Ensuring national security in the field of drug trafficking using information and telecommunication technologies

Khamidullin Ruslan Sibagatullovich PhD in Law Head of the Department of Operational Investigative Activities of Internal Affairs Bodies, Ural Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia 620072, Russia, Sverdlovskaya oblast', g. Ekaterinburg, ul. Syromolotova, 7, kv. 11 sledgsugu@mail.ru Other publications by this author

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (hereinafter the Ministry of Internal Affairs From January to April 2022, 653,178 crimes have already been registered, every fourth crime is committed using information and telecommunications technologies (hereinafter referred to as IT technologies). A significant share of crimes in the field of IT technologies, along with the spread of malware viruses, illegal access to databases, phishing attacks, is the illegal distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances through the Internet ^[1]. According to surveys conducted among employees of operational units involved in the fight against drug trafficking, this type of crime has a high degree of latency, which indicates the insufficiency of measures taken to identify and solve such crimes ^[2].

The use of modern technologies makes it possible to sell drugs in a contactless way by creating "stash-bookmarks". The contactless sales method assumes the absence of direct contact between the seller and the buyer. Thus, a person who buys narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, in the event of his detention, is not able to give information (testimony) in relation to the person carrying out the sale.

The difficulty of detecting and disclosing such crimes lies in the fact that persons engaged in criminal activities use the shadow sector of the Internet – "DarkNet". The network provides an opportunity to create and place online stores on portals such as, for example, "Hydra", allowing sellers and buyers to make transactions online under conditions of anonymity without disclosing their personal data ^[3].

The method of calculation on the Internet appeared back in the 1970s, when Stanford University students in the artificial intelligence laboratory concluded a commercial deal with their colleagues from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. So, new payment options appeared on the Internet, and after that electronic payment systems such as WebMoney, Yandex.Money", "Qiwi wallet", etc. And it also became possible to transfer money through a transfer system, for example, through "Western Union", "UNIstream", etc. These systems did not provide such anonymity for drug dealers, which provided the opportunity to use cryptocurrencies for mutual settlements, as well as the legalization of funds obtained by criminal means.

Cryptocurrency is a kind of digital currency, accounting for internal units of account of which is provided by a decentralized payment system (there is no internal or external administrator or any of its analogues), operating in a fully automatic mode. Transactions (transactions with funds: transfer, withdrawal or crediting to an account, i.e. any process related to the use of bank accounts) in cryptocurrency are made instantly and have no territorial restrictions, are carried out all over the world. At the same time, there is no single emission center outside the SWIFT system, which monitors financial and settlement risks, regarding the large nature of payments made when calculating for large quantities of narcotic drugs ^[4]. Also, the advantage of using cryptocurrencies over other electronic means of payment is a fixed, small commission for transactions.

Anonymity is ensured through the use of depersonalized crypto accounts in the distributed register of financial transactions, which do not allow establishing sufficient information to identify participants in transactions and beneficiaries of cryptocurrency funds. This technical capability is provided as a result of the use of Blockchain technologies (a continuous sequential chain of blocks (linked list) containing information built according to certain rules). So, this technology does not allow you to track the receipt of criminal income.

The scheme for the purchase of narcotic drugs and the organization of counteraction by law enforcement agencies may look like this:

