150 arrested globally:Europol
Police around the world arrested 150 suspects, including several high-profile targets, involved in buying or selling illegal goods online in one of the largest-ever stings targeting the dark web, Europol said yesterday.
Operation Dark HunTOR also recovered millions of euros in cash and bitcoin, as well as drugs and guns. The bust stems from a German-led police sting earlier this year taking down the "world's largest" darknet marketplace.
Dark HunTOR, "was composed of a series of separate but complementary actions in Australia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States," the Hague-based Europol said.
In the United States alone, police arrested 65 people, while 47 were held in Germany, 24 in Britain, and four each in Italy and the Netherlands, among others.
A number of those arrested "were considered high-value targets" by Europol.
Law agents also confiscated 26.7 million euros in cash and virtual currencies, as well as 45 guns and 234 kilogrammes of drugs.
Italian police also shut down the "DeepSea" and "Berlusconi" marketplaces, "which together boasted over 100,000 announcements of illegal products", said Europol.
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