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On the good side, the dark web provides anonymous, highly secure communication channels to shield classified government activity and protect reform agents such as human rights activists and journalists opposed by oppressive foreign regimes. On the bad side, the dark web has emerged as an important hub of criminal commerce, a fully functional marketplace where hidden customers can buy from hidden sellers with relative confidence, often with customer ratings available, just as on the public-facing web. “Selective targeting works and our analysis makes it clear that a sizable portion of the darknet users are deterred by the arrest of major vendors on darknet sites,” says co-author Andrew Whinston of the University of Texas at Austin. The researchers say their figures are economically significant and serve as initial evidence in support of the effectiveness of selectively targeting large-scale drug vendors to dampen darknet activities. In recent years, the collaborating agencies have successfully investigated and prosecuted several significant cases. These include drug trafficking rings leveraging the darknet and crypto and individuals dealing in fentanyl and other drugs online.
Following Empire’s exit, its vendors and customers had to move to a new market, leading to a large influx of new users on all other open darknet markets. Also known as cryptomarkets, DNMs are multi-vendor online illicit global commerce platforms that mainly specialize in the sale of illicit drugs. An established form of transnational organized crime, DNMs combine anonymisation networks and cryptocurrencies with encryption technologies.
“Compared with site shutdowns, which are expensive and require a lot of manpower, selective targeting is less costly and time-consuming, yet still able to reduce drug-dealing activities on the darknet market,” says Dandan Qiao, a study author from the National University of Singapore. Law enforcement also took down Deep Dot Web, a news site dedicated to dark web markets, after charging its owners with money laundering and receiving kickbacks from the markets they wrote about. As with everything else during the year of the Covid-19 pandemic, contactless drug peddling was identified as an accelerating trend. Even before Covid-19, though, the accessibility of drugs had begun widening, with dealers turning to social media and even popular e-commerce platforms to peddle their wares. Currently it is cannabis, which has been fully legalized across several states in the U.S., that dominates darknet sales.
Understanding Law Enforcement Efforts Against Darknet Markets
Particularly for illicit drug markets (including cocaine, heroin, and opioids), the UNODC World Drug Report 2022 estimates that people who purchased drugs over the Darkweb continued a marked increase from January 2014 to January 2021, followed by a decline until January 2022. Accordingly, the costs were estimated at just $315 million per year based on calculations from drug-related transactions on 19 major darknet markets monitored from 2011 to 2020 (UNODC 2022b, p. 57). Their geographical markets are no longer limited to Western countries when they expand to Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa (UNODC 2022a, b). Although darknet markets accounted for a small share of drug transactions, their smoldering activities have been maintained over the past years (Décary-Hétu and Giommoni 2017; Demant et al. 2018a, b; Lacson and Jones 2016; Martin 2014a, 2014b). Data collection on 38 major global darknet markets, 2011–2021, reflected that user interfaces increasingly allow vendors as friendly options as possible. For instance, they can bulk order and combine orders of different products into one and/or multiple shipments daily (UNODC 2022a).
The rise of the darknet has raised significant concerns regarding illegal activities, including drug trafficking, arms sales, and human trafficking. Various authorities have responded with increased efforts to combat these crimes. A crucial question that arises is how many police agencies are going after darknet markets.
Last year, 190 “significant” new darknet markets or forums debuted, threat intelligence firm Flashpoint reports. The anonymity of illicit activity on the dark web cloaks an enterprise of mounting concern to authorities. One site alone generated an estimated $219 million in annual revenue as of 2017, according to a new NIJ-supported report by the RAND Corporation (RAND). The report, “Identifying Law Enforcement Needs for Conducting Criminal Investigations Involving Evidence on the Dark Web,” explores better ways to investigate dark web crimes. Although the dark web still accounts for just a fraction of all illicit sales online, it appears poised for rapid growth, according to the report. As an active administrator in hosting Hydra’s servers, Pavlov allegedly conspired with the other operators of Hydra to further the site’s success by providing the critical infrastructure that allowed Hydra to operate and thrive in a competitive darknet market environment.
