A new study, co-authored by London Met Lead Researcher Mariela Alvarez Martinez, is one of the most extensive investigations of its kind
Date: 26 October 2026
A new study sheds light on the growing underground markets thriving on encrypted messaging apps like Telegram, revealing how illicit marketplaces adopt the professional polish and marketing strategies of mainstream e-commerce.
While historical research into online illicit trade has heavily focused on dark web cryptomarkets, this study represents one of the most extensive investigations of Telegram-based illicit trade to date.
Using open-source intelligence (OSINT) to analyse data from 107 drug markets and 750,000 posts on the app, the study found that dealers advertising on Telegram closely mirror legitimate online retail strategies to build credibility and attract buyers.
Published in the Journal of Illicit Economies and Development, the study moves beyond simply documenting the presence of illegal goods on social media and illustrates how Telegram channels and groups organise illicit commercial communications.
Inside Telegram’s drugs markets
Vendors use product menus, bulk-sale discounts, product diversification, scam warnings and other strategies for establishing trust. Sellers promote national and international delivery services and share customer exchanges and delivery confirmations to build trust among potential buyers.
The study found evidence of a significant transnational trade network and multiple shipping options both nationally and internationally.
Across Telegram posts, ‘menus’ include detailed product descriptions such as ‘#Ultra clean Columbia coke 91% pure’ and ‘#Strong sociable coke’.
Unlike physical street corners or secretive dark web sites, Telegram markets operate in a hybrid style. Vendors combine public broadcast channels to show off products, group chats with buyers, and private encrypted messages to seal deals.
Because buyers discover these markets through public invitation links and shared promotions across the app, seller visibility and customer trust are spread across Telegram's everyday features rather than a single, centralised website.
Visible digital footprints
Lead researcher Mariela Alvarez Martinez, co-author of the study and Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology at London Metropolitan University, said:
“Encrypted social media markets like those on Telegram leave visible traces. By tracking these public entry points, we can map out how illicit trade is organised, advertised, and sustained in real time.
“Understanding these digital footprints enables policymakers, platform regulators, public-health agencies and law enforcement to monitor emerging risks long before data showing transactions are available.”
The study was also co-authored by Dr Eden Kamar and Dr David Maimon of Georgia State University, who work alongside Mariela at the Evidence Based Cybersecurity Research Group.
The study found that vendors consistently advertised items including prescription medicines, recreational drugs, weapons, ammunition, and illicit financial goods, such as cloned cards, cheques, and banking information.'
Changing markets
The new research shows that these digital markets are also highly opportunistic and rapidly responsive to public and regulatory shifts.
The study analysed archived posts collected between April 2022 and April 2023, capturing platform activity spanning from October 2020 through December 2023.
Researchers observed a sharp increase in cannabis listings while hashish availability declined over time: in 2020, hashish was the most frequently listed drug across archived posts, but by 2021, cannabis had overtaken it.
Researchers believe this may have been an opportunistic response to more restrictive policy changes in Afghanistan, the main hashish producing country, as well as various other changes in US legislation.
Psychedelics like LSD and mushrooms increased in mentions across the platform too, perhaps reflecting growing societal and therapeutic interest.
Activity across the sampled markets expanded rapidly during the study period. Annual post counts surged from 9,201 across five active markets in 2020 to 359,209 across 68 active markets in 2022, before experiencing a decline in 2023.
The findings highlight how illicit drug markets are adapting to digital environments, using familiar online retail practices and widely available messaging tools to advertise products and reach potential buyers.
By examining publicly accessible activity on Telegram, the study provides valuable insights into how these markets are organised, how vendors seek to establish trust, and how patterns of advertising change over time.
The research also demonstrates the potential of OSINT as a tool for studying illicit online activity.
“Understanding how these markets operate and evolve could help inform future research, public-health responses and regulatory approaches, while providing policymakers and law enforcement with a clearer picture of emerging trends in digital drug markets,” said Mariela Alvarez Martinez.
Mariela Alvarez Martinez, who co-authored the study, is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology at London Metropolitan University.