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Global Dark Web Crackdown: 288 Arrested, EUR 50.8 Million in Cash and Virtual Currencies Seized

Cointime Official

May 4 (Cointime) - In a major operation coordinated by Europol, law enforcement agencies across nine countries have seized the illegal dark web marketplace "Monopoly Market" and arrested 288 individuals involved in buying or selling drugs on the dark web.

According to a press release, the operation, codenamed "SpecTor," resulted in the seizure of over EUR 50.8 million (USD 53.4 million) in cash and virtual currencies, 850 kg of drugs, and 117 firearms. 

The operation involved a series of separate complementary actions carried out in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Switzerland. 

Prior to the coordinated operation, German and U.S. authorities collaborated to shut down 'Hydra', the highest-grossing dark web market with an estimated revenue of EUR 1.23 billion, in April 2022. The takedown of Hydra resulted in the seizure of approximately EUR 23 million in cryptocurrencies by German authorities.

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