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In the criminal underworld, transactions generate risk for the parties involved, but in contrast to legal markets, parties are unable to turn to legal recourse when cheated in a transaction. Past r...

Over the last two decades, researchers explored various aspects of the operational practices of online illicit market operations through the Open and Dark Web for various physical and digital goods...

Este artigo procura entender por que facções e seus sujeitos envolvidos no mercado de drogas gaúcho recorreram à violência extrema, entre 2016 e 2018. Com base em notícias de jornal, grupos focais e entrevistas narrativas com adolescentes em cumprimento de medida socioeducativa de internação, concluiu-se que o emprego de violência extrema constituiu um instrumento essencial na estratégia de expansão dos embolamentos no mercado de droga no estado. O uso da violência como fim principal da ação aprofundou o envolvimento dos sujeitos na “guerra”, apontando para um padrão de sociabilidade, com códigos de solidariedade internos aos grupos. “So They Can See How Bad We Are”: Extreme Violence in Rio Grande Do Sul’s Drug Market seeks to understand why factions and the individuals involved in the Rio Grande do Sul drug market resorted to extreme violence between 2016 and 2018. We concluded that the use of extreme violence was an essential instrument in the strategy of expansion of criminal groups in the drug market in the state. The use of violence as the main purpose of the action deepened the involvement of the subjects in the “war”, pointing to a pattern of sociability, with codes of solidarity internal to the groups.

Whilst drug trafficking has been a concern for several decades, wildlife trafficking has only fairly recently garnered international attention. Often media coverage of wildlife trafficking links it to the illegal trade of drugs. This article analyses wildlife and drug trafficking connections of various kinds. The purpose is to reveal the overlaps and synergies of wildlife and drug trafficking, providing concrete examples of where these markets co-exist as well as intertwine based on literature and original fieldwork. It explores the question of ‘Why in some cases, an illicit market remains focused on a single commodity, whilst in others it accommodates a combination of illicit commodities?’ This study identifies different types of wildlife-drugs linkages, including combined contraband, camouflage, multiple trade lines, shared smuggling routes and transportation methods, barter trade, and laundering drug money. The article shows that illicit markets are complex and the examples of activities and transactions that are provided illuminate some of the different dimensions of converging and diverging trades involving wildlife and drugs.

In recent years, the synthesis and introduction of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) into the illicit market has reached alarming levels. More than 730 compounds have been identified by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). Among the newest NPS, synthetic opioids deserve special attention, in particular fentanyl and its analogues that in 2018 covered more than 70% of the world demand for opioids, with thousands of fatal events in USA. In this context it is of significant importance to have the right tools to identify the most recent NPS exploiting the synergy between different analytical techniques. Two synthetic opioids, belonging to the family of fentanyl derivatives were found in the same seizure occurred in Italy in 2019. IsobutyrylFentanyl (iBF) and 4-Fluoro-Furanylfentanyl (4F-FuF) were identified. A comprehensive elucidation of 4F-FuF by means of several analytical techniques, namely IR, Raman, GC–MS, LC–HRMS/MS and NMR, is provided in this work. In Italy, as a result of the present study, a formal notification of 4F-FuF to the national early warning system was sent and notification to EMCDDA ensued.

The study presents results of toxicological analysis performed on seized material in Neapolitan area in the period from 2013 to 2018. A constancy in THC and heroin percentages is evidenced (%THC ~10% and ~11.5% for marijuana and hashish; heroine: 20–24%), with mean values exceeding the European data. Data on cocaine revealed a constant increment of active principle percentage over the studied period (from 40% in 2013 to ~65% in 2018), with peak of 70% in 2017; also, number of samples exceeding the mean value increased over years. Active principles contents resulted higher than the ones reported in other Italian area ever the same period; marijuana was prevalent on hashish, confirming an Italian trend different from other European countries. A map of the Campania region evidenced two main “storage” districts, one corresponding to the city center and the second located in the northern part. If compared with literature data on the presence of local mafia, these areas are perfectly superimposable to those with the highest risk of homicides, thus confirming the degree of radicalization of local organizations and the relative weight of proceeds from drugs sale. Moreover, such radicalization within the territory seems to be the main reason of the absence of new psychoactive substances among the seized material.

