E-commerce models being used to conceal drug trafficking

Islamabad: Troels Vester, Country Representative, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has highlighted the Dark Web’s growing role as a sophisticated enabler of cybercrime, providing anonymity for a widening range of illicit activities.

Mr Vester was addressing a session on “Dark Web and e-commerce in Pakistan: emerging tactics of drug trafficking and law enforcement responses” organised here by Institute of Regional Studies (IRS). Mr Vester noted that messaging applications are being misused for drug distribution and that criminal networks are adopting e-commerce-style operating models, making trafficking more organised and harder for authorities to detect. He warned that Pakistan’s online drug markets are expanding rapidly, with sellers using encrypted channels and digital payments to evade law enforcement. These developments, he said, demand a coordinated, technology-driven and well-resourced response.

Oliver Gadney, Programme Coordinator, Global Programme against Money Laundering, UNODC Headquarters, shared insights into technological tools, investigative methodologies and global best practices for countering dark-net-based crime.