Hidden internet allows would-be jihadists to buy fake passports and even assault rifles
The police are struggling to monitor the shadowy network, which many internet users remain unaware of
A SECRET world of organised crime is taking place over the internet and police can do little to stop it, experts have revealed.
The dark web sees criminals flogging hard drugs, assault rifles and child pornography with little fear of being caught.
And one expert warned that the hidden internet was proving a useful tool to would-be terrorist.
Fake passports can be purchased for as little as £800.
While buyers can have hard drugs like methamphetamine, heroin and weapons such as AK-47s delivered to their doorstep.
Munich schoolboy killer Ali Daviod Sonboly, 18, is believed to have purchased the pistol he used to shoot dead nine people earlier this year via the shadowy network.
Sin Wee Lee of the University of East London scoured the dark web for months in a bid to uncover its extent for an investigation.
Revealing his fears to , he said: "It’s scary that it’s so easy for anyone to organise and buy stuff to be sent to their home.
“It’s so easy to get a user name and account and start buying.”
And Britain is proving a hotbed of customers for the illicit purchases, ranking second only to the United States.
After searching online marketplace Agora, Lee says he found more than 30,000 illegal object including £26million worth of hard drugs.
Fake driving licenses and exam paper answers were among other items also available.
Commonly known as the deep web, the hidden internet is highly-encrypted unlike the publicly available internet.
Users require specific browsers to access hidden sites that remain encrypted and unseen to the general public.
The difficulty in cataloguing the sites makes it extremely difficult for authorities to track its users.
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