Laws that prohibit, regulate, or tax cigarettes can generate illicit markets for tobacco products. Illicit markets both reduce the efficacy of policies intended to improve public health and create harms of their own. Enforcement can reduce evasion but creates additional harms, including incarceration and violence. There is strong evidence that more enforcement in illicit drug markets can spur violence. The presence of licit substitutes, such as electronic cigarettes, has the potential to greatly reduce the size of illicit markets. We present a model demonstrating why enforcement can increase revenues in the illicit market, show that states with higher tobacco taxes have larger illicit markets, and apply the findings to discussion of public policy toward a potential ban on menthol cigarettes. The social calculus involved in determining public policy toward tobacco cigarettes should include the harms from both consumption and control. We conclude by highlighting areas where more research is needed for effective policymaking.

Ransomware can prevent a user from accessing a device and its files until a ransom is paid to the attacker, most frequently in Bitcoin. With over 500 known ransomware families, it has become one of the dominant cybercrime threats for law enforcement, security professionals and the public. However, a more comprehensive, evidence-based picture on the global direct financial impact of ransomware attacks is still missing. In this paper, we present a data-driven method for identifying and gathering information on Bitcoin transactions related to illicit activity based on footprints left on the public Bitcoin blockchain. We implement this method on-top-of the GraphSense open-source platform and apply it to empirically analyze transactions related to 35 ransomware families. We estimate the lower bound direct financial impact of each ransomware family and find that, from 2013 to mid-2017, the market for ransomware payments has a minimum worth of USD 12,768,536 (22,967.54 BTC). We also find that the market is highly skewed with only a few number of players responsible for the majority of the payments. Based on these research findings, policy-makers and law enforcement agencies can use the statistics provided to understand the size of the illicit market and make informed decisions on how best to address the threat., 17th Annual Workshop on the Economics of Information Security (WEIS)

Previous research examining the illegal wildlife market has primarily centered on actor- or stage-based approaches. Recent research has highlighted the value of examining the unique characteristics that make wildlife products suitable targets. Specifically, these studies have examined the concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable, disposable (CRAVED) nature of wildlife hot products, particularly during the initial taking or poaching stage. However, these characteristics are not necessarily static and can change throughout the course of a product’s progression through the illicit market. Depending on the stage, the specific elements of CRAVED may also fluctuate in relevance and importance. In this paper, we examine the utility of the CRAVED model in examining wildlife products of their progression through illegal markets. We argue that although the model is useful in examining specific aspects of the illegal wildlife market, it may be limited in its ability to account for the unique characteristics and nuances of wildlife products. Due to this we introduce a new framework we refer to as concealable, available, processable, transferrable, useable, removable, enjoyable, desirable (CAPTURED) that adapts and extends the original CRAVED model. We discuss the potential utility of the CAPTURED model in examining illegal wildlife market, as well as implications of the new framework for theory and policy.

In 2012 two men were lynched in Bolivia, first because there is an illicit market for Bolivian cultural objects, and second because a small, poor community turned to desperate measures to protect themselves from that illicit market due to the failings of national and international regulation. This paper is a case study of the reality of source-end regulation of an international criminal market in a developing country. I will discuss what is known about thefts from Bolivian churches, the international market for items stolen from these churches, and how such thefts are meant to be prevented on-the ground. Following this, I will present lynching in Bolivia as the most severe community response to the issues created by local politics, ineffectual policing, unenforceable laws, and a history of oppressive racism. I will conclude with a discussion of what we can reasonably hope to accomplish with source-end regulation.

