Both, in addition to the fact that even well before the Darknet even existed, a lot of the work had moved overseas to places like Czechia, the Netherlands, etc. As
@TripSitterNZ said there was a bust in Spain which also involved some Austrian nationals. I'm not sure if they were actually doing the synthesis there or if it was a distribution hub. As for why stuff moved overseas, part of it has to do with sourcing precursors, but if you're going to that much trouble, it's not like getting your hands on ET is going to be the breaking point. Things are just quieter over there I think, and the thing is that it doesn't take many manufacturers to saturate the market, since if you're making one gram you might as well make many, many grams, which means if someone is making moves you're going to feel it across oceans. In fact if the market was less fractured and risky there is really no reason why you'd need more than one manufacturer to easily supply the world's needs. Part of the complication of setting up shop in this space of course would be finding people who can move grams and multiple grams at a time. As with many problems it is social and organizational more than it is technical. Unlike, say, MDMA, the synthesis of LSD isn't something that can be half-assed. But there's not really a shortage of grad school chemistry students who like that kind of stuff (and like money, too...although Owsley had no formal training in chemistry. Some chick who's name is escaping me taught him.) So above all as I said it's about putting the pieces together. That, more than anything else, is what it takes to be successful in that game (or really the drug game in general.)
