Inside the Deep Web Drug Lab

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Inside the Deep Web Drug Lab

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Welcome to DoctorX’s Barcelona lab, where the drugs you bought online are tested for safety and purity. No questions asked.

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Standing at a table in a chemistry lab in Barcelona, Cristina Gil Lladanosa - tears open a silver, smell-proof protective envelope. She slides out a - transparent bag full of crystals. Around her, machines whir and hum, and - other researchers mill around in long, white coats.

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She is holding the lab’s latest delivery of a drug bought from the “deep - web,” the clandestine corner of the internet that isn’t reachable by normal - search engines, and is home to some sites that require special software - to access. Labeled as MDMA (the street - term is ecstasy), this sample has been shipped from Canada. Lladanosa and - her colleague Iván Fornís Espinosa have also received drugs, anonymously, - from people in China, Australia, Europe and the United States.

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“Here we have speed, MDMA, cocaine, pills,” Lladanosa says, pointing to - vials full of red, green, blue and clear solutions sitting in labeled boxes.

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Cristina Gil Lladanosa, at the Barcelona testing lab | photo by Joan Bardeletti

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Since 2011, with the launch of Silk Road, anybody has been able to safely buy illegal - drugs from the deep web and have them delivered to their door. Though the - FBI shut down that black market in October 2013, other outlets have emerged - to fill its role. For the last 10 months the lab at which Lladanosa and - Espinosa work has offered a paid testing service of those drugs. By sending - in samples for analysis, users can know exactly what it is they are buying, - and make a more informed decision about whether to ingest the substance. - The group, called Energy Control, - which has being running “harm reduction” programs since 1999, is the first - to run a testing service explicitly geared towards verifying those purchases - from the deep web.

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Before joining Energy Control, Lladanosa briefly worked at a pharmacy, - whereas Espinosa spent 14 years doing drug analysis. Working at Energy - Control is “more gratifying,” and “rewarding” than her previous jobs, Lladanosa - told me. They also receive help from a group of volunteers, made up of - a mixture of “squatters,” as Espinosa put it, and medical students, who - prepare the samples for testing.

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After weighing out the crystals, aggressively mixing it with methanol - until dissolved, and delicately pouring the liquid into a tiny brown bottle, - Lladanosa, a petite woman who is nearly engulfed by her lab coat, is now - ready to test the sample. She loads a series of three trays on top of a - large white appliance sitting on a table, called a gas chromatograph (GC). - A jungle of thick pipes hang from the lab’s ceiling behind it.

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“Chromatography separates all the substances,” Lladanosa says as she loads - the machine with an array of drugs sent from the deep web and local Spanish - users. It can tell whether a sample is pure or contaminated, and if the - latter, with what.

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Rushes of hot air blow across the desk as the gas chromatograph blasts - the sample at 280 degrees Celsius. Thirty minutes later the machine’s robotic - arm automatically moves over to grip another bottle. The machine will continue - cranking through the 150 samples in the trays for most of the work week.

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To get the drugs to Barcelona, a user mails at least 10 milligrams of - a substance to the offices of the Asociación Bienestar y Desarrollo, the - non-government organization that oversees Energy Control. The sample then - gets delivered to the testing service’s laboratory, at the Barcelona Biomedical - Research Park, a futuristic, seven story building sitting metres away from - the beach. Energy Control borrows its lab space from a biomedical research - group for free.

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The tests cost 50 Euro per sample. Users pay, not surprisingly, with Bitcoin. - In the post announcing Energy Control’s service on the deep web, the group - promised that “All profits of this service are set aside of maintenance - of this project.”

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About a week after testing, those results are sent in a PDF to an email - address provided by the anonymous client.

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“The process is quite boring, because you are in a routine,” Lladanosa - says. But one part of the process is consistently surprising: that moment - when the results pop up on the screen. “Every time it’s something different.” - For instance, one cocaine sample she had tested also contained phenacetin, - a painkiller added to increase the product’s weight; lidocaine, an anesthetic - that numbs the gums, giving the impression that the user is taking higher - quality cocaine; and common caffeine.

