Bitcoin News and Finance
British Authorities Take Down Dark Web Ecstasy Gang, Seize $5.8M in Drugs Skip to main content

British Authorities Take Down Dark Web Ecstasy Gang, Seize $5.8M in Drugs

British Authorities Take Down Dark Web Ecstasy Gang, Seize $5.8M Worth in Drugs

The string of dark web gangs being cracked down by law enforcement is still alive across the world. Recently, the British authorities dismantled an unnamed dark web band known for selling ecstasy and gathering millions of dollars worth of crypto.

Gang Sold Ecstasy, Amphetamine, and Diazepam in Several Darknet Forums

According to The Independent, the National Crime Agency (NCA) deployed an operation that targeted several houses in North East England, specifically in the metropolitan borough of South Tyneside.

Authorities were concerned and raised red flags last year after intercepting large shipments of ecstasy. All parcels had as final destinations like the United States, Israel, Norway, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and even the UK, said the NCA.

Also, law enforcement traced encrypted messages exchanged between suspects, who allegedly talked about illegal transactions with drugs and money laundering via cryptocurrency trading.

The NCA seized 90 kg of ecstasy, 134 kg of amphetamine, and over 6,000 Diazepam tablets. Per the authorities, all the products have a value in the dark market of around 4.3 million pounds ($5.9 million).

Findings suggest that the gang didn’t have a website for selling the drugs. Instead, they relied on undisclosed dark web forums and used usernames such as HundredsUK, Hundredsandthousands, Sundaefundae, and 100and1000s.

US Authorities Assisted in the Operation

Moreover, investigators found that drugs were imported from the Netherlands. As a result of the operation, British police arrested two men aged 24 and 31 in South Tyneside allegedly involved in the criminal organization.

Martin Clarke, NCA operations manager, gave further details on the operation:

We have worked closely with partners in the US to target the individuals involved, who are ultimately preying on the vulnerable and destroying communities. This investigation shows that those who try to use the dark web and encrypted communication devices to anonymously commit crimes can be identified. There are two people from South Shields we are still seeking, who we believe are overseas.

Still, darknet market revenues have maintained bullish steam despite the recent efforts from officials taking down major illegal marketplaces.

As Bitcoin.com News reported in February 2021, darknet markets brought in a total of $1.7 billion worth of cryptocurrencies in 2020, setting an all-time high.

What do you think about this British police action? Let us know in the comments section below.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Custodial Lightning Network Service Attack Discovered by LN ‘Newbie’ — Hacker Strikes 6 LN Custodians

On September 18, a Redditor posted to the r/bitcoin forum and explained how he discovered a way to “attack [the] lightning Network’s custodial services.” The Reddit account dubbed “Reckless Satoshi” wanted to figure out if a “discrepancy between real routing fees and service’s transaction fee can be exploited for a profit.” The researcher disclosed that he wanted to see how large the damage could be and said “it is bad.” 6 Lightning Network Custodial Services Attacked, Researcher Discloses Findings to Offenders Prior to Public Disclosure A Redditor called Reckless Satoshi published a disclosure post on r/bitcoin this past Saturday and disclosed how he had found a vulnerability with routing fees and some of the Lightning Network’s custodial services. The research attack was done in good faith and after it was complete he disclosed the bugs to the offending services before publishing his findings. Reckless Satoshi used the Lightning Network (LN) attack on six different services incl
Post a Comment
Read more

Axie Infinity Down 40% Since Last Week’s Price High, Protocol Revenue Outshines Competitors

Last week, the game token leveraged within the Axie Infinity gaming universe skyrocketed to all-time highs, while other crypto markets remained extremely lackluster. During the last seven days, Axie Infinity’s platform token has dropped significantly in value shedding more than 12%. Meanwhile, the game platform’s smooth love potion token has slid over 8% over the last 24 hours. Axie Infinity Down More Than 40% Since All-Time High Not too long ago, the axie infinity (AXS) token was a topical conversation because it reached an all-time high on July 15. At the time, AXS managed to capture $28.93 per unit and since then it has shed 12.8% during the last seven days. The axie infinity (AXS) token is used within the blockchain-based game that involves battles between token-based creatures called “Axies.” AXS is used for the game’s governance system as well as other actions within the game. At the time of writing axie infinity (AXS) is exchanging hands for $16.70 per coin. AXS/USD on Ju
Post a Comment
Read more

Play-to-Earn Game From Polker (PKR) Exchange Listing – Endorsed by Akon

The Play-to-Earn NFT based Polker.Game ‘s native token $PKR has been officially listed on the popular centralized exchange BitMart. Polker.game has been in the spotlight recently as Akon, the American R&B superstar and record producer gave his official endorsement of polker stating that the “game is revolutionary” and that Polker is “hands down.. the best play to earn, NFT game in the space.”. With the BitMart listing and celebrity endorsement from Akon, Polker is perfectly positioned to become a major player in the Play-to-Earn league. Watch Akon’s Video Here What is Play-to-Earn? Although not a new concept, play-to-earn has become a trending term due to the popularity of the NFT game AXIE infinity. In the past, previous play-to-earn games have also achieved success – however, thanks to the huge amount of development in the blockchain space in recent years the gaming experience is now massively improved. Play-to-Earn games are essentially free to play and open to anyone and
Post a Comment
Read more

China to Crack Down on Copyright Infringement Through NFTs

Authorities in China are going after creators of digital collectibles based on other people’s works of art, the use of which was not authorized. The government offensive is part of a campaign to combat online copyright infringement and piracy with the participation of several departments. Regulators in China Move to Strengthen Copyright Supervision of Online Platforms The National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) has recently launched a campaign against copyright infringement and piracy on the internet, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Internet Information Office of the People’s Republic. A major objective of the initiative is to improve copyright supervision of online businesses by investigating cases involving the sale and distribution of infringing products on short video, live broadcast and e-commerce platforms, and promptly dealing with infringing content, the agency announced in a press r
Post a Comment
Read more
Blogarama - Blog Directory