How Many Police Agencies are Going After Darknet Markets?

Following the DarkMarket takedown in January 2021, U.S. and international law enforcement agencies identified Darknet drug vendors and buyers, resulting in a series of complementary, but separate, law enforcement investigations. Prior to, but in support of Operation Dark HunTor, Italian authorities also shut down the DeepSea and Berlusconi dark web marketplaces which boasted over 40,000 advertisements of illegal products. Four alleged administrators were arrested, and €3.6 million in cryptocurrencies were seized in coordinated U.S.-Italian operations. Operation SpecTor was a coordinated international effort spanning three continents to disrupt fentanyl and opioid trafficking on the darknet, or dark web.

Today’s actions mark the third time in which a virtual asset service provider has been sanctioned in its entirety. OFAC’s press release highlights the connection between Garantex and the previously-sanctioned exchanges – Suex and Chatex – all of which operated out of the same building in Moscow, Russia. As detailed in OFAC’s press release accompanying today’s sanction announcement, the agency identified “approximately how to access deep web $8 million in ransomware proceeds that transited Hydra’s virtual currency accounts, including from the Ryuk, Sodinokibi, and Conti ransomware variants”. Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced that a law enforcement operation seized more than 50,676 Bitcoin worth an incredible $3.36 billion. Still, the Tor network prevented law enforcement from nailing down exactly who was behind Silk Road.

Dark Web Markets Continue To Evolve After Big Takedowns, Europol Says

Lime Market, thought to be run by the former admins of DarkBay, appears to be a very small market and is not expected to become a very notable enterprise. Invictus Market, on the other hand, is run by the admins of the well-known Imperiya darknet service—an enterprise that creates and maintains darknet vendor shops for a modest fee. As the admins of Invictus already have a good reputation among the darknet community, it stood to see quick growth. However, while Invictus was able to gain close to 10,000 customer accounts in its first month, by the end of its second month of operation (October 20), Invictus’ customer base had barely surpassed 10,000 accounts, indicating its exponential growth appears to have slowed drastically.

Law Enforcement’s Challenges In Dark Web Investigations

A key member of JCODE, HSI performs an essential role in detecting, investigating, and preventing the sale and distribution of opioids through the internet. With increased capabilities, cyber analytics, trained cyber investigators and analysts, HSI supports online undercover investigations targeting tor for dark web market site operators, vendors and prolific buyers of fentanyl and other illicit opioids within their primary marketplace on the dark web. HSI also provides critical support on tracing and identifying illicit proceeds derived from the distribution and online sale of these dangerous drugs.

Darknet markets, also known as cryptomarkets, are online marketplaces that operate on the dark web. These markets are often used for the sale of illegal goods and services, including drugs, weapons, and stolen data. As a result, law enforcement agencies around the world are working to shut down these markets and bring the criminals who run them to justice.

Cryptocurrency Cash-out Services On The New Markets

The Challenge of Going After Darknet Markets

• This anonymity also makes it easier for buyers to purchase goods from sellers in other countries.
• The questionnaire was self-administered by respondents, and each of its questions could be skipped; therefore, the system also recorded partially completed questionnaires.
• One technological revolution that significantly accelerated the ease of operating an illicit business such as a DNM on the darkweb was the invention of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies, which provided a convenient payment method for goods exchanged.
• Darknet markets have been rapidly growing and the amount of drugs being sold on them keeps rising.
• While there is an overall lack of consistent, quantitative, and qualitative data from law enforcement agencies, there is also lacking a bibliometric analysis and/or systematic literature review (SLR) to provide the trends and patterns of these concerns.

Going after darknet markets is a challenging task for law enforcement agencies. These markets are often hosted on servers located in different countries, making it difficult for any one agency to take them down. Additionally, the operators of these markets often use sophisticated encryption and anonymization techniques to hide their identities and locations. This makes it difficult for police to track them down and gather the evidence needed to make arrests.

The Data Speaks For Itself

However, in March 2015, the owners of Evolution suddenly shut down the website and disappeared with millions of dollars of their users’ money. Today, the US Department of Justice, Europol, and a list of law enforcement agencies in at least nine countries from Brazil to Poland revealed Operation SpecTor, a collection of dark web investigations that led to the arrest of 288 people worldwide—153 of whom were in the US. Officials darknet markets reddit also announced the seizure of nearly 1 ton of drugs, $53 million in cash and cryptocurrencies, and 117 firearms. New research in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research showcases the power of data and analytics in understanding how drug transactions on the dark web may be disrupted. The study looks at data from the three largest darknet markets to show the impact of selectively targeting large drug vendors online.

Coordination Between Agencies

To overcome these challenges, law enforcement agencies around the world are working together to share information and coordinate their efforts. This includes organizations like Europol, the FBI, and the DEA, as well as smaller, local police forces. By working together, these agencies are able to pool their resources and expertise, making it easier to take down darknet markets and prosecute the criminals who run them.

The Number of Agencies Involved

It is difficult to say exactly how many police agencies are going after darknet markets, as this number is constantly changing. However, it is safe to say that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of agencies around the world that are actively working to shut down these markets and protect their citizens from the dangers they pose.

Conclusion

Darknet markets are a serious threat to public safety, and law enforcement agencies around the world are working hard to shut them down. By coordinating their efforts and sharing information, these agencies are able to overcome the challenges posed by these markets and bring the criminals who run them to justice. While it is difficult to say exactly how many agencies are involved in this effort, it is clear that the number is significant and growing.