Parrots are one of the most threatened bird species in the world, partly due to the illegal parrot trade. Previous research has attempted to explain why some parrot species are more likely to be poached for illicit markets, though these studies suffer from a small sample size or focus on a singular illicit market. Whether these past findings are generalizable to other markets in other countries remains unknown. Using two recent conservation studies that examine illicit pet markets in seven cities within Peru and Bolivia (Gastanaga et al., Bird Conservational International, 1–10, 2010; Herrera and Hennessey, Tundra to Tropics, 232–234, 2008), this study applies the CRAVED model (Clarke, London: Home Office, 1999) to identify which factors are able to explain poaching variation of species. Findings show that the more concealable, available, abundant, and disposable species are poached more often. Enjoyable, removable, and valuable species were not found to be significantly related with poaching. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Cocaine represents a serious problem to society. Smoked cocaine is very addictive and it is frequently associated with violence and health issues. Knowledge of the purity and adulterants present in seized cocaine, as well as variations in drug characteristics are useful to identify drug source and estimate health impact. No data are available regarding smoked cocaine composition in most countries, and the smoked form is increasing in the Brazilian market. The purpose of the present study is to contribute to the current knowledge on the status of crack cocaine seized samples on the illicit market by the police of São Paulo. Thus, 404 samples obtained from street seizures conducted by the police were examined. The specimens were macroscopically characterized by color, form, odor, purity, and adulterant type, as well as smoke composition. Samples were screened for cocaine using modified Scott test and thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) technique. Analyses of purity and adulterants were performed with gas chromatography equipped with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Additionally, smoke composition was analyzed by GC-mass spectrometry (MS), after samples burning. Samples showed different colors and forms, the majority of which is yellow (74.0%) or white (20.0%). Samples free of adulterants represented 76.3% of the total. Mean purity of the analyzed drug was 71.3%. Crack cocaine presented no correlations between macroscopic characteristics and purity. Smoke analysis showed compounds found also in the degradation of diesel and gasoline. Therefore, the drug marketed as crack cocaine in São Paulo has similar characteristics to coca paste. High purity can represent a greater risk of dependency and smoke compounds are possibly worsening drug health impact.

Partly due to the illegal parrot trade, parrots are one of the most threatened bird species in the world. Trade bans and regulatory schemes have already been implemented, but the illegal parrot trade continues in an unsustainable fashion. Criminological research in the field has begun to understand why certain species are more prone to becoming poached, but not much is known about how illicit markets operate. A prior case study of a Bolivian illicit market found that most poached parrots are found within a 100-mile radius of the market (Pires and Clarke British Journal of Criminology, 51, 314–335, 2011). However, it is unclear if all markets operate in the same local way. Using two recent studies that look at illicit pet markets in seven cities within Peru and Bolivia (Gastanaga et al. Bird Conservational International, 1–10, 2010; Herrera and Hennessey Proceedings of the Fourth International Partners in Flight Conference: Tundra to Tropics, 232–234, 2008), this study investigates if illicit parrot markets fit a standard model. Findings from this study reveal that markets are heterogeneous. Furthermore, a substantial part of the illegal parrot trade involves trafficking species from one market to another and these species are suspected of emanating from just two city markets. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Transnational illicit markets are deeply embedded within legal trade systems and thus should be affected by shifting market conditions. Applying a stochastic actor-oriented model (SAOM), this study tests whether variation in illicit market opportunity could account for changing relations within the small arms trade (2003–2008). Measures of market accessibility – changes in export activity, reporting transparency and the percent of the labour force that is armed – outperformed measures of weapon availability with the exception of involvement in armed conflict. Significant structural change in outdegree density and transitivity suggest the development of trade factions, and decreasing balance hints that leaders are emerging. With the pending de-escalation of US-led conflict in the Middle East, a flood of second-hand weaponry is about to enter the market. Continued research is required to further uncover how the legitimate trade infrastructure facilitates the illicit flow of goods.

