The potential role of the Internet in facilitating drugs trade first gained mass attention with the rise and fall of Silk Road; the first major online market place for illegal goods on the hidden web. After Silk Road was taken down by the FBI in October 2013, it was only a matter of weeks before copycats filled the void.
Kristy Kruithof,Judith Aldridge,David Décary Hétu,et al. Internet-facilitated drugs trade: An analysis of the size, scope and the role of the Netherlands. 2016-01-01.