Cryptocurrency as a means of payment in the commission of crimes in the field of drug trafficking using information and communication technologies

The article provides a structural and functional analysis of the cryptocurrency market. The ever-growing public interest in cryptocurrency has not been spared by the criminal world, in particular crime in the field of drug trafficking. Cryptocurrency has become actively used as a means of payment in the commission of crimes in the field of drug trafficking using information and communication technologies. This is largely due to the inherent properties of cryptocurrency: anonymity and security of transactions, global audience coverage, decentralization, lack of taxation and mobility of operations. The author examines different types of drug services for which payment is made using cryptocurrency, as well as analyzes their schemes. In addition, the article examines one of the main reasons for using cryptocurrencies as a means of payment when committing crimes in the field of drug trafficking using information and communication technologies - the lack of a unified legislative regulation of cryptocurrency turnover. The author also indicates a set of measures aimed at establishing the legal status of cryptocurrency and developing models to prevent its criminal use.