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. Cryptomarkets are online marketplaces, located on the darknet, that facilitate the trading of a variety of illegal goods, mostly drugs. While the literature essentially focus on drugs, various other goods and products related to financial or identity fraud, firearms, counterfeit goods, as well as doping products are also offered on these marketplaces. Through the analysis of relevant data collected on a popular marketplace in 2014–2015, Evolution, this research provides an analysis of the structure of trafficking (types and proportions of products, number of vendors and shipping countries). It also aims at highlighting geographical patterns in the trafficking of these products (e.g. trafficking flows, specialisation of vendors and assessment of their role in the distribution chain). The analysis of the flow of goods between countries emphasises the role of specific countries in the international and domestic trafficking, potentially informing law enforcement agencies to target domestic mails or international posts from specific countries. The research also highlights the large proportion of licit and illicit drug listings and vendors on Evolution, followed by various fraud issues (in particular, financial fraud), the sharing of knowledge (tutorials) and finally goods, currencies and precious metals (principally luxury goods). Looking at the shipping country, there seems to be a clear division between digital and physical products, with more specific information for physical goods. This reveals that the spatial analysis of trafficking is particularly meaningful in the case of physical products (such as illicit drugs) and to a lesser extent for digital products. Finally, the geographical analysis reveals that spatial patterns on Evolution tend to reflect the structure of the traditional illicit market. However, regarding illicit drugs, country-specificity has been observed and are presented in this article.

This chapter charts the American experiment with national alcohol Prohibition from 1920 to 1933. It looks at how such an ambitious and absolutist law was adopted in the first place. It then charts the many unintended consequences of the crusade. While Prohibition has largely been understood as a massive public policy failure, I argue that such a perspective has caused us to lose sight of its many lasting consequences. The alcohol prohibition years pressed the American state into distinctive and permanent molds and built the edifice of the twentieth century federal penal state. The chapter ends with a discussion of the lessons one can draw from this public policy effort and its significant and lasting legacies—not least among them the federal government’s crossbreeding penal approach to other illicit narcotics.

Despite the predominant role played by Internet in the distribution of doping substances, little is currently known about the online offer of doping products. Therefore, the study focuses on the detection of doping substances and suppliers discussed in Internet forums. It aims at having a comprehensive understanding of products and sellers to lead an operational monitoring of the online doping market. Thirteen community forums on the Internet were investigated and one million topics were extracted with source code scrappers. Then, a semantic analysis was conducted with a semi-automatic process to classify the relevant words according to doping matters. Additionally, the ranking of doping products, active substances and suppliers in regards to the number of contributors to the forums were established and analyzed over time. Finally, promotion methods of suppliers were evaluated. The results show that anabolic androgenic steroids, used to enhance body image and performance, are the most discussed type of products. A temporal analysis illustrates the stability of the most popular products as well as the emergence of new products such as peptides (e.g. CJC-1295). 327 suppliers were detected, mostly with dedicated websites or direct sales by e-mail as selling methods. Globally, the implemented methodology shows its ability to detect products and suppliers as well as to follow their temporal trends. The intelligence will serve the definition of online monitoring strategies (e.g. the selection of appropriate keywords). Additionally, it also allows the adjustment of customs inspection strategies and anti-doping analysis by monitoring the popular and emerging substances.

The 4-methylthioamphetamine (4-MTA) is a sulphur-containing amphetamine-type stimulant (ATS), which appeared on the illicit market in Europe at the end of 90s. For the purpose of this study, several N-alkyl homologues of 4-MTA, including 4-methylthiomethamphetamine (4-MTMA), 4-methylthioethylamphetamine (4-MTEA), 4-methylthiodimethamphetamine (4-MTDMA), 4-methylthiopropylamphetamine (4-MTPA) and 4-methylthiobutylamphetamine (4-MTBA) were synthesized. The homologues were characterized by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS), infrared (IR) spectroscopy and the magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H and (13)C NMR). The gas chromatography and mass spectrometry properties of their acetyl, trifluoroacyl (TFA), pentafluoropropionyl (PFP) and heptafluorobutyryl (HFB) derivatives were also investigated and discussed.

Research indicates that socially integrated communities experience lower rates of violent crime. However, we have a limited understanding of the specific neighborhood‐level processes accounting for this pattern. In particular, we know little about the convergence of informal control mechanisms and other contextual processes such as drug market activity. This paper addresses this issue by assessing the mediating role of drug markets and informal social control in the relationship between levels of violence and social structural characteristics of neighborhoods. Three research questions are examined: Do drug markets account for the relationship between social structural factors and robbery? Does informal social control mediate the link between social structural factors and drug market activity? Is informal social control directly related to robbery or indirectly through drug market activity? Results indicate that drug markets mediate the relationship between structural factors and robbery. After including d...

