst that’s true to a degree, there’s much more to it than that. Silk Road is a virtual black market with a community made up of of lunatics, gun enthusiasts, libertarians, drug users, arms dealers and, to be honest, some very interesting people.
Getting in is not the easiest thing to do, but you don’t need to be anywhere near as tech savvy as some papers might have you believe (the Times even claimed they needed an IT expert to get in). At school I spent IT lessons trying not to get caught playing browser based video games—I managed to access Silk Road in about 15 minutes.
Silk Road is a virtual black market with a community made up of of lunatics, gun enthusiasts, libertarians, drug users, arms dealers and, to be honest, some very interesting people.
Firstly you have to download a program called Tor (The onion router), which basically opens the gateway into this untraceable internet-within-the-internet that is the Dark Web. The Tor client allows you to stay hidden in a virtual secret hideout by relaying its traffic through network upon network of servers situated all over the world, bouncing your false location from one country to the next. This apparently makes it almost impossible to trace the user’s true location and identity and was created specifically for this purpose—anonymous web browsing (Tor is used most importantly by countries living under rule of tyrannical dictatorships). The tragic irony of Tor is that the US Navy actually funded the project in its infancy, but now the FBI is trying to shut it down…
After finding the .onion Dark Web address for Silk Road, I typed it into the browser Tor opens up once it’s loaded, and hit enter.
At first you’re greeted with an almost blank webpage with a few boxes on it and a captcha. It’s seems pretty cryptic but it’s actually quite straightforward. I signed up as Cult Leader (as you do) and was instantly given access to Silk Road and all of its illegal glory.
Aesthetically, Silk Road looks like something you could create using Notepad and a fairly vague knowledge of HTML. This just adds to the intrigue of it though—it’s like the online equivalent of stumbling upon an underground clandestine chemistry lab. It doesn’t take long to see the appeal of Silk Road for so many of its users (reports suggest this number is likely in the hundreds of thousands). You can buy everything from genuine British passports, crystal meth and C4 explosives, to lock picks, .999 gold bullion bars, and flick knives disguised as house keys—all without stepping foot outside onto the street. Being a fully online service gives customers the reassurance that they’re not going to get bashed over the head and left with their pockets turned out upon purchase, which is most likely a big part of why Silk Road is so successful.
You can buy everything from genuine British passports, crystal meth and C4 explosives to lock picks, 999 gold bullion bars and flick knives disguised as house keys.
To start off my criminal shopping spree, I browsed Silk Road’s weapons site: “The Armoury”. Here vendors are selling mostly guns and ammunition such as a Polish “self-assemble” AK47 machine gun for 207 Bitcoins, which is roughly £640 in the current market (the value of Bitcoin fluctuates massively though, as its value is based on the amount of transactions its used in).
But amongst the Glock 19 handguns and endless rounds of Luger ammunition, was something quite special—two kilos of C4 plastic explosives, priced at about £66. This was on sale from a guy who claims, in his own words, to be “pretty big in black marketing” in New Zealand. I messaged him asking if there was any way to obtain more than the measly two kilos on offer. The conversation is as follows [only the spelling has been corrected]:
Me: I was just wondering if there would ever be a possibility of buying C4 in bulk, as opposed to just 6lbs worth?
C4 salesman: Yeah sure, I have another buyer looking at 25lbs though, so it may take a bit longer for yours to arrive. How much do you need? I am willing to lower the price per pound on a larger purchase.
Something like 100 lbs, how long would that take? Is it genuine C4 though? Like proper explosives?
Shit that’s loads… you taking out China? I would suggest an a-bomb instead. No but that is a lot of C4! What the fuck are you trying to do? I won’t tell the cops or anything, I’d be put away for life. It’s genuine, at that much I’ll chuck in some free blasting caps and detonation cord.
Between me and you, I’m preparing for the zombie apocalypse. It’s coming bro… it’s coming.
