Shutting down AlphaBay one of the most important criminal investigations this year, says Sessions Breaking News Jul 24, 2017

The United States Department of Justice on July 20, 2017, announced the shutting down of the world’s largest market on the dark web, AlphaBay, which was linked to the sale of illegal drugs, weapons, confidential data stolen in hacks including malware and counterfeit goods. According to the Europol, prior to its shutting down, AlphaBay was infamous for being the largest criminal shopping center on the internet with over 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors who were dealing with about 250,000 items of illicit substances and toxic chemicals.

The groundbreaking joint investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Dutch police, with help from France, Lithuania and the United Kingdom. “This is likely one of the most important criminal investigations of the year taking down the largest dark net marketplace in history,” said U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Expressing shock over the immense damage caused by AlphaBay, Sessions said this place was one of the major online markets to buy deadly drugs such as heroin and fentanyl, resulting in fatal overdoses that have claimed innumerable innocent lives. The announcement of the shutdown followed the arrest of Alexandre Cazes — the creator and administrator of AlphaBay — on July 5, 2017, by Thai authorities. Later, on July 12, 2017, the 26-year-old Canadian national was reported to have killed himself while in custody in Thailand.

AlphaBay functioned as a secret service on the “Tor” network utilizing cryptocurrencies, such as Monero, Bitcoin and Ethereum to conceal its server locations and the identities of its users, moderators and administrators. Additionally, investigation reports suggest the site was used to launder unimaginable sums of money derived from sales proceeds.

Meanwhile, Dutch law enforcement agencies, with the help from the Europol, announced the seizure of Hansa on July 20, 2017, another prominent dark web market involved in facilitating the sales of illegal drugs, toxic chemicals, illegal services and counterfeit identification documents. According to the Europol, the Dutch National Police took over the Hansa marketplace on June 20, 2017.

Online sales of medicines, a growing dangerous trend

Online purchases of prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs from an unknown entity can spell disaster, especially at a time when there are innumerable rogue websites that have flooded the cyberspace. Despite their legitimate and professional appearance, there could be high chances that an unwary customer may end up at the hands of a criminal ring. Studies suggest that these fraudulent sites indulge in trade of illicit drugs, or substances that contain deadly ingredients. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, have expressed their concerns, saying that only 3 percent of online pharmacies comply with state laws.

Roger Bate, the economist at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and researcher on tropical diseases and substandard drugs, has stressed that the Russian mafia runs innumerable online pharmacies, which disseminate extremely dangerous drugs that people would never dream of ingesting under ordinary circumstances.

Addiction to harmful drugs like heroin and fentanyl is common in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 10 percent of people aged 12 years and more were current users of any illegal drug in 2015. However, addiction to illicit drugs can be treated with timely medical intervention. If a person is suffering from substance abuse, he/she should immediately seek professional assistance from an advanced mental health care provider.

Hooked Sober is a source of information on drugs, alcohol, eating disorders and mental disorders. Please send your questions, concerns or comments to editor@hookedsober.com or speak to a representative at 866-838-4087.

Also, read

“Cyber attack” on athletes’ medical data may stir up hornet’s nest

Naloxone-resistant fentanyl hits US