The operation, coordinated by Europol and targeting the"Monopoly Market,” is the latest major takedown of sales platforms for drugs and other illicit goods on the dark web. Europol said Tuesday, May 2, 2023. — AP Photo/Peter DejongAuthorities in the US and Europe arrested nearly 300 people, confiscated over US$53mil , 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.
"Our message to criminals on the dark web is this: You can try to hide in the furthest reaches of the internet, but the Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for your crimes,” said US Attorney General Merrick Garland. The number of arrests and money seized was the highest for any international Justice Department-led drug trafficking operation, he said.
"But some of the packages his family thought were full of computer parts actually contain drugs he had purchased off the dark net," he said."Because of those drugs, that promising young man sadly died of an overdose last year.” "Our coalition of law enforcement authorities across three continents proves that we all do better when we work together,” Europol’s executive director, Catherine De Bolle, said in a statement."This operation sends a strong message to criminals on the dark web: International law enforcement has the means and the ability to identify and hold you accountable for your illegal activities, even on the dark web.
The Dutch national police's Cyber Enabled Crime Team was involved in the operation, codenamed SpecTor.