I dunno if you’re serious, but either way, sure, go ahead and spend shitloads of money on C4. Also, the best way to take out zombies (in my opinion) is making a pool-like moat around your house filled with sludge: 1 part water, 1 part sugar and 1 part salt. It will destroy the flesh (optional). Also keep a machete, a crowbar, a handmade wooden shield or a hubcap, fly spray (they may carry disease, if that’s the cause of the zombies, and it is highly toxic/flammable stuff), matches, canned beans, a flare gun (optional), a parachute for escapes when you are cornered at a height, rotten meat as a distraction, and a cyanide pill because you don’t wanna die by being ripped apart. A cyanide pill is better (I can actually supply cyanide). I made the list myself, but I’m keeping it because it’s actually quite good. Bullets will just go through them, don’t even bother.
After shooting the bull with the C4 salesman I browsed the rest of his goods, which included blowpipe tranquilliser darts, 50ml of Chloroform, a Yugoslavian M59 assault rifle and even a guide on “How to Make Someone Feel Bad” with the description: “I count this under weaponry as it is an attack on the mind”. Nice guy.
Back on Silk Road I headed to the drugs section of the site, which is generally considered the main attraction and seems to be the most lucrative for merchants by far. Here you can purchase pure Afghan heroin for $255 a gram, crystal cocaine flakes straight from South America, and every kind of meth-amphetamine, hallucinogen and prescription drug you can imagine. All of which is sent through the post and via airmail to anywhere in the world. If customs cotton on then your package will of course be destroyed, but for the thousands of nondescript Silk Road packages that do get past them (vendors even share “stealth” packaging techniques), it’s the perfect drug dealing home delivery service.
“That is a lot of C4! What the fuck are you trying to do? I won’t tell the cops or anything, I’d be put away for life.”
Despite the outrage in the media, Silk Road is actually doing drug users a good service. Out in the real world, where criminals will jab a needle in your neck for a bag of pennies, or cut their pills with everything from crushed glass to rat poison, you can never accurately gauge a drug dealer’s reputation. There’s no star rating or Amazon review for the guy slinging crack on the corner. So having this site, where people can now actually see how good a Silk Road dealer’s product is by checking their ratings from previous customers, could in theory mean the difference between dying from a dodgy pill or having a great time on some “A+” DMT. And if the worst comes to the worst and the drug vendor does somehow manage to turn on you, a computer virus and some stolen Bitcoins is a lot less painful than a chest full of burning shotgun pellets and your flat turned over…
As helpful as this ratings system might be to customers though, it’s actually one of the most sobering factors of Silk Road. Here you can see serious drug addicts rating their last purchase of heroin or Oxycontin or worse. Comments like “great hit, knocked me straight out!” and “this shit is so good I pissed myself after one bowl” are alarming, especially when only a link away from clean syringes and guides on how to chase the dragon.
As much as the wannabe outlaw in me finds the idea of Silk Road quite exciting, the truth is that the guns sold on this site could be used to kill innocent people, and the drugs could be reaching some kid who might not have ever known how to get hold of them, had he not gained access to Silk Road. Then again, it could also be saving the lives of addicts that rely on the high purity and anonymous interactions of Silk Road’s drug market, compared to the diluted, sometimes deadly, concoctions that the street has to offer.
But it boils down to more than crack rocks, bullets and home-made LSD tabs. Silk Road is an inevitable 21st century creation—guns, drugs and counterfeits are everywhere, but for some reason people are shocked that they’re now on the internet as well.
Originally published May 2012
Follow Jake Hanrahan on twitter: @Jake_Hanrahan
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COMMENTS
That conversation with the C4 dealer is one of the most terrifying things I've ever read. Great piece Jake
Great article indeed. Getting this sort of stuff via the postal system sounds really dodgy to me.Excuse my ignorance, but I am going to have to google bitcoins and find out what they are and how to wash them :)
Cheers lads.
And yeah I'm pretty sure that C4 guy was genuine. In his feedback other people had bought it and it had arrived okay.
Well that's my Christmas shopping sorted... I'm pretty much a libertarian when it comes to drugs but the arms shit is absolutely fucking terrifying. Great piece Jake.... Did your C4 turn up in the end? ;)
Sign me up for the hash, good god it's been a while, everything is so goddam green everywhere.
