Two well known dark web marketplaces have been shut down following an international law enforcement investigation. AlphaBay was shut down earlier in the month and Hansa was shut down on July 20th. The markets, which were shut down as a result of a landmark investigation, were responsible for allowing people to sell drugs, weapons, malware and stolen data. Europol says that there were more than 250,000 listings for illegal drugs and toxic chemicals on AlphaBay alone.
Law enforcement agencies in Europe and America have hailed their victory over the dark web markets; Rob Wainwright, the executive director of Europol, said:
“The capability of drug traffickers and other serious criminals around the world has taken a hit today.”
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that users can’t hide on the dark web:
“We know of several Americans who were killed by drugs on AlphaBay. One victim was just 18 years old when in February she overdosed on a powerful synthetic opioid which she had bought on AlphaBay. You cannot hide. We will find you.”
In a court filing, the Department of Justice said that a huge $450 million was spent via the AlphaBay marketplace between May 2015 and February 2017. The website was shut down just over a week ago following investigations led by the FBI, DEA, and the Dutch National Police. Other police agencies from the UK, France and Lithuania also contributed to the investigation.
The admin of AlphaBay, Alexandre Cazes was arrested in Thailand on July 5th, he was found dead in his Bangkok jail cell after taking his own life.
Source: BBC News
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