An international police operation known as ‘SpecTor’ led to the arrest of 288 dark web providers and customers around the world, as well as the seizure of €50.8 million in cash and cryptocurrencies.
These sellers were active in a marketplace known as the “Monopoly Market,” which sold drugs to customers around the world in exchange for Bitcoin and Monero cryptocurrencies.
International police operation ‘SpecTor’ arrests 288 people linked to the dark web
The illegal Monopoly Market was launched in 2019, but was later seized by police in December 2021. Back then, there was speculation that the owners had stolen cryptocurrency deposited on the site, but Europol recently confirmed that German authorities seized the market. and used it to collect evidence about the vendors and customers who bought and sold drugs on the site.
The ‘SpecTor’ operation used the collected evidence to target high-volume darknet marketplace sellers and buyers who were selling drugs and firearms to other users in exchange for cryptocurrency. Law enforcement also seized 850 kilograms (1,874 pounds) of drugs, including cocaine, amphetamines, MDMA, LSD, ecstasy, and 117 firearms.
Most of the arrested sellers and buyers, who Europol says were involved in tens of thousands of sales of illicit goods, resided in the US (153), the UK (55) and Germany (52), while the countries The Netherlands and Austria also counted 10 and 9 arrests respectively. The recent police operation was coordinated by Europol and the FBI, and involved police from the United Kingdom, France, Poland, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
This police operation is more successful than previous operations such as ‘DisrupTor’ in 2020, which had 179 arrests, and ‘Dark Hunter’ in 2021, which resulted in the capture of 150 darknet vendors. It should be remembered that about a year ago, the German police, in coordination with the US authorities, closed the world’s largest darknet market dedicated to the sale of drugs, called ‘Hydra’, and also confiscated 23 million euros in cryptocurrencies.
The international police operation ‘SpecTor’ has been hailed as a great success in the fight against illegal trade on the dark web. The seizure of millions of euros in cash and cryptocurrencies, as well as the capture of hundreds of sellers and buyers of drugs and firearms, under coordinated international cooperation and the use of advanced technology, are signs that send a strong message that these activities will not be tolerated.