Great article haha love the zombie invasion discussion. Aside from ethics etc. practical drawbacks i've found are: -new buyers have to 'finalize early' which means they have to leave good feedback initially before the items arrived so the rating system is flawed -bitcoins are a pain to get and require installing further programs. also btc being a new cyber currency its value fluctuates erratically. so you can lose money on them and pay a commission in the process of getting them so you spend more than you think.
Great article. Bit mental that like. Can i order a Scud and have it delivered (par avion) to Piers Morgan?
True stories Pete, but the easiest way to get Bitcoins is to actually pay for them (strange I know).
I think it's fantastic that one of your main issues with the site is value for money Pete. Great article Jake. Let me know when you're next about. J
Looool yeah true. Cheers mate. Yeah will do!
i like the part when you forgot to block out the C4 salesman's username at the bottom of the pic. Lazy. I especially like all the editorials you put in there too. Top notch journalism. Did you read the article on wired and decide you'd just regurgitate it?
crappy article... sure it titillates the unknowing who find this kind of stuff fascinating but for someone who is a vendor on Silk Road all I can say is 'you got it wrong' There are no guns or C4 sold on Silk Road... all that stuff is sold at The Armory. Lets be honest... the majority of the population gets high on something... silk road gives you the opportunity to buy what you want from a ranked seller versus driving to a side of town NO ONE wants to go to and worry about having a gun thrust in your face. Yes you can buy Heroin, coke, weed, meth, mdma, etc... off Silk Road but honestly if your drug of choice is dank bud then the rest of the offerings are not going to be that enticing. If your looking for nuclear weapons, kiddy porn, cyanide or counterfeit money then skip Silk Road... they don't exist on there. However if you want super dank bud dripping with trichomes then come see Trustus Jones!! I got you!!
So there really is a free internet, thank all the Gods. Its not just guns and drugs, there is more to lose by all the controls being proposed and applied. There will always be a source of guns and drugs, even if the internet was completely shut down.
haha the sites currently got a countdown to 420
Having items delivered to your door.. ok so c4 is shipped airmail. It goes through borders. It has your address on it. It arrives. Flawed? Anyway Jake, very good article. I enjoyed reading it.
@Trustus Jones I clearly said in the article that it was on the Armoury where I found the guns. The Armoury used to be a part of Silk Road anyway and is run and owned by the same people so let's not try to pretend it's different. I suggest you read the article properly, you're preaching to the converted, I'm one of the first to write about Silk Road and mention the positive side of not getting robbed/stabbed/shot on the street by having it online.
@tony Not lazy, it's called a mistake, thanks for pointing it out. I haven't read the Wired one but I did read the Times one and even mentioned it in this article if you read it. The fact that I wanted to see what was on there and write about it doesn't mean I've regurgitated anything, mine is quote different from a lot of articles on Silk Road, cheers.
As long as the sellers allow payment via Paypal so you can raise a claim in case the Russian arms dealer/Bolivian drug runner turns out to be dodgy it sounds like a 'win' all round to me!
Wow, an article without tedious fear mongering for a change. Kudos. I myself don't think Armoury makes it easier to kill people. Killing people are already easy. Regardless of their mental stability, people who commit massive violent acts are resourceful people, they will always find a gun or an explosive or another ingenious device to cause harm. This will at most increase the candidates for Darwin Awards. I would be more worried about kids trying out drugs that they normally wouldn't. I actually don't think it's dangerous, but depending on the environment it can be. I think it's my own responsibility to know and educate my children about this, so I don't really mind. I actually find it positive and might one day try it out with my kids. But some others won't, for sure.
But did you actually buy anything?! For me personally, this article is lacking follow through to end result, therefore, not really proving that informative.
you can make more money by mash'n some 911 vids - but hay, hark on about dark web coz it sure beats the real fact that your paying for fear. More over, watch out becasuse the people who live in poverty for a fake fear wont do it forever and there will be payback (perhaps silk road is already a form of that a - given the major sites support massive crime gangs who produce fake products)
top article and really good to see how you've come on as a writer. Loved your early boxing articles so good to see you developing into a top journalist, look forward to more
@Adam: Watch this ... "I have no idea why someone whould have sent me a package like that, heavens me!" Usually they'd follow the money but ... Bitcoin. LOL.
