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The Andhra Pradesh Anti-drug Task Force, EAGLE, has begun work on a unique tool to detect illicit drug transactions on the dark web.
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The reason for launching this program was based on findings that illegal drug dealers were using hidden networks to conduct their business.
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Though the initiative starts in Andhra Pradesh, it is designed to aid law enforcement in the entire country to fight illegal drug dealers.
The EAGLE (Elite Anti-Narcotics Group for Law Enforcement), an anti-drug unit in India, is currently developing a tech tool that’ll track hidden online narcotics networks.
The aim is to catch both sellers and buyers who hide behind encrypted platforms and the dark web to conduct their drug deals.
Why the Dark Web is a New Battleground
You might wonder why police need a new tool for this. EAGLE chief Ake Ravi Krishna explained the problem to TNIE. He said police normally investigate by following digital clues like phone calls, internet records, or identifiable online accounts. However, drug traffickers are getting smarter now. Many have moved their business to the dark web because it makes them anonymous and hard to track.
According to Ravi Krishna, the dark web is a popular hub for illegal activities, drug trafficking, illegal arms trade, and organised crime. Those who engage in these activities hide behind multiple layers of anonymity.
How the New Tool Will Work
So, what will this new system actually do? Officials say they’re designing the proposed tool to penetrate those encrypted networks. The new tool will analyze suspicious digital patterns.
Then it will try to trace the digital footprints that people leave behind, even when they try to hide. The goal is to help investigators monitor suspicious online transactions and detect individuals who are buying narcotics through these hidden online marketplaces.
The idea to develop this tool gained real momentum after a recent narcotics case in the state. During that investigation, officers found out that the suspects were using the dark web to communicate and conduct their drug transactions. It was that finding that nudged them to start looking for tech solutions that could penetrate these hidden networks and dismantle them for good.
A Multi-Layered Problem
EAGLE has also learned that modern-day drug traffickers have evolved with technology. Now they have access to a variety of dark websites and encrypted messaging applications to market their illegal products.
Furthermore, drug traffickers have created a layered process consisting of multiple layers of delivery and payment methods. They use anonymous accounts and cryptocurrency daily. All these layers create methods for both buyers and sellers of drugs to hide their identities.
Lawmakers worldwide are waking up to this reality. In the United States, Congress is moving to declare war on the dark web drug trade by proposing new laws that target cryptocurrency mixing, anonymous payments, and the infrastructure that enables these anonymous drug deals.
This new digital effort is only a small part of the overall war on drugs. EAGLE has already started with traditional drug enforcement operations through substantial seizures of large amounts of narcotics recently.
The agency is also expanding their surveillance capabilities by incorporating new technologies such as drone and satellite surveillance systems. EAGLE officials believe this digital tool will greatly enhance EAGLE’s ability to identify large-scale organized drug trafficking organizations and track and target digital drug traffickers that otherwise would not be possible.
The system is currently in the design phase. Authorities are designing it using intelligence inputs from multiple states. Their long-term vision is to create a tool that law enforcement across the entire country can eventually use to fight the growing threat of online narcotics trafficking.
