Exclusive | Chinese traders sell cocaine, meth and fake identities in ‘deep web’ markets
Drug traffickers, forgers and hackers use the deep web and bitcoins to avoid detection of their lucrative trade
Chinese underworld traders are now making inroads into "crypto-markets", the notorious trading places of contraband goods and untraceable digital currencies, in the "deep web" where sites are not reachable by search engines.
The South China Morning Post has found several traders on crypto-markets operating from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.
They offer "hard to get" Colombian cocaine, Chinese-made methamphetamine for export to the rest of the world, Chinese passports and Hong Kong university diplomas, among other contrband goods, all deliverable to your doorstep.
Customers can buy bitcoins with real-world currency in online exchanges and then use the digital currency to buy products on crypto-markets such as Silk Road, Pandora or Alpaca. Sellers can then convert their earnings into real currency without leaving a paper trail like traditional bank transfers.
At least nine traders on the dark web’s markets said they sell narcotics to the rest of the world out of the Chinese mainland. Their offers include "well-cured" marijuana from Yunnan province, "pure" synthetic stimulants and Ecstasy pills.
