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Press release March 23, 2000 Drug dealers on the Internet An investigation by BBC Radio 5 Live has revealed that as many as 1.100 web sites worldwide sell drugs. One supplier in Holland takes 400 orders a week for cannabis from the UK for people who take the drug for 'health reasons'. According to the investigation, UK web sites also deal in drugs. One Shropshire businessman reportedly buys cannabis from a web site based in Devon, pays by credit card and receives it in a brown envelope by post. The global nature of the Internet makes it increasingly difficult to police, as authorities have no jurisdiction over suppliers abroad Peter Hampton, founder of the Global Internet Monitoring Agency, an international web crime-fighting agency, told BBC Radio 5 Live that drugs and the equipment to use them are becoming increasingly available. The agency receives about 1,500 complaints a day about a range of issues including drugs, pornography and hacking. Techniques for
stamping out illegal practices on the Internet are now at an advanced stage and
in a year's time it should be possible to 'police' the web by mapping the links
and relationships between sites. The Glasgow-based company Buchanan International, which
works closely with police forces, providing expertise and training in tracking
criminals on the Internet says that "The technologies that are being
developed at the moment could be adapted to address this particular
problem." In a BBC
interview, British drug czar Keith Hellawell said that it is difficult to
police the Internet and that police in Britain needed to act with police in
other countries. "We are trying to get more countries to co-operate
together so that if we do clearly identify sites where these drugs are being
transmitted from, the particular host country will actually act." As reported by Customs officials, cannabis is the main drug being distributed via Internet web sites but ecstasy, cocaine and heroin are available as well. Officials also report that Switzerland and the Netherlands are two key origins of web sites. "Dark
Side of the Web talks now available" Due to great demand following the success of recent "Dark Side of the Web" talks given by Stephen Whitelaw and Colin Rose of Buchanan International, you now have the opportunity of learning about the potential pitfalls of using the Internet. Stephen Whitelaw and Colin Rose provide their time free of charge to deliver these talks to a range of audiences of around 50 – 100 people, including:-
Companies wanting to avoid the commercial dangers of fraud and misrepresentation on the web Areas of Interest : Web-spoofing / Hacking / Viruses Businesses Organisations concerned to improve the benefit they derive from using the internet. Areas of Interest : Blocking / Managing Internet Use Universities worried that they may be allowing students and staff free access to undesirable material. Areas of Interest : Pornography / Hacking / Carding / Phreaking / Anarchy / Virus Creation. Schools wanting to know what undesirable material there is and how to avoid it. Areas of Interest : Pornography / Drugs / Anarchy / Hacking / Phreaking / Virus Creation / Carding . Police Forces wanting their investigators to be aware of illegal activity on the web, and using computers and the Internet to assist their investigations. Areas of Interest :Paedophilic Pornography / Hacking / Virus Distribution / Terrorism / Steganography / Encryption / Murder / Drugs / Guns Etc. © Hassela Nordic Network |
