Dark web: Brazil takes international action against website – 05/02/2023 – Market

An international police operation closed a portal on the “dark web” – the hidden part of the internet -, arrested 288 suspects and seized more than 50 million euros (US$ 54.8 million or R$ 275.9 million) in cash and coins virtual networks, informed Europol this Tuesday (2).

Called SpecTor, the joint operation was organized by the United States, United Kingdom and Brazil with European security authorities and managed to seize a ton of drugs and 117 firearms, reported the European police agency based in The Hague.

“In an operation coordinated by Europol and with the participation of nine countries, security forces seized the illegal market ‘Monopoly Market’ and arrested 288 suspected of involvement in the purchase or sale of drugs,” Europol said.

This police agency ensures that “several of these suspects were considered valuable targets”.

This operation comes after the seizure of the criminal infrastructure of the ‘Monopoly Market’ sales platform in 2021, carried out by the German police.

“Europol compiled intelligence packages based on the treasure trove of evidence handed over by the German authorities,” they confirmed.

“These target packages, created from cross-referencing and analyzing the collected data and evidence, served as the basis for hundreds of investigations across the country,” the agency added.

With this operation “288 sellers and buyers were arrested who participated in the sale of tens of thousands of illicit goods in Europe, United Kingdom, United States and Brazil”.

The highest number of arrests were in the United States, where 153 people were arrested, followed by the United Kingdom with 55, Germany with 52 and the Netherlands with 10.

Most of the drugs seized were amphetamines, Europol said.

Agents also seized 43 kilograms of cocaine, 43 kilograms of MDMA, raw material for ecstasy pills, and over ten kilograms of LSD and ecstasy.

“Strong Message”

“Our coalition of security officials from three continents shows that we all do better when we work together,” said Catherine De Bolle, director of Europol.

De Bolle said this sends a strong message to criminals on the dark web.

“International security forces have the means and capacity to identify them and hold them accountable for their illegal activities,” he added.

The “dark web”, which is a parallel version of the Internet in which the anonymity of users is guaranteed – and which also has legal websites, for example to avoid press censorship in certain countries – has been the target of several international operations in recent years. years.

In April 2022, the Hydra Market platform was dismantled, a hidden website on the internet that was considered “the illegal market with the highest turnover in the world” with around 1.23 million euros (R$ 7.86 million, in the quotation at the time) sales in 2020.

In April, the world’s largest online marketplace for stolen identities and passwords, the Genesis platform, was dismantled.

This operation was articulated by the US FBI and the Dutch police, with the participation of 17 countries, which culminated in 119 arrests.

In the online Genesis Market, cybercriminals had a market for the identities and passwords of more than two million people.

This site was based in Russia, according to the US Treasury, which imposed sanctions against Genesis Market.