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The deep web drug lab is the brainchild of Fernando Caudevilla, a Spanish - physician who is better known as “DoctorX” on the deep web, a nickname - given to him by his Energy Control co-workers because of his earlier writing - about the history, risks and recreational culture of MDMA. In the physical - world, Caudevilla has worked for over a decade with Energy Control on various - harm reduction focused projects, most of which have involved giving Spanish - illegal drug users medical guidance, and often writing leaflets about the - harms of certain substances.

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Fernando Caudevilla, AKA DoctorX. Photo: Joseph Cox

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Caudevilla first ventured into Silk Road forums in April 2013. “I would - like to contribute to this forum offering professional advice in topics - related to drug use and health,” he wrote in an introductory post, - using his DoctorX alias. Caudevilla offered to provide answers to questions - that a typical doctor is not prepared, or willing, to respond to, at least - not without a lecture or a judgment. “This advice cannot replace a complete - face-to-face medical evaluation,” he wrote, “but I know how difficult it - can be to talk frankly about these things.”

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The requests flooded in. A diabetic asked what effect MDMA has on blood - sugar; another what the risks of frequent psychedelic use were for a young - person. Someone wanted to know whether amphetamine use should be avoided - during lactation. In all, Fernando’s thread received over 50,000 visits - and 300 questions before the FBI shut down Silk Road.

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“He’s amazing. A gift to this community,” one user wrote on the Silk Road - 2.0 forum, a site that sprang up after the original. “His knowledge is - invaluable, and never comes with any judgment.” Up until recently, Caudevilla - answered questions on the marketplace “Evolution.” Last week, however, - the administrators of that site pulled a scam, - shutting the market down and escaping with an estimated $12 million worth - of Bitcoin.

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Caudevilla’s transition from dispensing advice to starting up a no-questions-asked - drug testing service came as a consequence of his experience on the deep - web. He’d wondered whether he could help bring more harm reduction services - to a marketplace without controls. The Energy Control project, as part - of its mandate of educating drug users and preventing harm, had already - been carrying out drug testing for local Spanish users since 2001, at music - festivals, night clubs, or through a drop-in service at a lab in Madrid.

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“I thought, we are doing this in Spain, why don’t we do an international - drug testing service?” Caudevilla told me when I visited the other Energy - Control lab, in Madrid. Caudevilla, a stocky character with ear piercings - and short, shaved hair, has eyes that light up whenever he discusses the - world of the deep web. Later, via email, he elaborated that it was not - a hard sell. “It was not too hard to convince them,” he wrote me. Clearly, - Energy Control believed that the reputation he had earned as an unbiased - medical professional on the deep web might carry over to the drug analysis - service, where one needs to establish “credibility, trustworthiness, [and] - transparency,” Caudevilla said. “We could not make mistakes,” he added.

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While the Energy Control lab in Madrid lab only tests Spanish drugs from - various sources, it is the Barcelona location which vets the substances - bought in the shadowy recesses of of the deep web. Caudevilla no longer - runs it, having handed it over to his colleague Ana Muñoz. She maintains - a presence on the deep web forums, answers questions from potential users, - and sends back reports when they are ready.

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The testing program exists in a legal grey area. The people who own the - Barcelona lab are accredited to experiment with and handle drugs, but Energy - Control doesn’t have this permission itself, at least not in writing.

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“We have a verbal agreement with the police and other authorities. They - already know what we are doing,” Lladanosa tells me. It is a pact of mutual - benefit. Energy Control provides the police with information on batches - of drugs in Spain, whether they’re from the deep web or not, Espinosa says. - They also contribute to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug - Addiction’s early warning system, a collaboration that attempts to spread - information about dangerous drugs as quickly as possible.

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By the time of my visit in February, Energy Control had received over - 150 samples from the deep web and have been receiving more at a rate of - between 4 and 8 a week. Traditional drugs, such as cocaine and MDMA, make - up about 70 percent of the samples tested, but the Barcelona lab has also - received samples of the prescription pill codeine, research chemicals and - synthetic cannabinoids, and even pills of Viagra.

