Police around the world have seized more than $ 6.5 million (£ 5 million) in cash and virtual currency, as well as drugs and weapons in a coordinated raid on darknet marketplaces.
In Europe and the United States, 179 people were arrested, 500 kg (1102 lb) of drugs and 64 weapons were confiscated.
According to Europol, this will end the “golden age” of these clandestine markets.
“The darknet is no longer hiding,” said Edwards Sileris, head of Europol’s cybercrime center.
The operation, known as DisrupTor, was a joint effort between the Department of Justice and Europol. The criminals are believed to have been selling tens of thousands of illegal goods and services in the United States and Europe.
Seized drugs, including fentanyl, oxycodone, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and MDMA.
Of those arrested, 119 lived in the United States, two in Canada, 42 in Germany, eight in the Netherlands, four in the UK, three in Austria and one in Sweden.
The police are increasingly controlling operations on the dark web, a part of the Internet accessible only through specialized tools. This latest raid follows the destruction last year of the Wall Street market, then considered the second largest illegal online marketplace on the darknet.
The police are increasingly controlling operations on the dark web, a part of the Internet accessible only through specialized tools. This latest raid follows the destruction last year of the Wall Street market, then considered the second largest illegal online marketplace on the darknet.
“This is another blow to organized cybercrime. The operation to destroy the marketplaces AlphaBay and Hansa three years ago scared cybercriminals as it led to many subsequent prosecutions. law enforcement has been collecting evidence piece by piece – often many months later.
“The Wall Street Market emerged from this ashes and was the most significant market in existence at the time. Apparently, the law enforcement agencies followed the same pattern, which is why we are seeing arrests today. ”
Another popular marketplace called Empire closed abruptly after an alleged “exit scam”.
It is believed that administrators fled with members ‘funds, leaving customers’ wallets empty and sellers needing to rebuild their stores elsewhere.
Three other major sites have also been linked to exit scams in the past 12 months. So the police operation is taking place at a time when many people may already be questioning their buying habits.
However, as we have seen in the past with major homicides like AlphaBay, the temptation to buy drugs and other illegal goods online means there will always be a market.
Other sites will try to improve their security and anonymity, and there will likely be more marketplaces that could potentially use even more innovative techniques to make it harder for law enforcement to find.