The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) announced on Tuesday that law enforcement agencies worldwide shut down the "Monopoly Market" and arrested about 300 people involved in the dark web drug and other illegal goods trade.
The operation, coordinated by Europol, is the most significant crackdown to date on online marketplaces for illegal items, and it shows the value of international law enforcement collaboration.
According to Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, the action sends "a strong message to criminals" operating on the dark web that they can be detected and held responsible for their unlawful acts wherever they take place, per The San Diego Tribune.
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Hundreds Arrested in Different Countries
Around 300 people were arrested in total, spread across several nations, including the US (153), Germany (52), the Netherlands (10), Austria (9), France (5), Switzerland (2), Poland, and Brazil (1 each), according to Sky News. They are suspected of being engaged in the purchase and sale of illegal narcotics, including cocaine and amphetamines, via the Monopoly Market website.
Over £43 million ($56.9 million) in cash and cryptocurrencies were seized as part of coordinated operations run by Europol and with the UK's National Crime Agency and National Police Chiefs' Council.
Authorities also discovered 117 guns and 850kg of narcotics, including 43kg of MDMA and 10kg each of LSD and ecstasy tablets.
The Hague-based organization developed its intelligence based on information from Germany, which it said had captured the "criminal infrastructure" of the Monopoly Market in December 2021, according to Alarabiya News.
German and US police shut down the "Hydra" dark web market in April of last year before the operation that was disclosed on Tuesday.
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