300 People Arrested As Police Burst Online Drug Marketplace
According to Europol, law enforcement agencies across the globe have taken down an online marketplace and apprehended almost 300 individuals who were purportedly engaged in buying and selling drugs. The operation, dubbed “Monopoly Market,” was conducted by Europol and aimed at cracking down on sales platforms for illicit goods, including drugs, on the dark web. This portion of the internet is hosted on an encrypted network and can only be accessed using specialized anonymity-providing tools. This latest takedown represents a significant blow to the illicit online marketplace.
“Our coalition of law enforcement authorities across three continents proves that we all do better when we work together,” Europol’s Executive Director, Catherine De Bolle, said in a statement. “This operation sends a strong message to criminals on the dark web: International law enforcement has the means and the ability to identify and hold you accountable for your illegal activities, even on the dark web.”
A series of raids in multiple countries resulted in the arrest of 288 suspects, and the seizure of 850 kilograms of drugs, 117 firearms, and over 50.8 million euros ($53.4 million) in cash and virtual currencies, according to Europol. In the Netherlands, where 10 suspects were detained, law enforcement officials stated that the operation consisted of a sequence of “separate but complementary actions” that spanned nine countries and lasted 18 months. The Dutch national police’s Cyber-Enabled Crime Team was involved in the operation, which was referred to as SpecTor.
“The intelligence that Europol shared with us, such as transaction data and virtual currency addresses, helped us to start new investigations and to enrich existing investigations. In this way we have identified and apprehended a number of important Dutch sellers,” said the Dutch team’s leader, Nan van de Coevering. “The success of this operation again shows that international cooperation is essential in combating crime on the dark web.”
According to the agency, the drugs seized included 258 kilograms (569 pounds) of amphetamines, 43 kilograms (95 pounds) of cocaine, 43 kilograms (95 pounds) of MDMA, and over 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of LSD and ecstasy pills. Europol stated that the United States had the largest number of arrests, with 153, followed by the United Kingdom with 55 and Germany with 52. Despite the significant number of arrests, investigations to uncover additional individuals involved in dark web accounts are still ongoing. Europol noted that law enforcement authorities have obtained access to the vendors’ comprehensive buyer lists, and as a result, thousands of customers worldwide are at risk of prosecution.
The agency, based in The Hague, built intelligence based on evidence from Germany, which it said seized the marketplace’s “criminal infrastructure” in December 2021.
Leading up to the operation announced Tuesday, German and U.S. authorities took down the “ Hydra ” dark web market in April last year.
