Legal and Organizational-Technical Aspects of Improving the Prevention of the Distribution of Synthetic Drugs via the Internet

Abstract

The global drug market is undergoing a qualitative transformation: the share of synthetic substances and new psychoactive substances (NPS) is growing, and their trade is increasingly conducted via the Internet. Darknet cryptomarkets, "shops" in popular messenger apps, automated chatbots, cryptocurrency payments and "contactless" delivery through hidden caches have made the drug trade anonymous, cross-border and easily accessible to young people. The aim of this article is to reveal the criminological features of the online distribution of synthetic drugs and to develop legal and organizational-technical proposals for improving its prevention in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The study applies systems analysis, comparative legal, formal legal and criminological analysis, and content analysis of reports by international organizations and academic publications; the theory of situational crime prevention and the combination of supply- and demand-reduction strategies serve as its methodological basis. The results identify five criminological features of the online drug trade: anonymity and a network structure with a strict division of functions; a cross-border nature; concealment of financial flows through crypto-assets and third-party "drop" cards; the use of marketing and "customer service" techniques; and a focus on young people as both consumers and couriers. Five problems of national legislation and law enforcement practice are identified, including the lag of individual control lists behind the emergence of new substances, the low speed of blocking online resources, gaps in financial monitoring of crypto-assets, insufficient regulation of electronic evidence and the predominantly offline orientation of prevention. On the basis of foreign experience, a comprehensive prevention model with legal, organizational-technical and social-educational dimensions is proposed, which adapts situational prevention to the online environment. Seven recommendations are formulated, including a generic approach to controlling new psychoactive substances, AI-assisted monitoring with human oversight, and measures to protect young people recruited as couriers