The best review I've seen on there was for crystal meth: "this shit was so good I fucked my dog"
Maybe it's because I live in NYC, but everything listed on Silk Road I can get from walking down the street, hopping in a cab, or getting on a subway. Want heroin or Fake ID's? Shoot down to ChinaTown. Need coke or crack? Take the subway over to Washington Heights. Want guns? Take a cab uptown to Harlem. Porn? Plenty of spots by MSG. E Pills or LSD? Check out UnderNYC.com to find out where the nightly rave is. Weed? Ask any random hippie looking dude walking down the street. Bongs, pipes, or rolling papers? Hit up the Village. Hookers? Go over by the West Side Highway. Fact of the matter is, if you're not living in the boonies, you can buy any of these things in your nearest city. The difference between that and Silk Road? When your 17 year old punk kid gets curious (and he will!), instead of him getting robbed or murdered because he's somewhere that he doesn't belong, and everyone around there knows it, he can SAFELY order it to your house. It's amazing how naive most people are.
Silk Road is closed kids nothing to see here move along
@jack Cheers mate, really trying and feel like I've come a long way since then, glad you've noticed. @NYCKID Did you read the article? You're basically saying the same thing as I have in it.
NYCKid The benefit of the silk road is that the gear is peer reviewed and you don't have to associate with drug dealers. In London I struggle to buy acid and would prefer not to go to the kind of psytrance events where it can be purchased, as such the silk road is a tailor made solution.
@Coco Bryce "prefer not to go to the kind of psytrance events"....You don't like the music? @BladeMcCool "I have no idea why someone whould have sent me a package like that, heavens me" .....If it was something as serious as C4 your front door would be kicked in and all the incriminating evidence is sitting on your hard drive.
Great article as usual from you!
Other than delivery, it seems a great site and if you set your browser to private, then none of your internet history is recorded. In any case, I will be ordering some lovely stuff off there at the weekend and will post back to let you know how I get on. If I get nabbed, I will tell the filth that Jake told me to do it.
Kane, just tell them Mr. Green sent you, all will be forgotten. I have an insider... joke. Joke?
how does C4 and drugs get past airport customs
Jake - I don't work very hard, so I read a lot of online media. and like a sucker I read a lot of comments. Most commenters are wankers. If I were you I would do my best to avoid the below the line bit altogether. If you do get enticed in I'd say only engage with the non-knobheads. There's an endless stream of trolls and twats, it'll only end in swearing at the computer and getting pissed off. That's my two penneth worth - feel free to ignore!
Cheers Tony, sound advice. If someone reads the article and has an opinion though I don't like to just ignore it as it will seem like I think I', holier than thou or something. But yeah I think getting involved with the trolls is a bad idea. Cheers.
This article is hilarious. He doesn't even understand how this works. First off the silkroad doesn't handle weaponry of any type. You are thinking of a separate site reffered to as "The Armory" Second, if had done any research whatsoever you would know that 90% of what is on the armory is a scam. Get your facts straight and get behind gawker.
btw mr cont. anybody that literally decides they should buy c4 probably have a few ways to avoid getting caught. Also most people that buy this s*** buy multiple times to assure that some of it makes through customs think about it why buy c4 if your gona get caught amazing article jake
Dear John, read the article. "I browsed Silk Road’s weapons site: “The Armoury”." It does quite clearly say it's a different site, but they are related sites. So you managed to download an onion browser and now you think you're the shit, news flash you ain't. The site itself is ok, if slow (oniion network) but the exchange rate of Bitcoin (1BC = £4.2 - £5.50ish)and the availability of Bitcoin do make it a little on the pricey side, more to discourage the 'day tripper'. There are cheaper sites but I'll let 'John' use his skillz to find them for himself.