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So it’s fair to make a tentative judgement on what people are paying for - on the deep web. The verdict thus far? Overall, drugs on the deep web appear - to be of much higher quality than those found on the street.

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“In general, the cocaine is amazing,” says Caudevilla, saying that the - samples they’ve seen have purities climbing towards 80 or 90 percent, and - some even higher. To get an idea of how unusual this is, take a look at - the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime World Drug Report 2014, - which reports that the average quality of street cocaine in Spain is just - over 40 percent, while in the United Kingdom it is closer to 30 percent.“We - have found 100 percent [pure] cocaine,” he adds. “That’s really, really - strange. That means that, technically, this cocaine has been purified, - with clandestine methods.”

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Naturally, identifying vendors who sell this top-of-the-range stuff is - one of the reasons that people have sent samples to Energy Control. Caudevilla - was keen to stress that, officially, Energy Control’s service “is not intended - to be a control of drug quality,” meaning a vetting process for identifying - the best sellers, but that is exactly how some people have been using it.

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As one buyer on the Evolution market, elmo666, wrote to me over the site’s - messaging system, “My initial motivations were selfish. My primary motivation - was to ensure that I was receiving and continue to receive a high quality - product, essentially to keep the vendor honest as far as my interactions - with them went.”

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Vendors on deep web markets advertise their product just like any other - outlet does, using flash sales, gimmicky giveaways and promises of drugs - that are superior to those of their competitors. The claims, however, can - turn out to be empty: despite the test results that show that deep web - cocaine vendors typically sell product that is of a better quality than - that found on the street, in plenty of cases, the drugs are nowhere near - as pure as advertised.

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“You won’t be getting anything CLOSE to what you paid for,” one user complained - about the cocaine from ‘Mirkov’, a vendor on Evolution. “He sells 65% not - 95%.”

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Despite the prevalence of people using the service to gauge the quality - of what goes up their nose, many users send samples to Energy Control in - the spirit of its original mission: keeping themselves alive and healthy. - The worst case scenario from drugs purchased on the deep web is, well the - worst case. That was the outcome when Patrick McMullen, a - 17-year-old Scottish student, ingested half a gram of MDMA and three tabs - of LSD, reportedly purchased from the Silk Road. While talking to his friends - on Skype, his words became slurred and he passed out. Paramedics could - not revive him. The coroner for that case, Sherrif Payne, who deemed the - cause of death ecstasy toxicity, told The Independent “You - never know the purity of what you are taking and you can easily come unstuck.”

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ScreamMyName, a deep web user who has been active since the original Silk - Road, wants to alert users to the dangerous chemicals that are often mixed - with drugs, and is using Energy Control as a means to do so.

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“We’re at a time where some vendors are outright sending people poison. - Some do it unknowingly,” ScreamMyName told me in an encrypted message. - “Cocaine production in South America is often tainted with either levamisole - or phenacetine. Both poison to humans and both with severe side effects.”

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In the case of Levamisole, those prescribing it are often not doctors - but veterinarians, as Levamisole is commonly used on animals, primarily - for the treatment of worms. If ingested by humans it can lead to cases - of extreme eruptions of the skin, as documented in a study from researchers at the University - of California, San Francisco. But Lladanosa has found Levamisole in cocaine - samples; dealers use it to increase the product weight, allowing them to - stretch their batch further for greater profit — and also, she says, because - Levamisole has a strong stimulant effect.

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“It got me sick as fuck,” Dr. Feel, an Evolution user, wrote on the site’s - forums after consuming cocaine that had been cut with 23 percent Levamisole, - and later tested by Energy Control. “I was laid up in bed for several days - because of that shit. The first night I did it, I thought I was going to - die. I nearly drove myself to the ER.”

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“More people die because of tainted drugs than the drugs themselves,” - Dr. Feel added. “It’s the cuts and adulterants that are making people sick - and killing them.”

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The particular case of cocaine cut with Levamisole is one of the reasons - that ScreamMyName has been pushing for more drug testing on the deep web - markets. “I recognize that drug use isn’t exactly healthy, but why exacerbate - the problem?” he told me when I contacted him after his post. “[Energy - Control] provides a way for users to test the drugs they’ll use and for - these very users to know what it is they’re putting in their bodies. Such - services are in very short supply.”

