Darknet sales, mostly drug related, increased to around US$2.5 billion in 2025 – and are increasingly driven by wholesale sales while the bulk of retail online sales takes place on social media.
Darknet market sales (mostly drug-related) reached some US…
Heroin and morphine seizures remain concentrated in Asia.In line with the concentration of opium production in Asia, almost two thirds (64 per cent) of global heroin and morphine seizures occurred in Asia in 2024, notably in South-Western Asia and, to a lesser extent, in East and South-East Asia.In…
Data show a persistent reliance on the 3,4-MDP-2-P chemical pathway, an increased importance of pre-precursors related to 3,4-MDP-2-P methyl glycidic acid among “ecstasy” precursors, and an ongoing concentration of “ecstasy” precursor seizures in Europe.Historically, 3,4-MDP-2-P, also known as…
“Ecstasy” seizures reached record levels in 2024, surpassing pre-COVID-19 pandemic highs.The quantity of “ecstasy” (MDMA) seized worldwide increased by 13 percent from 2023 to 2024, more than doubling compared with 2021 levels, following a pandemic-related decline.Increases were widespread in 2024…
Most “ecstasy” found in the global market continues to be produced in the subregion of Western and Central Europe.Data suggest that the bulk of the "ecstasy" is still being produced in Europe, with 82 per cent of reported countries of transit or departure of seized shipments around the world being…
Seizures of key pharmaceutical opioids show distinct regional patterns by substance.While fentanyl seizures remain overwhelmingly concentrated in North America (> 99 per cent), other pharmaceutical opioids dominate seizures in different regions: codeine in West and Central Africa and South Asia…
The global cocaine market continues to experience strong growth in supply and demand, and organized crime groups continue to funnel continue to funnel increasingly large quantities of cocaine towards established and emerging destination markets.Taking potential cocaine manufacture and seizures into…
Cannabis dominates the global number of seizure cases, followed by ATS (notably methamphetamine) and cocaine while cannabis and cocaine dominate seizures in terms of total weight.
The global NPS market continues to evolve rapidly, with new substances entering the market and shifting preferences.By 2025, the total number of NPS identified by Member States since 2005 grew close to 1,500, which – despite the scheduling of new substances in 2025 – is more than four times the…
Cannabis continues to be the most widespread drug cultivated worldwide across all regions, cultivated in at least 155 countries (covering some 96 per cent of the global population). Opium poppy cultivation and the cultivation of the coca bush are far less widespread. Illicit opium…
Global methamphetamine seizures reached another record high in 2024, with the highest growth rates reported by emerging markets.East and South-East Asia and North America continue to account for the largest methamphetamine seizures globally, although seizures declined in North America while…
Methamphetamine traffickers continue adapting to enforcement and precursor controlsDespite a 3-fold increase in global methamphetamine seizures between 2014 and 2024, reported quantities of intercepted methamphetamine precursors (-85 per cent) and the number of dismantled methamphetamine…