wonder whats in the home and garden section
I've bought hash there many times over the course of the last year, and have NEVER been disappointed with whatever I've purchased. I rank SR as one of my favourite sites EVER
I have to say as easy as it is for users to look at silk road or start selling on the website, It's just as easy for law enforcement to do the same. With drugs there is a lot of people buying and rating all the time-I'm not so sure the same can be said about buying C4. This could be why there is positive feedback for the C4 guy. Totally crazy if he is really selling C4 to the public for any cause with cash.
is this website still up and running and if so can you email how to access this and see this for myself i would have to say hash my mail could be heavenly
Nice article. I actually think Silk Road is not all that much of a threat. Like you said: guns, drugs, counterfeits, and weapons are everywhere. The important thing to remember is that anyone determined enough to commit an act of terrorism with say that 100lbs of c4 is probably going to do it wheter or not he can get the c4 on silk road. Terrorist organizations would never use Silk Road because the chances of being caught are mucgh too high compared to their personal contacts that they traditionally use. All of this is moot anyway since Silk Road no longer sells any kind of weapon. As far as drugs go, its one of the best things that can happen. ANyone that wants to use drugs can use drugs, they are literally everywhere. Silk Road at least makes it possible for users to buy relatively safe drugs (as opposed to cut drugs) without the risk of using a street dealer. Also the less street dealers the less street violence in general as almost all violence on the street has to do with drug trafficking/selling. By buying drugs on Silk Road everyone (users, dealers, innocents, and cops) are safer and like I said earlier, you can get drugs anywhere so its not like Silk Road increases drug use. I think it will be up for a while now that they no longer sell weapons. It really makes no sense for authorities to focus on shutting it down just because of the drugs, it would be a lot more effective to put those resources into stopping drugs from being smuggled into the US and other countries in the first place because most of the drugs sold on Silk Road were at some point smuggled into the country. Also, unless they find a way to quickly take down any tor hidden service, new sites will take over as soon as one is shut down.
Interesting article but heavily flawed. I have several friends in law enforcement and when I brought up this subject, they all laughed. To sum up what they told me. A large percentage of people/groups are in fact law enforcement stings, set up to catch the big dealers. Whether selling or buying. One off buyers of small amounts of drugs are ignored, whereas those who order a lot are monitored and arrested later. Weapons on the other hand are removed from circulation, with their respective sellers either arrested or turned into moles so they can inform on those who procured the weapon in the first place. But that being said there is still a percentage that get through.
If you believe your cop friends than fair enough, but a lot of law enforcement agencies are "laughing it off" simply because it's very hard to stop. I spoke about this to high ranking police officer a few months back and he had no idea what I was talking about. Do you have evidence to back up the police mole intercepting the majority of Silk Road product? After a lot of research into SR and the deepweb, pgp encryption etc, I find it hard to believe.
Like ur page ma man. Would be good t have a wee chat bout few tings. cheers!
Sure, drop me a line at [email protected]
So, how would the bitcoins transaction look on my bank statement. Would it look shady as hell?
plz sent dmt in free i like this
God you're a moron, or worse. Don't claim to be upset that the site may put someone in jeopardy when you are giving the site publicity.
Feyk that's so silly. Is somebody promoting the Taliban by writing about a bomb they set off? I am not upset about Silk Road, just simply stating the facts. Funny the shut down the Armoury recently.
A gentleman seldom needs C-4, but when he needs it, he really NEEDS it.
I think this world is going to shit...thanks for making it easier for our kids to become drug addict..SR sellers deserve HELL
NYCKid, bet you cant buy Magic Mushrooms straight from Dartmoor on West Side highway. Or Pot noodles, come to that.. Great write up by the way.
1. the armory is closed, no more AK and C4. 2. if you spent some time browsing you would see that 80% of what is sold is weed and another sizable percentage is online goods. 3. the knuckleduster in a dark basement makes a comission of EVERY transaction and could earn as much as a couple million dollars a year. and another suprising fact, have you ever seen fairtrade hash? I have, on the SR.
