A global operation to combat smuggling on the dark web has led to 288 arrests and in captivity approx. €51 million in merchandise and virtual currencyannounced Europol.

“The forces of order have seized an illegal platform (…) +monopoly market+ and arrested 288 suspects involved in buying or selling drugs on the dark web,” the Hague-based European police agency said in a statement.

They were also confiscated 850 kg of drugs and 117 firearmsEuropol, which coordinated the international operation, added.SpecTorin which nine countries participated.

This was preceded by an operation by the German police in 2021, during which the criminal infrastructure of the trading platform was seized.

“Europol has collected all the intelligence information based on the valuable evidence provided by the German authorities,” he said. The information “has provided the basis for some national investigations,” the agency added.

Arrests were made in the EU – 52 of them in Germanyten at Netherlands and five in France– but also in Britannia (158), in United States (55), while one person was arrested in Brazil.

According to Europol, the arrested merchants were “also active in other illegal markets,” stressing that some of them were “high-value” targets and hailing the new operation, “further preventing the smuggling of drugs and goods on the dark web.”

The drugs seized included more than 258 kg of amphetamines, 43 kg of cocaine, 43 kg of MDMA and more than 10 kg of LSD and ecstasy tablets, the same source said.

“Strong Message”

The dark web, a parallel version of the Internet that guarantees user anonymity, has been under attack by international police agencies for several years.

“Market Hydra”, a dark web platform that was considered “the largest illegal market in the world” with sales of 1.23 billion euros in 2020 alone, was dismantled in 2022.

In 2021, 150 people buying or selling drugs or weapons on the dark web were arrested worldwide in Operation DarkHunTOR.

This new operation, which is taking place across three continents, “sends a strong signal to dark web criminals,” Catherine de Bolle, Europol’s chief executive, said in a statement.

“International law enforcement agencies have the means and ability to identify you and prosecute you for your illegal activities, even on the dark web,” he continued.

Europol also announced last month the closure of Genesis, one of the world’s largest hacking platforms, easily accessible on the Internet but by invitation, that sold millions of user identities of stolen accounts.