Following the collapse of illegal dark web marketplace Monopoly Market in late 2023, which was widely suspected to have been the result of law enforcement action, the European dark web community entered a brief period of disarray. Vendors migrated to unstable alternatives such as Incognito and Bohemia, but none of these managed to consolidate trust or operational continuity. When Archetyp, one of the largest and oldest dark web drug markets, was dismantled in June 2025, the authorities framed it as a ‘severe blow’ to European organized crime.
But those of us who have studied this space for years weren’t surprised. Other risks, such as frauds perpetrated by customers and exit scams, were considered inevitable on the dark web, but also manageable. Both of these claims correspond with previous research showing that the dark web is perceived to be a safer place to buy and sell drugs. These background papers were commissioned by the EMCDDA and Europol to provide background information to inform and contribute to the drafting of the main report.
- For example, an insider or factory employee might quietly slip away with an unmarked gun and sell it online.
- Some dark web marketplaces even host content that’s not just illegal but extremely harmful, so it’s really important to understand the risks before diving in.
- Amongst the most notable was the first merger and acquisition between two marketplaces on the darknet — whereby the struggling SuperMarket was absorbed by the now-Superlisted DrugHub in an operation that lasted around one month.
- If your personal data ends up for sale on the dark web, it can lead to serious consequences like identity theft, financial fraud, or unauthorized access to your online accounts.
Volatility has by now become a routine process used by vendors, users and administrators alike after the fall of each dark web market. What may look like disruption from the outside is, in practice, a recovery playbook now hardwired into the design of online drug markets. Archetyp may be gone, but the features that drove its success are already being carried forward by others.
Data Availability
One Archetyp Market moderator and six of the marketplace’s highest vendors were also arrested in Germany and Sweden. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers. The arrest of Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, in August 2024 triggered a notable shift in the operational dynamics of the platform’s drug vendors. Compared to its predecessors, Archetyp enforced enhanced security expectations from its users. These included an advanced encryption program known as “Pretty Good Privacy” and a cryptocurrency called Monero.
Is Ketamine Use Among Young People In The
Product offerings are mostly drugs, as illustrated by the top banner. Dark web chatter and innuendo suggests how both DNMs are rumored to be more pro-Ukrainian than Russian. With nearly 292,000 members, RuTor is the largest DNM on the Russian-speaking dark web. The forum statistics panel also notes how the forum hosts over 2.2 million user posts scattered across 37,310 unique topics to date. Rival DNMs then began launching ‘black PR’ campaigns against one another, they even resorted to DDoSing each other during last summer, with competitors disrupting OMG! On one side, allegedly RuTor operators hacked its largest competitor, WayAway.
Feds Dismantled The Dark-Web Drug Trade—but It’s Already Rebuilding
Despite its name, the marketplace operates primarily in English and serves a global audience. It has gained a reputation for being a reliable source of high-quality data for cybercriminals. Due to its extensive inventory and reputation for reliability, Brian’s Club has maintained a significant presence on the dark web. Quality and validity of the data it provides justify its higher cost over other marketplaces.
Microsoft Strengthens Security After China-Linked Attacks
For the first time, FBI agents from all the bureau’s field offices also visited buyers to tell them about the overdose danger of pills sold online, which are often disguised to look like prescription drugs. For the first time, FBI agents from all of the bureau’s field offices visited buyers to tell them about the overdose danger of pills sold online, which are often disguised to look like prescription drugs. The number of arrests and amount of money seized were the most for any international Justice Department-led drug trafficking operation, he said.
Shuttered Markets And Lessons
Some respondents said that being protected from physical risk on the dark web is not only a benefit for existing drug suppliers, but may also make the activity attractive to people who would not otherwise be willing to sell drugs. Regarding profits, darknet vendors do not have to limit their trading to face-to-face interactions, and can instead sell drugs to a potentially worldwide customer base. Trade is booming despite disruptions from law enforcement and particularly “exit scams”, in which market admins abruptly close down sites and take all available funds. Authorities from multiple countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United States, worked together to investigate and take down a major online criminal marketplace, demonstrating the need for cross-border efforts to combat cyber-enabled crime. Such signatures are intended to confirm that vendors still have access to their accounts and have not been arrested or compromised.
Dark Web Marketplaces
Investigators received leads from local police departments investigating overdose deaths, including that of a 19-year-old man in Colorado who loved learning languages and building his own computers, according to FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. BidenCash and other exit-scam markets such as Torzon and Kingdom Market collapsed between 2022 and 2024. They used “free data dumps” and emotional marketing to build trust before vanishing—an enduring lesson in the risks of social engineering.
- In 2024, it recorded on-chain revenue of $43.3 million, a 183 per cent increase, driven by vendor migrations post-shutdown of competitors, according to Chainalysis’ 2023 market report Darknet revenue in 2023.
- Users encountered ‘maintenance’ messages and several alternative access links failed to load.
- Historically, Telegram has been a favored platform for selling drugs — due to its security and public perception of non-cooperation with law enforcement, as well as strict access controls for groups and channels.
- We have built the interactive maps and conducted the preliminary visualizations to construct the hypothesis.
- However, the views, interpretations and conclusions set out in this publication are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the EMCDDA, Europol or their partners, any EU Member State or any agency or institution of the European Union.
Terrorism And Illicit Finance
This can include everything from full names, email logins, and passwords to credit card details, social security numbers, and bank account information. The cybercriminals trade even sensitive documents, such as medical records, passport information, and driver’s licenses. As we mentioned earlier, not everything sold on dark web markets is illegal.
Indicators Of Compromise In Threat Intelligence
More than six years after the demise of Silk Road, the world’s first major drug cryptomarket, the dark web is still home to a thriving trade in illicit drugs. Archetyp Market was one of the few marketplaces allowing the sale of highly potent synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, contributing to broader health threats and overdose risks in Europe and beyond. Although some of these markets prohibit certain extreme content such as violence or exploitation, most operate with very few rules beyond ensuring the security and anonymity of their users.
A key theme throughout the year has been the resilience and adaptability of illicit networks. Sanctioned entities, terrorist organizations, and ransomware groups have shifted tactics in response to global crackdowns, embracing new technologies and methods to obscure their activities. This adaptability underscores the need for constant evolution in enforcement strategies and international cooperation. Incoming crypto volumes to Chinese drug precursor manufacturers have seen a significant decline, from USD 27.6 million in 2023 to USD 17.0 million in 2024. This drop may be driven in part by stronger actions from the Chinese government following the Biden-Xi summit of November 2023.