Thanks for comment mate, but I disagree slightly with point 2. 1. This was written when the Armoury was still open. 2. 80% of drugs on auction being weed is in no way shape or form anywhere near what it was like when I wrote this. It was more like 50% when I was on. There's is tons of heroin, meth, amphet etc. 3. Good for them. And how can you be sure it's fairtrade when everything is anonymous and without trace? Just because they said it is?
I am glad they closed down 'Armoury' section. Atleast taking drugs donot harm others (who cares for druggists if they have taken choice to harm themselves), while guns can ruin other peoples lives (like road accidents). BUT, for countries like India, where self-defence items for women like peppersprays/stun-guns/tasers are indispensable, they should be supplied.
Ok I have downloaded the Tor browser but how do I get to silk road? I need the URL....Alls I want is some legit LSD or DMT or ne good hullucinagetic....PLEASE HELP
Good article. SR is the more expensive sire to buy drugs seeing as how the sellers have to pay over $500 to be a vendor. The site blackmarket reloaded is cheaper, and also has other stuff on it. no c4 though. I personally have never come across that on the darkweb.
Good article. SR is the more expensive site to buy drugs seeing as how the sellers have to pay over $500 to be a vendor. The site blackmarket reloaded is cheaper, and also has other stuff on it. no c4 though. I personally have never come across that on the darkweb.
king khan is king of afghanistan he have own grow opium hash and have alot of ton drugs herion want bussnise contect them facebook or email same [email protected]
hello i am drug dealer from afghanistan and want bzn my own grow alot of drugs my facebook [email protected]
Yur article was well done as far as I am concerned. Those who want to throw stones (trolls) are just ding what they do best.... adding nothing relevant to anything they participate in. I think it is crazy that one would attempt to purchase drugs or anything else illegal online in the first place, but that is just my thinking. I think the whole idea f it being shocking is just that it is there, in your face, if you are looking. Most people are accustomed to thinking all that takes place in some seedy area f their town. All in all, a good article. Thanks for publishing it.
I would buy some acids, which are you? and you send to Brazil?
get a job you fuckin slob
Aweѕоme post.
I feel like buying some greenbacks, but does anyone know indulge here in Brazil? Each day this fucking buy here, out here that marijuana is not these things.
A guy at my university bought a freakin' Cobra on Silk Road! The thing got loose and killed his cat and the guy freaked out and shot it. The neighbors heard the shot and called the cops, who subsequently arrested the guy but he was just given a fine at his court date.
RIP Silk Road...
Hello, i have about 2kgs of marijuana and another 3kgs will be ready by the end of this month
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Interesting article. How do you protect yourself from scammers, with no goods to actually sell? Paypal isn't a payment option on TOR.
got some legal stuffs for sell like steroids and pharmaceutical drugs.contact for more info. skype;smithadams143
I want to chloroform pure drug
To control the world You need $Money & Power$ 1-"work for money" & let it be your god. (wrong) 2-"let money work for you" & let it be your Servant.(rightway)
What a great article, short and sweet. shame people only seem to scroll through without taking anything in as half these comment are repetitive and are stating things that were clearly said in the article anyway. if you don't like the article then don't read it. as a matter of fact it was very precise. and if you read even deeper into the history of the silk road youd all find it and the story of dead pirate Roberts very interesting indeed. anyway, Jake, very very interesting in my eyes but brief. would've have liked to have read more. keep up the good work fella
I WANT TO CLOROFORM IMMEADIATLY
Who can sell me crystal meth with legit free sample.
Hi everyone, I currently live in Monterrey, Mexico and I was wondering, what can I do in case I want to order something (not necesarily drugs or weapons) obviously Im not going to give my real address out, what can I do?
I was extremely surprised as to how easy it was to access the darknet, before just even a few years ago I never would have thought such thing existed. I do believe that the creation of SR and sites like it are a great invention because there that level of anonymity that you don't get on the street. I use a VPN in conjuction with TOR so I don't use my real IP address while accessing tor or even search for sites like this.
Hi Im trying to bay some Crystal meth im from New York city
looking to buy cocaine via the net thank you to answer me
Liked the article. Only came across this now. I'm quite blown away, though not as terrified as I was watching doccies of Mexican cartels. Good work Jake.
SABOTAGE
