Lighting up the Dark Web(2)

Lack of evidence

Apart from performing drug using, many of these websites also engage in other illegal businesses as mentioned above, the official statement suggested.

However, when faced with these online crimes, police campaigns have seemed overmatched, sparking criticism from many experts.

"This phenomenon of drug crimes online has existed for several years. The actions of fighting such crimes are apparently not powerful enough," Ma told the Global Times.

His point was evidenced by the late-coming first anti-drug campaign online, which did not begin until August 2011, when 12,125 suspects were detained and 308.3 kilograms of drugs were found by police.

But police have their own issues to deal with.

"The popularity of the Internet has brought a lot of trouble to anti-drug campaigns. Those illegal websites are usually extremely well-hidden and might have a great number of members across the nation," Shi said.

In order to avoid suspicion and leave evidences, members always use codes or passwords to refer to drugs or similar objects.

Another difficulty lies in collecting evidence.

Compared to real life, when evidence of drug dealing could easily be found, online trading has enabled cyber purchases, invisible in real life.

"It is difficult for police to slip into these websites in the first place. And even if they swoop in, the video cameras, which record drug use, are usually not clear enough for police to recognize the suspects especially with smoke shrouding their faces. What's more, the transactions are all anonymous or with pseudonyms, leaving few clues behind to be tracked," said Zhang Li, a lecturer of criminology with People's Public Security University of China, told the Global Times on Friday.

Loopholes in the delivery industry has made this situation worse.

According to a report by the Beijing Times, there is no need for drug dealers to ferry the drugs themselves as they can deliver safely by private companies.

A delivery boy with the Shenzhen-based SF Express Company told the Global Times on Thursday that even though packages are sent to the transfer hub for X-ray examination, he was not sure whether all the packages were examined or not.

A regional manager of the company refused to comment on this matter to the Global Times.

According to national postal safety supervision regulations, delivery workers should examine any package given to them by a client. If the safety of the package cannot be confirmed, the client should show a safety certificate for the package issued by authorities or it cannot be delivered.

However, few express delivery companies follow the rules.

"The express delivery industry is intensely competitive. Many companies choose to simplify package examinations to attract more clients," Zhang said. He added that only those packages which must be delivered by air are all scanned with X-rays. For those transported by trains or vehicles, the rate is no higher than 10 percent, which has given a huge advantage to drug dealers.

A Beijing illegal drug seller on Taobao, who camouflages fertility drugs as chocolates to avoid investigation, told the Global Times previously that a lot of people chose to buy drugs from her knowing that they would safely reach their destination.

"The consideration between safety and profit always puts express delivery companies in a dilemma. The faster the delivery is means the higher possibility the possibility of illegal packages being sent," Zhang said, adding that these companies should be held legally accountable.