Since the online drug marketplace Silk Road closed down in 2013, drug sales on the dark web have tripled.

New research by the University of Manchester and the University of Montreal found that the ‘cryptomarkets’ have been going from strength to strength, despite the government’s attempt to shut them down. Revenue has doubled globally, according to the study.

The study also found that cannabis made up a third of all sales, making it the most commonly found drug on the darknet markets.

When Silk Road was closed by the FBI, it operated on the Tor hidden service, which many darknet platforms work from so users can browse anonymously, and buy illicit drugs securely. At the time of closure, Silk Road processed around $15 million transactions a year. In November 2013, Silk Road 2.0 appeared, but it was shut down in November 2014. Ross William Ulbricht was convicted for his involvement and sentenced to life without parole.

“The closure of Silk Road has not curbed the growth of these cryptomarkets, as more markets continue to be created and more illicit drugs are being bought online,” explained Stijn Hoorens, a research leader at RAND Europe and an author of the report.

“This is despite several high-profile law enforcement interventions and exit scams by market administrators. Cryptomarkets are often online only for several months and users seem to be operating under the assumption that they could be closed at any moment.”

The study concluded that dealers were benefiting from online sales by buying up stock to sell offline.

Hoorens said: “The evidence on the full impact of cryptomarkets remains inconclusive. Some have argued that cryptomarkets reduce violence from the drug supply chain, but others believe that it may offer a new, often young, consumer base easy access to drug markets.”

More research by Rand Europe also found that UK-based drug dealers were earning more money online than their European counterparts, as British dealers made £1.7 million in January off of web sales, with a 16 per cent share of the global digital drugs market.

This research also backs up the recent findings of the Global Drug Survey, which found over 8,058 respondents (8 per cent of total participants) were buying their drugs online. It was a significant result compared to last year’s findings, with 5,000 users admitting to buying narcotics online. Sweden, the UK and particularly Scotland saw a huge rise in cryptomarket activity.