It is odourless, colourless, and tasteless, and can be painted onto small paper pieces that users lick or swallow. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen. The content on The Coinomist is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial advice. While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content.
From Silk Road To RapTor: The Evolution Of Darknet Markets
To access the marketplace, dark web users must register first and pass the CAPTCHA test to prove they are human. While this market started in Canada in 2021, WeTheNorth now sells to both Canadian and international users. It’s a market for fake documents, hacking software, and financial fraud services. WeTheNorth has a strong community vibe, with an active forum where users interact and share updates. Not all of the arrests appear to trace directly or exclusively back to the DarkMarket takedown; court documents show that in many cases, suspicious packages provided an initial tipoff. And previous seizures like those of Hansa and Wall Street Market are likely still paying dividends for investigators.
The Top 10 Darknet Marketplaces Of 2025
The platform also featured prescription drug listings falsely marketed as authentic, and some products were outright scams—counterfeit pills advertised as legitimate pharmaceuticals. Archetyp’s takedown might make headlines, but it won’t stop the trade of illicit drugs on the dark web. It should force us to think about where harm is really happening online and whether current strategies are looking in the wrong direction. Despite the fact Archetyp had clearly raised the bar on security on the dark web, Operation Deep Sentinel – a collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies in six countries supported by Europol and Eurojust – took down the market. Postal Inspection Service and our partners around the world stand united.
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One of the central76 discussion forums was Reddit’s /r/DarkNetMarkets/,777879 which has been the subject of legal investigation, as well as the Tor-based discussion forum, The Hub. In 2023, the NCB had busted the then biggest darknet based LSD cartel named ‘Zambada’, seized 29,013 blots of LSD, 472 gm MDMA, and ₹51.38 lakh in cash, and arrested 14 persons. The alleged kingpins of that network are currently in judicial custody. “Zambada was the only cartel in the country with 5-star rating…in India operating from Delhi National Capital Region. Dr.Seuss AKA DS and TS (Tribe Seuss) were coordinating with the kingpin of Zambada cartel with plans to open outlets in India,” the NCB said.
It also pushed Monero harder—Bitcoin was too traceable, and Hydra’s bust proved it. The defendants then allegedly shipped the drugs throughout the United States via the United States Postal Service. THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Authorities in the U.S. and Europe arrested nearly 300 people, confiscated over $53 million, and seized a dark web marketplace as part of an international crackdown on drug trafficking that officials say was the largest operation of its kind. Last week, one of the dark web’s most prominent drug marketplaces – Archetyp – was shut down in an international, multi-agency law enforcement operation following years of investigations. It was touted as a major policing win and was accompanied by a slick cyberpunk-themed video.
Darknet Marketplace Nemesis Market Seized By German Police
In May, a separate international operation led to the arrest of 270 people and the seizure of over $200 million, 144 kilograms of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced substances, and 180 firearms. HSI New York leads and directs all operational and administrative activities of the El Dorado Task Force (EDTF). The EDTF is the premier money laundering task force in the nation and comprises more than 200 law enforcement personnel representing approximately 35 federal, state and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies. The EDTF encompasses a standalone Cyber Division as part of an effort to stay abreast of emerging criminal threats and in keeping with current and future investigative priorities. The EDTF’s mission is to disrupt, dismantle or render ineffective organizations involved in the laundering of proceeds of narcotics trafficking and other financial crimes. Since its inception in 1992, the task force has been responsible for the seizure of approximately $600 million and more than 2100 arrests.
The dark web itself is not illegal, but it’s largely connected with unscrupulous and illegal operations. It is used by many for buying or selling items that are prohibited on the regular internet, like fake IDs, illegal drugs, and stolen data. One of the key factors driving this shift is the increased focus on security.
Explicit And Illegal Content
- Srinivasan also used the encrypted messaging application Wickr to communicate with and sell drugs to customers.
- Imagine an underground version of your favorite online marketplace, somewhere hidden, exclusive, and often operating outside legal boundaries.
- In an extraordinary twist, Lin had previously worked for Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he trained law enforcement officials on the very blockchain analytics techniques used to take down platforms like his own.
- As described by IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Guy Ficco, investigators “cracked the code of so-called ‘safe spaces’” by targeting these friction points.