Comparing Cuban and Haitian migrant smuggling schemes, this article explores the relationship between violence and the social organization of migrant smuggling, including the smuggling of refugees. Levels of violence, political repression, and ethnic persecution in sending states provide an important context for understanding the origins and organization of this illicit market. Examining the violent threats and acts directed at migrants en route, we argue that violence is not a necessary part of the illicit market for unauthorized migration, attenuated by the social networks, cultural norms, and contractual relationships in which it is embedded.

It is commonly assumed that wartime leaders of illicit commercial networks engage in exploitative behavior and lack popular support. Evidence from West Africa suggests otherwise. Some wartime leaders use their commercial activities in post-conflict situations to build political support among demobilized fighters. Wartime leaders may then use these relationships to launch successful electoral campaigns and to protect themselves from political marginalization or even prosecution for their wartime activities. These developments represent the emergence of new forms of governance outside the framework of imported notions of reform and state-building.

Illicit global markets, such as the smuggling of people and goods across borders, share some core characteristics: They are unauthorized by the sending and/or receiving jurisdiction and they operate via mechanisms designed to evade detection and apprehension. These illicit market activities are also widely believed to be closely associated with the global spread of organized violence. Indeed, violence is commonly viewed as one of the defining features of illicit markets that differentiate them from licit markets. The most popular narrative of the relationship between illicit global markets and violence is seductively simple: As criminal enterprise has gone global, so too has the violence closely associated with it. This is an important part of the storyline, for example, in recent popular books such as Moises Naim’s Illicit and Misha Glenny’s McMafia. These provocative accounts of the dark underside of globalization— ruthless globe-trotting and gun-wielding criminal syndicates—generate fear and anxiety and fuel public support for more intensive international crime-control campaigns. Illicit economic activities that don’t cross borders, such as local markets in illegal or stolen commodities, are similarly at risk of interdiction by agencies of government. And, as with illicit cross-border flows, these markets are thought to be rife with violence involving, in varying combinations, those who make their living in them, customers who only partake of their goods, authorities whose job it is to suppress them, and innocent victims who belong to none of these categories. To be sure, despite the highly variable degree to which illicit markets are violent, as we discuss below, it is safe to assert that, on the whole, these markets are more prone to violence than markets in the legitimate economy. The explanation for this, stated in slightly varying versions in the articles that follow, is that illicit markets, by Crime Law Soc Change (2009) 52:225–229 DOI 10.1007/s10611-009-9200-6

A report on research to evaluate the impact of Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003 on the UK market and its role in the international illicit market. Article by Dr Simon Mackenzie (Senior Research Fellow at the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, University of Glasgow), published in Amicus Curiae - Journal of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies. The Journal is produced by the Society for Advanced Legal Studies at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London.

The UK market in antiquities is the site of trade of an unknown number of illicit artefacts. These illicit antiquities are often the product of looting in underdeveloped nations. The UK has recently passed a new statute criminalizing the knowing purchase of a looted cultural object. The statute, however, is likely to have little effect on the trading practices of London’s antiquity dealers, due to peculiarities of their style of transacting, which will be examined here. This paper is therefore (a) a study of an illicit market which is still in the early stages of a slow move from non-criminal to criminal, as its destructive tendencies are increasingly brought to public and official recognition and (b) yet another note of warning to regulators who feel that, on the implementation of a token criminal prohibition, markets will sanitize themselves.

This article discusses approaches to assessing the size of the illicit market for powder cocaine, and the inherent difficulties of this issue. It describes recent attempts to investigate more accurate measures of the prevalence and extent of use than have been available to date. A new approach is suggested in which estimates are derived separately - using separate methodologies for different groups of powder cocaine users, and then summed. The review offers some suggestions that future researchers in the area of sizing the drugs market might consider. It suggests that prevalence and consumption estimates for non-problem users can be improved by re-weighting the British Crime Survey for characteristics associated with powder cocaine use. Indirect estimates of the number of problem users derived from arrestee and treatment data should be compared.

