Europol busts Darknet vendors: 150 ‘high value’ arrests
International investigators arrested 150 people in a coordinated
campaign against organized crime on the Darknet, according to
Europol. More than 26 million euros had been confiscated, the European
police authority announced on Tuesday in The Hague.
A total of 234 kilograms of drugs and 45 firearms were also
seized. Some of the suspects are classified as “high-level targets” by
Europol.
Dark HunTOR, “was composed of a series of separate but complementary
actions in Australia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,
Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States,” the
Hague-based Europol said. It was aimed specifically at providers and
buyers on darknet platforms, such as online marketplaces for illegal
goods.
65 were arrested in the US, followed by 47 in Germany and 24 in the
UK. The drugs seized included 152 kilograms of amphetamines, 27
kilograms of opiates, and over 25,000 ecstasy pills. In the course of
the campaign, Italy closed two illegal online marketplaces with a total
of more than 100,000 offers of illegal goods.
“The point of operations such as
this is to put criminals operating on the dark web on notice (that) the
law enforcement community has the means and global partnerships to
unmask them and hold them accountable for their illegal activities, even
in areas of the dark web.”
Europol deputy director of operations Jean-Philippe Lecouffe
Later this afternoon, Europol is expected to give a news conference
in Washington, where the agency will give more details regarding the
sting.
According to Europol, “Dark HunTOR” followed the closure of the
largest illegal market to date, the “DarkMarket,” at the beginning of
the year in Germany. At the time, German investigators arrested the
operators and excavated the illegal infrastructure. Evidence was
collected and made available to investigators worldwide. Investigations
are still ongoing in several countries, Europol said.
