Internet Sales of Illegal Drugs a Major Problem: European Union Study

Almost any kind of illegal drug can be purchased online and delivered by mail, without the buyer making direct contact with drug dealers, according to a new report by the European Union (EU). The report states such purchases make it more difficult to track drug routes.

The report by the EU’s European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the police agency Europol notes drugs bought online are being moved through legitimate forms of transportation and postal services, Reuters reports.

According to the report, Europe is an increasingly important producer of synthetic drugs. Mobile production units are used to conceal the drugs during manufacturing. Marijuana production is also increasing throughout Europe, the study notes.

“For synthetic drugs, and increasingly cannabis, the EU remains an important drug-producing region,” EMCDDA Director Wolfgang Götz noted in a news release. “The trend for producing illicit drugs close to their intended consumer markets, where they are less likely to be intercepted, is a growing one. We are now paying an increasing cost for this development in terms of community safety, public health and the burden placed on already stretched police resources.”