The anonymous nature of the dark web and the use of cryptocurrencies make these markets difficult for law enforcement agencies to shut down, making them an attractive option for people who want to engage in illegal activities. AlphaBay’s quick growth—or regrowth—has been fueled in part by what Gray calls “the Great Cyber Resignation.” At least 10 dark web markets have dropped offline for various reasons in the last 18 months. Some have been busted by law enforcement, like Dark Market, which was the target of a Europol-led takedown operation early last year; or Hydra, the massive Russian-language drug and money-laundering market whose servers were seized in a law enforcement raid in April. Others, like Dark0de and World Market, are believed to have pulled “exit scams,” disappearing suddenly with their users’ money.
The Global Landscape of Law Enforcement Agencies
Law enforcement’s approach to tackling darknet markets is multifaceted, involving numerous national and international agencies. The prominent organizations include:
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- FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) – United States
- DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) – United States
- Europol – European Union
- Interpol – International
- NCA (National Crime Agency) – United Kingdom
- Australian Federal Police (AFP) – Australia
- RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) – Canada
The majority of ransomware incidents reported to FinCEN in the second half of 2021 were conducted by Russia-related ransomware variants, indicating that Bitzlato is part of a larger ecosystem of Russian cybercriminals that are allowed to operate with impunity in Russia. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an order that identifies the virtual currency exchange Bitzlato Limited (Bitzlato) as a “primary money laundering concern” in connection with Russian illicit finance. The order prohibits certain transmittals of funds involving Bitzlato by any covered financial institution. Hydra Market was a Russian-language marketplace that had operated via the Tor network since at least 2015 and was known for extensive drug trafficking, according to German authorities. The market’s 17 million known customers were also known to buy and sell forged documents and stolen credit cards, they said.
A Recent Multinational Drug Bust Reveals The Scope Of Online Drug Dealing
While it is challenging to pinpoint an exact number of agencies involved globally, many countries have established dedicated cybercrime units to address challenges presented by darknet marketplaces.
Collaborative Efforts and Task Forces
Efforts to combat illegal activities on the darknet frequently involve collaboration among various police agencies. Some notable initiatives include:
- Joint Cyber Crime Action Teams – Formed to enhance cooperation and information sharing.
- Focused Operations – International law enforcement operations targeting specific darknet platforms.
- Cybercrime Conferences – Occasions for training and sharing best practices among agents and officials across borders.
The Importance of Intelligence Gathering
Understanding how many police agencies are going after darknet markets necessitates acknowledging the critical role of intelligence. Agencies utilize various methods to gather data, including:
- Surveillance – Monitoring online activities and communications.
- Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) – Collecting information from publicly available sources.
- Undercover Operations – Infiltrating darknet markets to gather evidence.
Challenges Faced by Law Enforcement
Despite the efforts from numerous agencies, several challenges hinder effective action against darknet markets:
- Anonymity – Use of cryptocurrencies and anonymizing technologies complicates tracing users.
- Jurisdictional Issues – Darknet markets can operate across borders, creating legal complexities.
- Evolving Technology – Continuous advancements in encryption and security measures used by criminals.
FAQs
- As the darknet market continues to evolve, so does the future of these digital marketplaces.
- Each network approach has four fields (keywords plus author’s keywords, title, and abstracts).
- “Dark web vendors and their operatives believe they can hide anonymously while perpetrating their crimes. The collaborative effort of this task force proves criminals operating on the web are never truly anonymous and they will be uncovered and prosecuted.”
- Several high-profile takedowns have dismantled notorious cybercriminal networks, disrupting their operations and causing significant setbacks to their illicit endeavors.
- Dark web monitoring refers to the process of searching for and tracking down specific information found on the dark web.
Q: What types of crimes are prevalent on darknet markets?
A: Common crimes include drug trafficking, weapons sales, human trafficking, and the sale of stolen data.
Q: How successful have police agencies been in shutting down darknet markets?
A: While there have been successful closures of major markets, new platforms often emerge quickly to replace them.
Q: How can individuals stay safe from darknet-related crimes?
A: Individuals should avoid engaging with illicit content online and report any suspicious activities to the authorities.
In summary, a multitude of police agencies globally is committed to fighting against the challenges posed by darknet markets. Their collaboration, combined with intelligence efforts, plays an essential role in dismantling these illegal networks.