The analytical properties for a new street drug, 4-methylthioamphetamine (4-MTA), are presented. This new compound was found in tablets sold on the illicit market in the Netherlands and Switzerland in 1997 and 1998. The intermediate 1-(4-methylthiophenyl)–2-nitropropene was also found in a clandestine laboratory in the Netherlands in January 1997. In this study, reference standards were prepared and characterized. The ultraviolet, infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral properties as well as the chromatographic and mass spectrometric (MS) data are reported.

Illicit cocaine samples (156), seized on Rome's illegal market between January 1996 and June 1997, were examined. Both the purity of the cocaine and the presence of substances employed for dilution were determined for each sample. Adulterants were found in many of the street samples analysed. Lidocaine (average 14.7%) followed by caffeine (average 9%) proved to be the adulterants most frequently encountered in the cocaine samples.

Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB) is an endogenous compound with a story of clinical use, since the 1960's. However, due to its secondary effects, it has become a controlled substance, entering the illicit market for recreational and "dance club scene" use, muscle enhancement purposes and drug-facilitated sexual assaults. Its endogenous context can bring some difficulties when interpreting, in a forensic context, the analytical values achieved in biological samples. This manuscript reviewed several crucial aspects related to GHB forensic toxicology evaluation, such as its post-mortem behaviour in biological samples; endogenous production values, whether in in vivo and in post-mortem samples; sampling and storage conditions (including stability tests); and cut-off reference values evaluation for different biological samples, such as whole blood, plasma, serum, urine, saliva, bile, vitreous humour and hair. This revision highlights the need of specific sampling care, storage conditions, and cut-off reference values interpretation in different biological samples, essential for proper practical application in forensic toxicology. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This study provides a methodology with which to estimate the volumes and revenues of the illicit cigarette market at the subnational level. It applies the methodology to Italy for a 4-year period (2009–2012), enabling assessment of the prevalence of the illicit trade across years and regions. Notwithstanding the alleged importance of mafias, the results provide a more complex picture of the Italian illicit tobacco market. The maximum total revenues from the illicit trade in tobacco products (ITTP) increased from €0.5 bn in 2009 to €1.2 bn in 2012. The prevalence of illicit cigarettes varies significantly across regions, because of the proximity to countries with cheaper cigarettes and the possible occurrence of other crime opportunities. Understanding of these factors is crucial for the development of appropriate policies against the ITTP. The methodology may be applicable to all other EU countries, providing detailed, yearly estimates of the illicit market at the subnational level.

Many positive steps have been taken since the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention of 1970 was passed. Many countries have not only signed onto the Convention, but have moved further and provided the national legislation required to make that Convention work. Furthermore, UNESCO itself has created a cultural heritage unit that consistently exerts positive international pressure for the control of the international traffic in cultural heritage material (including providing assistance to smaller nations in the implementation of the Convention). Many nations, large and small, now use the procedures which have evolved from that Convention to provide the necessary mechanisms to identify and control the international movement of antiquities. These steps have been supported by international bodies such as the International Council of Museums and its important guidelines to museums for acquisitions, and its ‘Red Lists’ of known stolen objects from countries such as Cambodia.

Information on the purity of illegal drugs is used for various purposes including: valuation for sentencing; profiling and sample comparison; and studies of the economics of the illicit market. The most commonly-used measure for powders is the arithmetic mean purity, but this statistic has several drawbacks. In the case of amphetamine, the mean (10% in 1995) has been consistently higher than the mode (4% in 1995), and it is a function of seizure size, region and time. Heroin purity, as measured by the diamorphine content (mean=42% in 1995) could also be an unreliable guide to potency if other opium alkaloids and `active' adulterants are present. The mean purities of cocaine and crack in 1995 were 51% and 85%, respectively. A further source of confusion can arise when a distinction is not made with respect to the chemical form of the drug (i.e. salt or base).