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After sending a number of Energy Control tests himself, ScreamMyName started - a de facto crowd-sourcing campaign to get more drugs sent to the lab, and - then shared the results, after throwing in some cash to get the ball rolling. - He set up a Bitcoin wallet, with the hope that users might chip in - to fund further tests. At the time of writing, the wallet has received - a total of 1.81 bitcoins; around $430 at today’s exchange rates.

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In posts to the Evolution community, ScreamMyName pitched this project - as something that will benefit users and keep drug dealer honest. “When - the funds build up to a point where we can purchase an [Energy Control] - test fee, we’ll do a US thread poll for a few days and try to cohesively - decide on what vendor to test,” he continued.

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Other members of the community have been helping out, too. PlutoPete, - a vendor from the original Silk Road who sold cannabis seeds and other - legal items, has provided ScreamMyName with packaging to safely send the - samples to Barcelona. “A box of baggies, and a load of different moisture - barrier bags,” PlutoPete told me over the phone. “That’s what all the vendors - use.”

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It’s a modest program so far. ScreamMyName told me that so far he had - gotten enough public funding to purchase five different Energy Control - tests, in addition to the ten or so he’s sent himself so far. “The program - created is still in its infancy and it is growing and changing as we go - along but I have a lot of faith in what we’re doing,” he says.

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But the spirit is contagious: elmo666, the other deep web user testing - cocaine, originally kept the results of the drug tests to himself, but - he, too, saw a benefit to distributing the data. “It is clear that it is - a useful service to other users, keeping vendors honest and drugs (and - their users) safe,” he told me. He started to report his findings to others - on the forums, and then created a thread with summaries of the test results, - as well as comments from the vendors if they provided it. Other users were - soon basing their decisions on what to buy on elmo666‘s tests.

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“I’m defo trying the cola based on the incredibly helpful elmo and his - energy control results and recommendations,” wrote user jayk1984. On top - of this, elmo666 plans to launch an independent site on the deep web that - will collate all of these results, which should act as a resource for users - of all the marketplaces.

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As word of elmo666's efforts spread, he began getting requests from drug - dealers who wanted him to use their wares for testing. Clearly, they figured - that a positive result from Energy Control would be a fantastic marketing - tool to draw more customers. They even offered elmo666 free samples. (He - passed.)

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Meanwhile, some in the purchasing community are arguing that those running - markets on the deep web should be providing quality control themselves. - PlutoPete told me over the phone that he had been in discussions about - this with Dread Pirate Roberts, the pseudonymous owner of the original - Silk Road site. “We [had been] talking about that on a more organized basis - on Silk Road 1, doing lots of anonymous buys to police each category. But - of course they took the thing [Silk Road] down before we got it properly - off the ground,” he lamented.

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But perhaps it is best that the users, those who are actually consuming - the drugs, remain in charge of shaming dealers and warning each other. - “It’s our responsibility to police the market based on reviews and feedback,” - elmo666 wrote in an Evolution forum post. It seems that in the lawless - space of the deep web, where everything from child porn to weapons are - sold openly, users have cooperated in an organic display of self-regulation - to stamp out those particular batches of drugs that are more likely to - harm users.

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“That’s always been the case with the deep web,” PlutoPete told me. Indeed, - ever since Silk Road, a stable of the drug markets has been the review - system, where buyers can leave a rating and feedback for vendors, letting - others know about the reliability of the seller. But DoctorX’s lab, rigorously - testing the products with scientific instruments, takes it a step further.

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“In the white market, they have quality control. In the dark market, it - should be the same,” Cristina Gil Lladanosa says to me before I leave the - Barcelona lab.

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A week after I visit the lab, the results of the MDMA arrive in my inbox: - it is 85 percent pure, with no indications of other active ingredients. - Whoever ordered that sample from the digital shelves of the deep web, and - had it shipped to their doorstep in Canada, got hold of some seriously - good, and relatively safe drugs. And now they know it.

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Top photo by Joan Bardeletti -

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