HOW CONVENIENT –
June 27, 2024 – “Nowhere near the standard you expect. Harsh ammonia smell. Very jittery. One star,” writes a disgruntled customer of their $240 Colombian cocaine purchase. Another reviewer reported a better experience, leaving a five-star rating and gushing, “Better than street stuff around me! Recommended.” This is not a South American drug market or even an obscure dark web marketplace. It’s Telegram, one of the world’s top five most downloaded apps and the go-to communications platform for everyone from activists to cryptocurrency enthusiasts. A recent tour by Fortune of Telegram channels that operate like stores revealed that it’s quick and easy to find everything from jars of heroin to stolen stimulus checks to AK-47 machine guns.
