This marks a significant victory in the fight against online crime. The website was a hub for all sorts of illegal activity, and criminals worldwide will miss it.
The authorities have not yet revealed how they were able to take down the website, but it is clear that they are committed to shutting down these illegal operations.
German authorities have shut down the world's largest and oldest darknet marketplace in cooperation with US legal authorities. The Hydra Market has been in existence since 2015 and was mainly used to sell illegal goods, services, and drugs. It was popular with Russian-speaking users.
According to the US Department of Justice, 30-year-old Russian Dmitry Olegovich, who was in charge of the operation and administration of the Hydra onion routing service, was also arrested. The man has been charged with drug distribution and money laundering. The German Federal Criminal Police seized a crypto wallet containing $25 million in bitcoins during the operation.
The US Department of Justice estimates that 80 percent of cryptocurrency transactions on the darknet market were conducted through Hydra Market. Since 2015, marketplace operators have collected around $5.2 billion worth of cryptocurrency from users' transactions through commissions.
According to prosecutors, the site offered a variety of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, and various opioids. Each seller was rated on a five-star scale by customers. The investigation uncovered evidence of fake identities, cybercrime tools and services, and bitcoin-related money laundering services.