- While this may all sound sophisticated, it is a financial crime and very risky.
Officials are calling Operation RapTor the most successful JCODE effort yet, both in terms of the sheer amount of contraband seized and the number of suspects apprehended. Articles categorized as “left” provide more commentary on societal impacts, such as links between the marketplace and organized crime in Sweden, or focus on harm caused by synthetic opioids. In contrast, “right” sources tend to emphasize law enforcement success and U.S.-European cooperation, highlighting the logistics of the operation rather than the social aftermath.
The Shift Toward Smaller, More Niche Markets
Historically, DNMs have usually cashed out their funds at centralized exchanges (CEXs). Although CEXs remain a stable destination in the DNM ecosystem, the pattern of sending funds to them shifted in 2024, as illustrated in the chart below. Last year, DNM vendors sent a significantly higher portion of their funds to DeFi than they did historically.
As international authorities have disrupted DNMs large and small in the last few years, cybercriminals and drug dealers have learned firsthand the consequences of running BTC-accepting DNMs given the currency’s inherent transparency. Many operators have since moved to accepting only Monero (XMR), a privacy coin with features designed to boost anonymity and reduce traceability. Officials discovered a pen drive containing TAILS OS, the operating system designed for accessing darknet markets, along with multiple crypto wallets, hard disks with incriminating material, and a hardware wallet loaded with Rs 70 lakh worth of USDT.
Scammers on darknet markets claim to offer legit tools or services, but instead provide you with malicious software that can infect your device. As we mentioned earlier, not everything sold on dark web markets is illegal. As terrible as its reputation may be, some vendors sell legitimate goods or services. Some customers even use the dark web to make anonymous purchases, especially in areas where privacy is a huge concern. Torzon Market showed up on the dark web in September 2022, and it’s been growing steadily ever since. These days, it lists over 11,600 illegal items, including hard drugs, hacking tools, and all kinds of cybercrime services.
However, a combination of law enforcement crackdowns, increasing instability from new users flooding the dark web from Telegram, and infighting among the larger markets has triggered a shift. Many of these big markets are now engaged in cyber warfare, with vendors and operators attacking each other to assert dominance, often leading to disruptions and shutdowns. This “market cannibalization” has further destabilized the landscape, pushing vendors and buyers to seek refuge in smaller, more secure spaces. DeepDotWeb was a news site dedicated to events in and surrounding the dark web featuring interviews12 and reviews about darknet markets,345 Tor hidden services, privacy, bitcoin, and related news.
The website was seized on May 7, 2019, during an investigation into the owners’ affiliate marketing model, in which they received money for posting links to certain darknet markets,6 and for which they were charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. In March 2021 site administrator Tal Prihar pleaded guilty to his charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Operation RapTOR includes law enforcement actions taken by JCODE member agencies, to include ICE HSI; the DEA; FBI; FDA-OCI; IRS-CI; and USPIS; in addition to foreign partners listed below. Credible reporting from the referenced agencies, in addition to contributions from ATF; Army CID; CBP; Department of Treasury’s FinCEN and Office of Foreign Assets Control; and NCIS enabled domestic law enforcement actions in support of Operation RapTOR.
The Reactor graph below shows five purchases made to fraud shops, four of which passed through intermediary addresses. While China-based vendors are frequently referenced as the source of precursors for dangerous synthetic drugs, their involvement in machinery sales is also an important aspect of the drug supply chain. One China-based pill press manufacturer which advertises on clearnet business-to-business (B2B) websites has on-chain ties to drug vendors on Abacus Market. Along with its listings for large pill press machines, the vendor does not hide the sale of Oxycontin and Xanax TDP die kits, which are used to press counterfeit pills. The vendor accepts BTC and XMR, and analyzing its on-chain exposure to regional CEXs and DNMs reveals that it serves customers worldwide, including in the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Russia. The Reactor graph below shows this vendor’s connection with drug vendors on Abacus Market.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. On Monday, Europol announced it had dismantled Archetyp Market, which had been around since 2020, making it one of the “most enduring” dark web drug providers, the agency said. Agents also allegedly found large quantities of cash and suspected drugs while serving several search warrants, but the Justice Department declined to provide further details about those activities and seizures, saying the information was under seal.
