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POLICE ACROSS THE world have closed hundreds of online ‘dark net’ markets selling illegal drugs, weapons and services, arresting 17 people in a massive operation against the Tor network that allows users to browse anonymously online.
Two of these arrests were in Ireland, as reported yesterday.
Investigators from the United States and 16 European countries yesterday”undertook a joint action against dark markets running as hidden services on Tor network,” the Europol police agency said in a statement.
Tor is an encryption service that masks a computer user’s identifying IP address, allowing them to set up private web connections in what is known as the Darknet — a hidden network used for both licit and illicit ends.
“The action aimed to stop the sale, distribution and promotion of illegal and harmful items, including weapons and drugs, which were being sold on online ‘dark’ marketplaces,” Europol said.
A total of 414 sites have been seized and closed down in the operation codenamed “Onymous”, but Europol declined to say how it had identified vendors and administrators on the supposedly anonymous Darknet.
The operation seized virtual Bitcoins, used to carry out transactions, worth €800,000, €180,000 euros in cash as well as drugs.
“We are not ‘just’ removing these services from the open Internet,” said Troels Oerting, the head of Europol’s EC3 cybercrime unit.
This time we have also hit services on the Darknet using Tor where, for a long time, criminals have considered themselves beyond reach. We can now show that they are neither invisible nor untouchable.
In Ireland gardaí sezied almost €200,000 worth of drugs and a quantity of Bitcoin in Dublin.
Two arrests were made.
The raided property, located on the South Circular Road, had been under surveillance for some time.
A quantity of LSD, ecstasy and other drugs were seized.
- © AFP, 2014, additional reporting by Nicky Ryan.
Headd of Europols cybercrime unit is called Troels. Brilliant.
All these agencies have yet to knowledge that no amount of enforcement in any country on this planet has ever eradicated one illicit drug from existence.
Kind of defeats the purpose of this failed war on drugs
No amount of enforcement in any country on the planet has ever eradicated any crime from existence. Should we just stop enforcing laws?
Award for the stupidest argument against drug prosecution, well done!
How about the fact that it’s been proved increased spending does not affect drug consumption and supply. This is from a recent NACDA study just out.
Close one down, up pops another one. Do you want the net policed?
Where are a few of your bookmarks got rid of?
Tor browser is not really used for encryption has there are unencrypted links in the web. It’s strength is that it sends data through a huge network so that it is hard to trace data and therefore find out who is connecting to what.
Re Darren
Wasn’t there an investigative piece last year on Tor which showed that the NSA backed it and it was in fact the complete opposite of what it was supposed to be. It tracked everything.
Yes it’s used for encryption. The connection between you and the entry node is encrypted as are the hops between the entry node and the exit node. Otherwise your ISP would see exactly what you are doing. It’s only the connection between the exit node and the server that’s not always encrypted, but that’s fine because traffic source at that stage cannot be identified.
Precisely my point. At the last exit point the tor network the data is unencrypted and potentially can be viewed at the point but not tracked.
have a read its about the history of Tor http://pando.com/2014/07/16/tor-spooks/ no wonder they found them, probably just starting to hurt their own arms and drugs sales.
I think you are underestimating the importance of the encryption. It protects you from ISP snooping. Something the Tor network cannot do without the encryption.
Both admins of sr1 & sr2 were found through their own arrogance and stupidity they weren’t traced through TOR. Blake bentall or “defcon” (sr2) gave a undercover cop admin privileges months ago and through that uc they were able to link an email address and ip leaks to this clown. He also made the news by being the first person to buy a Tesla car for 100k paid for with bitcoin!
Would love to dabble and look around the dark net. All the above board stuff though…
I wouldn’t, that kind of stuff sounds seriously nasty.
Such as Facebook?
run away, The evil drugs might get you!!
Drugs I couldn’t give a toss about,it’s having to interact with ‘tards that bothers me.
They should do something about the pedo sites on dark net , I saw a doc on netflix and it showed a screen shot from one of the forums and it made me wanna throw up, the topic was entitled ” best drugs to use to put my niece to sleep while I touch her ” loads of advice and encouragement from other sickos, forget the drugs get the pedos!
Great work by law agencies today. Fantastic. But there’ll probably be more violence on the streets because that’s where people will buy now and buy drugs of lesser quality. The wheel keeps on turning. The only way to win the war on drugs is to legalise and have the state control it. Pump tax money into hospitals clinics education. Rid the scourge on the world once and for all. Even still people will still buy them.
2 out of 17 arrests worldwide were made in Ireland. Disproportionately high?
This is where Fine Gael procures its shill contracts
400 sites 17 arrests 1 years work with police forces across the world. Good job. And don’t mention the follow up arrests, they said that the first time they took down silk Road and the arrests never happened.
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