Darknet Drug Market: Analytics and Trends

Hello everyone, this is Pavlu. Today, I’ll share a bit about how the market for selling psychoactive substances (PAS) operates on the dark web. Recently, I came across an article with the flashy title “How the Stash Market Works in Moscow,” which only provided some general information about this market. Things like: “Popular stash spots are benches and windowsills (seriously, what is this, 2010?)…” I asked myself, “Is that it?” and felt a bit disappointed. So today, I’ll show you some actual statistics from darknet markets. Let’s get started.

If you love numbers, there’s a service that tracks all stashes on darknet markets—quantity, average price, total sales volume, you name it:

http://darks3wnzxlphe2x.onion/

This service was created by the folks at darkach.com (not an ad!) and shows the current status of stashes. Check out the screenshot below.

There’s also visual statistics available, as well as a feature for comparing different marketplaces.

If you want to analyze the market (if that’s your thing), you can use these tools.

How Is This Market Structured?

It’s actually pretty simple and straightforward—you probably already know. There’s a chain: supplier (and/or manufacturer) → seller → warehouse → stashers → customers.

Main Trends in the Darknet Drug Market Over the Past Six Months

1. After the legendary RAMP marketplace shut down, the whole stash and sales scene became a bit more decentralized: many sellers moved to Hydra, some launched their own sites (which keep getting exposed one after another), and others use various options—posting on multiple platforms at once (for example, Hydra, Rutor, Solaris), plus running their own site, selling via Telegram, etc.
2. Many created Telegram bots, but in recent weeks, almost all of them have been deleted. New ones pop up, but not as many. Operations now run through human operators. If you want, you can still buy everything via messenger. Many sellers rename and hide their products. For example, the “music bot” hasn’t been blocked because it runs on a completely different engine. Activity on Telegram remains, but it’s much weaker and unstable. New bots are constantly being blocked, and major sellers aren’t eager to return to Telegram for now.
3. Attention to darknet drug sales has increased significantly. In Moscow, for example, there are “red zones”—parks where you should be extra careful:
   • Bitsevsky Park
   • Izmailovsky Park
   • Filevsky Park
   • Sokolniki
   • Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo
   • Kuskovo

   These are just the ones I know personally—there may be more “red zones.”

4. A trend toward disguising products has emerged: as trash, stones, and other items. Now you can get not just a “magnet” or “buried stash,” but also a cleverly disguised hidden product.
5. There’s a slight shortage of stashers (people who hide the goods). There are noticeably more “join our team” ads on underground forums. Possible reasons:
   • Sales volumes are growing (it’s the season—everyone’s stocking up for New Year and holidays)
   • Police are actively working in November-December
   • Stashers leaving the business (after earning a couple million in a year, some buy assets and go legit)
6. The number of marketplaces has exploded, affecting product prices. You might think this is nonsense, but here’s the deal: top sellers now post on multiple platforms at once. They have to pay everywhere, and these costs are passed on to buyers—no doubt about it. Prices can vary between platforms, so pay attention. Buy where there’s a flat rental fee, not a percentage of each deal—you might save a bit.

Keep an eye on the trends if you’re involved in this scene.