A global investigation into the sale and supply of drugs on an encrypted layer of the internet known as the Darknet identified an Irish vendor in recent weeks. Others are looking for stolen data, hacking services, or even banned books and political content. For sellers, it’s often about making money while staying off the radar. Teenagers are now more commonly ordering illegal drugs online through the dark web, rather than buying them directly from a dealer in person, a Detective Garda investigating the criminal use of cryptocurrency has said…..
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- McDonald directed and helped these accomplices package and ship the narcotics.
- The first category includes classic marketplaces, which serve as one-stop shops for a wide range of illegal goods.
- Those visiting the site were greeted with a notice posted by the agencies explaining the site had been disabled and warning others involved in the darknet they would eventually be caught.
- Gardai said an international day of action to disrupt global activity on the Darknet and remove certain websites and forums is to conclude within the next 24 hours under the FBI/Europol operation codenamed Onymous.
- In a report, ‘Drugs and the Darknet’, two agencies said that the hidden online network was very resilient and was able to “quickly absorb law enforcement actions” such as the takedown of a major marketplace.
Officers also found and seized computers with relevant data about the worldwide trafficking operation and storage of electronic currency such as Bitcoins. “Waste your resources on seizing petty websites because they know the use of darknet services is ever growing,” another user wrote. Background research tasks included learning from past drug lords, researching legal matters, studying law enforcement agency tactics and obtaining legal representation. Patterns recommended to avoid include hiring hitmen like Dread Pirate Roberts, and sharing handles for software questions on sites like Stack Exchange. The secretive darknet website, accessed by the Tor anonymity network which conceals users’ identities and locations around the world, was infiltrated by an undercover US Homeland Security investigator before it went online last year. A suspected online drug trafficking distribution racket using the encrypted network Darknet has been smashed by detectives.
From there, these products are then passed on to distributors, which are the dark web marketplaces in this context. On these marketplaces, they’re listed, sold, and promoted just like items on any e-commerce site. If you think the Dark web marketplaces are just online shops, you’re wrong — these sites are the actual weapon stores for criminals. They provide criminals with access to everything they need, from launching attacks to stealing data, etc. But somewhere between production and purchasing, things can get dirty.
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GARDAÍ HAVE SEIZED almost €200,000 worth of drugs in Dublin as part of a major investigation into illegal items being sold on the ‘dark net’, an encrypted layer of the internet. Launched in September 2022, Torzon Market operates on the Tor network and features over 11,600 illegal products, including drugs and hacking tools. It enhances buyer transparency by importing vendor feedback with PGP proof. Torzon offers a premium account option for additional benefits and is valued at approximately $15 million, accepting payments in Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR). The story of dark web marketplaces kicks off with Silk Road, launched in 2011.
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Defence solicitor Kate McGhee successfully applied for legal aid to include junior and senior counsel representation. It said all these developments provide “serious challenges” for investigators. However, use of the drug declined during the Covid-19 pandemic when nightlife shut down and had a “significant impact” on the market. While MDMA declined from peak levels in the early to mid-2000s, data shows it is on the rise again suggesting it is no longer a niche party drug.
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Unlike regular e-commerce sites, markets on the dark web often deal with illegal or highly restricted goods and services, such as fake documents, hard drugs, and hacking services. Sure, you might come across listings for legit products like handcrafted jewelry or digital art, but those are few and far between. From items like drugs, fake ID cards, and hacked bank accounts to more complex offerings like human trafficking, these sites carry all the illegal activities you can think of. It is also used to create online marketplaces for illegal products and services.
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The drugs have been submitted to the Forensic Science Ireland for examination. A 34-year-old Spanish man and a 44-year-old man from the UK were arrested and are being questioned at a garda station in north Dublin. More than 21kg of the drug was discovered in Coolock last night as part of an investigation by the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. We’re also on Facebook/irishmirror – your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sunday Mirror and irishmirror.ie.
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Classic darknet markets sell diverse illegal goods; data stores focus on leaked or stolen data like credentials, databases, and ID records. Launched in 2023, STYX focuses on financial crime, providing stolen credit card data, hacked bank accounts and access to various cryptocurrency laundering tools. Archetyp Market operated as a drug marketplace for over five years, amassing more than 600,000 users worldwide with a total transaction volume of at least €250 million.
The papers have been cited within the report and are also being made available here for those who would like further information on the topic. However, the views, interpretations and conclusions set out in this publication are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the EMCDDA, Europol or their partners, any EU Member State or any agency or institution of the European Union. He recommends verifying market employees carefully, and to weed out law enforcement infiltration through barium meal tests. Tor is the most popular instance of a darknet,19 and it is often mistakenly thought to be the only online tool that facilitates access to darknets.
- The dark web, which can only be accessed on browsers like Tor that mask the location of the device, is used as a “secret club for criminals”, where cryptocurrency can be used to buy drugs, he said.
- Patterns recommended to avoid include hiring hitmen like Dread Pirate Roberts, and sharing handles for software questions on sites like Stack Exchange.
- Unlike many dark web platforms that vanish quickly, Archetyp’s five-year longevity demonstrated the resilience and adaptability of darknet markets.
- Despite the fact Archetyp had clearly raised the bar on security on the dark web, Operation Deep Sentinel—a collaborative effort between law enforcement agencies in six countries supported by Europol and Eurojust—took down the market.
- Archetyp Market operated as a drug marketplace for over five years, amassing more than 600,000 users worldwide with a total transaction volume of at least €250 million.
Usually these products are sent to the buyer by post and money transferred to the seller through the escrow system. N 2025, dark web websites frequently change domains and are often short-lived. Accessing them may require .onion links and the Tor browser, but caution is advised due to legality and cybersecurity risks. Cybersecurity experts should pay close attention to these trends, as they often indicate emerging threats and profit-generating tactics among the cybercriminal forums. It has a bidding feature, with new batches of stolen data being frequently added. It’s been a constant back-and-forth between cybercriminals and law enforcement, with each new site trying to be smarter and more secure than the last.
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The darknet is an encrypted version of the internet that enables anonymity. “We’re finding that on an international level as well that shipments of cocaine from South and Central America, are now being paid for in cryptocurrency,” he told the conference. “A lot of teenage kids are buying their drugs on the dark net,” Det Carbery told a national prosecutor’s conference on Saturday. Given the explosive growth of these markets, organizations must prioritize proactive threat monitoring. Axis Intelligence provides dark web surveillance solutions that help businesses identify leaked credentials, fraud attempts, and malware risks before they escalate. A Dublin man has been sent forward for trial accused of aiding a “darknet” criminal organisation to launder €14 million in cryptocurrency.
Monero and Bitcoin are two of the most commonly used digital currencies on the dark web markets. Due to being the most popular and the oldest coin, Bitcoin is traceable. However, Monero, on the other hand, is untraceable and the most trusted payment method on these markets. Therefore, most cybersecurity experts recommend using Monero while shopping on darknet markets.
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The cybercriminals trade even sensitive documents, such as medical records, passport information, and driver’s licenses. BidenCash is another latest marketplace that started in 2022, and is now home to sensitive financial data transactions. This is where cybercriminals go to buy and sell things like stolen credit card numbers, personally identifiable information (PII), and even SSH login details. One thing that distinguishes BidenCash on the dark web, however, is how it markets itself. Police in the Republic of Ireland have seized almost 2m euros (£1.5m) of digital currency and drugs in an operation targeting international drug selling over the darknet. The raid came about as a result of an international drug trafficking investigation into the sale and supply of controlled drugs on an encrypted layer of the internet known as “the Darknet”.