From its origins in 19162 to its demise in 2007 the Home Office Drugs Inspectorate gained and then lost great influence over British drugs policy and the regulation of prescribing. The Inspectorate was just one strand in a web of control systems, both state and professional, which emerged over the 20th century to regulate the fate of pharmaceutical ‘dangerous drugs’, later known as ‘controlled drugs’.3 In addition to the General Medical Council discussed in the previous chapter, this included the police’s Chemist Inspecting Officers (CIOs), the Regional Medical Service employed by Health Authorities, the Medicines Control Agency and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s inspectorate, with professional and state systems working independently and co-operating informally with each other.

Recent information from various sources suggests that a new illicit drug, called "oxi", is being spread across Brazil. It would be used in the smoked form and it would look like to crack cocaine: usually small yellowish or light brown stones. As fully released in the media, "oxi" would differ from crack cocaine in the sense that crack would contain carbonate or bicarbonate salts whereas "oxi" would include the addition of calcium oxide and kerosene (or gasoline). In this context, this work presents a chemical profiling comparative study between "oxi" street samples seized by the Civil Police of the State of Acre (CP/AC) and samples associated with both international and interstate drug trafficking seized by the Brazilian Federal Police in Acre (FP/AC). The outcome of this work assisted Brazilian authorities to stop inaccurate and alarmist releases on this issue. It may be of good use by the forensic community in order to better understand matters in their efforts to guide local law enforcement agencies in case such claims reach the international illicit market.

In the Summer of 1989 two new street analogs of phencyclidine (PCP) appeared in Canada. Analysis showed these to possess a benzyl and 4-methylphenyl moiety, respectively in place of the phenyl group of PCP itself. For the sake of completeness, we have synthesized the 2-methylphenyl and 3-methylphenyl isomers, also in the expectation that these compounds themselves may at some point appear on the illicit market. The UV, IR, 1 H-NMR, 13 C-NMR and GC MS spectra are published here.

The Sevso Treasure is an example of what are frequently called "unprovenanced antiquities." Establishment archaeologists claim that by acquiring and showing them collectors and museums encourage looting, while collectors and museum officials contend that since the works have already been looted, they serve the public interest better if held by a museum or a collector (who may lend them to a museum). The demand for antiquities responds to a normal human interest in acquiring, enjoying and showing them. That demand could be met by a flow of provenanced objects in a licit international market, but retentive source nations, supported by establishment archaeologists, drastically constrict the supply, and an illicit market is the predictable result. Establishment archaeologists' misguided campaign to have unprovenanced antiquities considered illicit unless proved licit unacceptably reverses the normal order of proof and creates a probatio diabolica. A museum interested in acquiring the Sevso Treasure should be encouraged to do so.

The primary objective of drug policy should be the minimization of harm which can result from the consumption of certain drugs. The pharmacological and toxicological properties of drugs can cause harm by inducing antisocial behaviors, causing morbidity or death from overdosage, or tissue damage. Other social problems attributed to drugs, such as crimes of property or violence and corruption, are essentially the unintended negative consequences of the policy of prohibition. Prohibition also represents an increasing financial burden to the state because of costs of law enforcement, court proceedings and prisons. Modifications to prohibition policy which may attenuate some of its disadvantages are reviewed. Alternative policies are offered which should offer greater individual and social benefits and fewer negative consequences. It is proposed that the essential problem associated with the policy of prohibition is the nature of the illicit market. The proposal favored is one which can eliminate the illicit market by the employment of “market forces.” However, some questions remain to be answered and this paper may encourage some responses.

Methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA or 'Ecstasy') is the best known of the 3,4-methylenedioxy ring-substituted amphetamines. Reports of serious adverse reactions and fatalities associated with its use emphasise hyperpyrexia, profuse sweating and subsequent rhabdomyolysis, although cardiac deaths and fatal accidents whilst intoxicated are also prominent. Other 3,4-methylenedioxy ring-substituted amphetamines are also available in the illicit market place and may have different spectra of activity. We report here a case of fatal ingestion of a variety of drugs of this group.

Despite the enormous size of the illicit market in the United States, there is a paucity of research concerning the rights of consumers of illegal products. In this article it is argued that the illicit nature of a transaction should not deny consumers the right to safety and redress. Recognition of these rights is not only in line with the public policy goal, i.e., protecting public interests, but it can also serve as a deterrent factor for the sales of illegal products.