1. The buyer registers on some "exchange site" of cryptocurrencies on the Internet, where he will be assigned a digital wallet with a unique address (example: 3GUHMnx47raxdKGyAvgQGHUYH8h1xhFA2L).
2. On the "exchange site" (for example https://localbitcoins.net ) in the corresponding section, a transaction is selected to exchange fiat money (rubles, dollars, euros and other funds issued (issued) by the state, which are currently legal tender) for cryptocurrency (for example, Bitcoin). The buyer of Bitcoin has the opportunity to select the required amount of cryptocurrency on the website calculator and get a calculation of how many rubles he will need to pay for it and what the commission of the exchanger will be. Law enforcement agencies have the opportunity, with the assistance of the exchange administration and proper analytical work, to establish bank accounts involved in the purchase of cryptocurrencies.
3. The use of smart contract technology allows the exchanger to act as a guarantor of the transaction by blocking the required amount of cryptocurrency in the seller's wallet, for which the buyer paid by transferring fiat money to the seller's account.
4. Upon receipt of the specified amount from the buyer, the seller informs (confirms) this is done to the exchanger, after which the exchanger unlocks the transaction and the buyer receives the required amount of Bitcoin to the account of his cryptocurrency wallet.
5. The use of the "Tor" browser by drug buyers allows them to anonymously access the "DarkNet" where they find the appropriate online store for the sale of prohibited substances. On the website of the online store, the buyer selects the desired type of drug, the city and the area where the "treasure" (a cache with a narcotic substance or a psychiatric drug) will be placed.
6. According to the principle of smart counterattack, through the mediation of the portal, the buyer and seller make a "safe" transaction, the amount of cryptocurrency on the buyer's account (wallet) is blocked, equivalent to the purchased "staff" (drugs in the slang of a specific contingent)
7. The seller informs the kladmen (the courier who creates caches-bookmarks) the volume of the treasure and the location area. After that, the athlete places a bookmark.

The coordinates and photos of the location of the "treasure" are sent to the buyer. After the buyer finds and receives the "staff", the seller's actions on the portal are confirmed and the transaction is carried out.

In this case, operational staff can monitor depersonalized cryptocurrency transfers using services like blockchain.info. The algorithm in this case consists of visiting the main page of the resource (blockchain.info ) followed by the entry of the relevant cryptocurrency transaction codes. Thus, it is possible to obtain the necessary information and data on the status of the transaction ^[5].

In the course of our research, we have identified some difficulties in solving crimes committed by forming "stash-bookmarks" with narcotic drugs. The existing schemes for working with cryptocurrency conversion technologies are increasingly becoming ineffective due to the use of Internet platforms of internal "exchangers", whose digital wallets are formed inside the Internet platform, and wallets for storing and transferring cryptocurrencies inside the site. For example, the Hydra Internet platform uses these features constantly, replenishing them with new ways to hide the data of its resources. So, the user can choose different payment methods, such as:

1. Transfer of funds to a bank card. In this case, the site automatically provides the bank card number of its internal cryptocurrency "exchanger". Tracking of funds will be difficult starting with the conversion of funds and placing them on a digital wallet, which is not always possible to establish a unique address.

2. Transfer by phone number. In this case, payment can be made either by means of an online transfer to replenish the account of the subscriber number, or using a "Qiwi wallet". The subscriber numbers used by the sellers, as a rule, do not have an affiliation, or the registration data are false. These numbers are not used for telephone communication and are most often specified once. In relation to Qiwi wallets, the scheme for identifying participants in criminal activity consists in analytical work based on the results of information received from requests to Qiwi Bank. With the help of such information, it is possible to establish the final subscriber number or personal account used for withdrawing funds. Due to the effectiveness of the work of law enforcement agencies in this direction, the use of "Qiwi wallets" by sellers has significantly decreased in their criminal activities.

3. Payment using the cryptocurrency available on the internal wallet of the site. The identification of the addressees of this payment method is also difficult due to the minimum time interval between the replenishment of this repository and the execution of a criminal transaction.

To fix the criminal activity of persons engaged in the sale of narcotic drugs using applications of the information and telecommunications network "Internet", the following algorithm can be used, tested as a positive experience by the Department for the Control of illicit Drug Trafficking of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Russia in the city of Yekaterinburg. As part of the operational support of criminal cases initiated on the facts of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, it is often possible to install an application through which criminals operate, and the data of the IDs and IP addresses used by the traffickers (IP address (abbreviated from "Internet Protocol") is a unique identifier of the device. Available on computers, tablets and smartphones; ID (from "identifier") is a unique individual number. Each computer has such a parameter, which allows you to identify this device).

