Law enforcement will likely continue to shift toward data-centric operations and partnerships with crypto-forensics firms to keep pace. Expect another wave of takedowns targeting emerging platforms in the next 12 to 18 months. THE HAGUE — Authorities in the U.S. and Europe arrested nearly 300 people, confiscated more than $53 million and seized a dark-web marketplace as part of an international crackdown on drug trafficking that officials say was the largest operation of its kind. What remains to be seen is whether dark web drug buyers will simply find new suppliers, especially since Operation Disruptor targets individual vendors rather than entire marketplaces. At the very least, though, Tuesday’s announcement may give aspiring dark web vendors pause, as it only adds to law enforcement’s track record of cutting through supposedly anonymous corners of the internet. U.S. agencies like the FBI, DEA, IRS-CI, and HSI worked alongside Europol, the U.K.’s NCA, and law enforcement from over a dozen countries.
Market Operations
They often sell across multiple markets or operate standalone storefronts via encrypted apps like Telegram and Signal. Operational security has increased, with mandatory PGP encryption, two-factor authentication, and more frequent use of VPNs and anonymization tools. While this week’s takedown recalls the 2013 shutdown of Silk Road, the evolution of darknet commerce is stark. Silk Road popularized the use of Bitcoin, anonymizing technologies like Tor, and vendor reputation systems. For over 40 years, PCMag has been a trusted authority on technology, delivering independent, labs-based reviews of the latest products and services.
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- Unfortunately, the Dark Web remains a cesspool of illegal activity, often intertwined with cybercrime.
- I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
- The EDTF encompasses a standalone Cyber Division as part of an effort to stay abreast of emerging criminal threats and in keeping with current and future investigative priorities.
- He also posted an analysis from Cloudflare showing that his DDoS solutions passed a stress test from China-based IPs.
- Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the FBI’s New York and Cincinnati field offices, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S.
Nearly 300 people accused of selling drugs on the dark web have been arrested across three continents over the past year, including the U.S., authorities in Europe and the U.S. said Tuesday. “Thousands of vendors advertised goods and services for sale on Empire Market, including controlled substances, compromised and stolen account credentials, stolen and counterfeit credit card information, and counterfeit currency, among others,” according to the pair’s indictment PDF. The two alleged administrators of Empire Market, a dark-web bazaar that peddled drugs, malware, digital fraud, and other illegal stuff, have been detained on charges related to owning and operating the illicit souk. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in collaboration with Europol, the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement Team, and various national and international partners, announced the results of Operation RapTOR May 22.
According to TRM Labs, Incognito launched in October 2020 and remained active until March 2024. In that time, it facilitated more than USD 100 million in drug sales, including hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamine, alongside heroin, LSD, MDMA, oxycodone, ketamine, and misbranded prescription drugs. According to the investigation, Incognito Market was an online narcotics bazaar that existed on the dark web. Since that time, and through its closing in March 2024, Incognito Market sold more than $100 million in narcotics — including hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and methamphetamines. Incognito Market was available globally to anyone with internet access and could be accessed using the Tor web browser on the dark web. As Pharoah — the leader of Incognito market — Lin supervised all of its operations, including its employees, vendors and customers, and had ultimate decision-making authority over every aspect of the multimillion-dollar operation.
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As DOJ noted, the conspiracy involved laundering darknet proceeds through exchanges and peer-to-peer brokers. TRM has identified structured withdrawals from the market to personal wallets and then to services with less stringent KYC. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
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Lin was the operator of Incognito Market, a major darknet hub that, between 2020 and 2024, handled over $100 million in illicit drug sales. Founded in 2015, Hydra sold illegal drugs, stolen credit card data, counterfeit currency and fake identity documents. The identities of its 17 million customer accounts and 19,000 vendor accounts were masked by the Tor encryption network. The platform had processed almost $30 million in drug sales prior to its closure last year, amid a backdrop of rising opioid abuse in the U.S., where deaths from fentanyl almost tripled between 2016 and 2021.
