“Understanding the Geography of Cryptomarkets Using Administrative Data on Postal Drug Deliveries in Scotland”, 2020-05-28 (; backlinks; similar):
Cryptomarkets may open up the drugs supply in remote areas where access to drugs was expensive or patchy. However, using cryptomarkets relies on risk-limiting techniques to avoid detection which may be easier in urban areas. However, little is known about the geographical patterning of cryptomarket use, in part because data sources on the locations of cryptomarket purchasers are hard to come by. We use a novel dataset of packages of drugs packages intercepted by Scottish law enforcement, likely reflecting cryptomarket use, to understand the flows of drugs through cryptomarkets at regional and neighbourhood levels. This gives previously unavailable insights into the geographical patterns of cryptomarket use at the sub-national level.
We use descriptive statistics, Bayesian hierarchical regression models, and exploratory analysis of spatial clustering to describe the relationship between neighbourhood characteristics and expected rate of drugs consignments identified across Scotland.
The majority of intercepted drug packages were destined for urban centres, but there was a higher than expected delivery rate to some of Scotland’s remote and rural locations. Increased rates of drug delivery within Scottish neighbourhoods was associated with higher levels of crime and deprivation, internet connectivity and with access to services, but not with higher rates of drug-related hospitalization.
Analysis of spatial clustering showed that drug delivery to the most remote and rural locations was still associated with good access to services because the packages were typically delivered to addresses in larger settlements within remote locations.