However, due to the presence of programs that allow you to hide email addresses, it is not possible to install the application in some cases, therefore other ways of establishing data are necessary. To use applications that can also be used for criminal purposes, registration is required with the indication of subscriber numbers; in some cases, the application avoids registration, and in some cases an account is formed based on the "login and password" category. In all cases, the generated account has a user ID number. This category is also applicable for exposing persons in their criminal activities. So, in the course of working with the detainee, it was established that the person used the VIPole application for the purchase of narcotic drugs, which he entered using his cell phone. Registration in this application is made by specifying the subscriber number. So, having established an ip address, law enforcement agencies carry out operational and technical measures aimed at determining the circle of persons for which subscriber numbers are requested that have applied to this ip address with any request for a given time period ^[6].

Based on the results of the activities carried out, a list of subscriber numbers with the dates and time of the request is established. After that, during the analytical work, the number of calls of each of the subscriber numbers is set. In this case, the number of appeals indicates the nature of the likely criminal acts and connections. Taking into account the relevance of the considered ip of the person using the established subscriber numbers, a version is put forward about his involvement in the purchasers of narcotic drugs. To verify the version, the intensity of appeals is revealed, the most active users are recorded, and further operational search measures are carried out against them to establish their personal data. The activity of the user in this case may indicate the involvement of a person in the sale of narcotic drugs, which indicates the group nature of criminal activity.

The presented algorithm for the disclosure of crimes related to the sale of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances by the method of "stash-bookmarks" can also be used in the organization of countering other types and categories of crimes in the commission of which modern anonymization technologies can be used. It is also important that for high-quality documentation of the criminal activities of drug dealers and the effectiveness of the implementation of measures on the Internet, operatives need special knowledge in the field of IT technologies, devices, applications, data generation on electronic media, possession of special software and the latest technical devices.

We consider it necessary to note that along with the detection, seizure and investigation of digital traces of a crime, one should not forget about the traditional traclogical traces that a person leaves in any case in the course of his activity. Even though, in 2021, in the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments of almost all countries recommended that their citizens wear masks and gloves. This advice was also used by the majority of drug dealers - pawners. By wearing masks and gloves, as well as protective glasses, they minimize their biological traces both at the places of bookmarks and on the bookmarks themselves. In addition, the thrown hood and mask complicate the possibility of identifying a person by surveillance cameras. Such a method of disguise did not attract the attention of law enforcement officers, since the use of personal protective equipment has become the daily norm. Such conditions significantly complicate the proving in criminal cases of this category. However, all of these measures are necessary to collect data and carry out further investigative actions.

The use of the "Transparent Blockchain" technology in the fight against drug crimes seems promising. ^[7]. The Transparent Blockchain system is designed to monitor and analyze cryptocurrency transactions, mainly using bitcoin. Undoubtedly, the development of this segment is timely and relevant, and its commissioning will help solve the following significant tasks:

– analyze and track the movement of virtual funds;

– maintain databases of specific blockchain addresses (wallets) that have virtual assets and are likely associated with illegal activities;

– to monitor the participants of the cryptocurrency market;

– to carry out taxation of transactions;

– create profiles of transaction participants and evaluate their role in economic activity.

But the main task of this system is still to establish the personal data of specific individuals (beneficiaries), owners of blockchain addresses (wallets) who are suspected of criminal activity. First of all, these are persons who carry out drug trafficking, financing extremism and terrorism, commit corruption and cybercrime, and evade taxes. In addition, the system will ensure the safety and establish control over the targeted use of budget funds^[8].

The fight against drug crime continues to be an urgent issue at the highest level. In 2020, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed a Decree "On approval of the Strategy of the State Anti–Drug Policy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030" (hereinafter referred to as the Strategy), where attempts to destabilize the international drug trade are named among the threats to national security in the field of drug trafficking, as well as in the field of countering their illicit trafficking in the medium and long term drug control systems in terms of its liberalization and legalization of drugs in violation of international regulatory legal acts, as well as the expansion of the global drug market due to the legalization of the use of cannabis in recreational ^[9]. For this purpose, it is important to investigate existing and develop new operational and tactical methods and techniques for organizing counteraction to drug crime.

Operational and tactical provision of national security in the field of drug trafficking using information and telecommunication technologies is carried out by law enforcement agencies through the use of modern means and methods of obtaining, analyzing and storing information. Which allows you to prevent, prevent, solve and investigate crimes in this area.