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Regarding the announcement of the SuperMarket co-administrator in relation to the wallets emptied by the other administrator, this has happened in the past in other cases of the “domino effect” that occurs when law enforcement makes arrests in the underground community. There are more hypotheses to follow, but the most reasonable one is that there could be some relationship in terms of crypto accounts shared between ‘FatherBear’ and ‘Pharao’, which could lead to other traces. In this case, ‘FatherBear’ will keep a low profile for a while with all the money and then probably resurface with a different identity. In a LinkedIn post in April 2024, Lin shared some pictures from a “cybercrime and cryptocurrency training” at the Saint Lucia Police Academy. In another post, he promoted his new healthcare project called ‘Face2ID’, which uses contactless biometric scanning to create unique and secure patient identifiers, improving the accuracy and security of patient data management.
- Basically it’s information or documents where we say, look, we know this person in your country has done this, you may want to open an investigation.” Georges says also that there are more arrests to come.
- Europol confirmed to WIRED today that it was also able to recover the Wall Street Market backend server, providing investigators with an invaluable trove of evidence.
- He has contributed 1,741 times on the platform, and his main projects are related to blockchains, cryptocurrency, and network security.
- This comes just months after international law enforcement raided the homes of individuals with suspected ties to a cybercrime group that stole millions from large companies and hospitals.
- The EDTF is the premier money laundering task force in the nation and comprises more than 200 law enforcement personnel representing approximately 35 federal, state and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies.
- Operation SpecTor builds on the successes of prior years’ operations and takedowns of marketplaces, which result in the seizure of darknet infrastructure providing investigators across the world with investigative leads and evidence.
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In addition to dealing in prohibited materials, the indictment also charges Parsarad with offering money laundering services, with Nemesis used to mix the cryptocurrencies used to pay for goods and services. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-drive, multi-agency approach. Still, the data acquired from this operation will likely fuel years of follow-up actions and targeted arrests. While darknet demand may not disappear, making supply lines more fragmented and risky raises costs and slows distribution — both of which reduce harm.
Europol and partner agencies have dismantled ‘Archetyp Market,’ a major drug marketplace that operated anonymously for over five years. Known for facilitating the sale of cocaine, MDMA and highly potent synthetic opioids, the platform had more than 600,000 users and processed an estimated €250 million in transactions. The investigators identified the suspects (many behind thousands of sales on illicit online marketplaces) using intelligence collected following takedowns of multiple dark web markets, including Nemesis, Bohemia, Tor2Door, and Kingdom Market. “With this takedown, law enforcement has taken out one of the dark web’s longest-running drug markets, cutting off a major supply line for some of the world’s most dangerous substances,” said Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, Europol’s Deputy Executive Director of Operations, on Monday.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. On the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, where he has been active since March 2022, most of Lin’s posts are about cryptocurrencies. He also posted about the training he did for the Saint Lucia Police, but this time, he covered his face with an emoji. In an interesting post, he appeared to be proud of the newly elected president in Taiwan, suggesting that he likes the current regime, which is opposing China’s pressure.
As more dark web vendors and buyers rely on anonymizing tools and cryptocurrencies, investigators are adjusting their methods, using advanced analytics and joint operations to keep pace. Archetyp had built a global user base exceeding 600,000 and facilitated transactions worth at least 250 million euros. Investigators say it was one of the few dark web markets to allow the sale of fentanyl and other powerful synthetic opioids, contributing to the wider threat of overdose and illicit drug circulation across Europe and elsewhere. The takedown followed years of investigation into the platform’s infrastructure and operators.
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This case was, in part, investigated by HSI New York’s El Dorado Task Force, a money laundering task force comprised of more than 200 law enforcement personnel representing approximately 35 federal, state and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies. The EDTF encompasses a standalone Cyber Division and is on a mission to disrupt, dismantle or render ineffective organizations involved in the laundering of proceeds of narcotics trafficking and other financial crimes. According to a newly filed superseding indictment, Thomas Pavey and Raheim Hamilton, owned and operated Empire Market from 2018 to 2020, during which time they facilitated approximately four million transactions between vendors and buyers valued at more than $430 million. The indictment charges Pavey and Hamilton with conspiring to engage in drug trafficking, computer fraud, access device fraud, counterfeiting, and money laundering. The 30-year-old administrator of the platform, a German national, was arrested in Barcelona.
