Law Enforcement Strategies for Disrupting Cryptomarkets A Practical Guide to Network Structure, Trust Dynamics, and Agent-Based Modelling Approaches

This book investigates the recent history of the drug market on the dark web and suggests interventions that can be used to curb the trade of illegal products in the internet's underbelly. It outlines the current landscape of this market, highlighting:

• What is known about drug markets on the dark web.

• How transactions involving illicit goods occur in cryptomarkets.

• How the illegal trade of drugs is conducted in the dark web.

• The role of blockchain technology in these transactions.

The chapters that follow identify effective methods suppliers and purchasers employ to trade under conditions of uncertainty. They explore the role that trust plays in network structures and vendor selections for drug markets. The volume includes a review of the targeting strategies available for law enforcement and offers new solutions to target the trade of illicit goods on the dark web. It is ideal for law enforcement officers and practitioners combatting cybercrime.

Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Cryptomarkets––History, Structure, and Operations.- Chapter 3. The Role of Law Enforcement in the Regulation of Cryptomarkets (and the Limited Role of Deterrence).- Chapter 4. Network Structure and Trust Formation in Cryptomarkets Based on Reputation.- Chapter 5. Agent-Based Modelling for Criminal Network Interventions.- Chapter 6. Cryptomarkets, Trust, and Enforcement––What Have We learned?.

Vincent Harinam, PhD., Independent researcher. Expertise in computational criminology; blockchain computer engineer; consultant on cybercrime issues to the National Crime Agency (UK) and other police departments.

Barak Ariel, PhD., Professor of Criminology, Institute of Criminology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Professor of Experimental Criminology at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge; studies law enforcement; cryptocurrency enthusiastic.