Raid on Dark Web nets 179 arrests In the US and Europe

179 people were arrested across Europe and the US, and 500 kg (1, 102 lb) of drugs including fentanyl, Oxycodone, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, MDMA and 64 guns were confiscated with over £5m ($6.5m) in cash seized in a co-ordinated raid on dark web marketplaces signalling the end of “golden age” of these underground marketplaces according to Europol.

“. Law enforcement is. Law enforcement is most effective when working together, and today’s announcement sends a strong message to criminals selling or buying illicit goods on the dark web: the hidden internet is no long-hidden and your anonymous activity is not anonymous”,  said Edvaradas Sileris, head of Europol’s cybercrime centre.

“With the spike in opioid-related overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognise that today’s announcement is important and timely,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

The operation known as DisrupTor, was a joint effort between the Department of Justice and Europol, trapping criminals engaged in tens of thousands of sales of illicit goods and services across the US and Europe.

Of those arrested 119 were based in the US, two in Canada, 42 in Germany, eight in the Netherlands, four in the UK, three in Austria, and one in Sweden.

Police have mastered targeting operations on the dark web- a part of the internet that is accessible only through specialised tools. This latest raid follows the takedown of the Wall Street Market last year, which was then thought to be the second-largest illegal online market on the dark web.

The operation which took down the AlphaBay and Hans marketplaces three years ago spooked cybercriminals since it resulted in many follow up prosecutions as law enforcement pieced the evidence together- often many months later.