FBI seizes $4.5M in cryptocurrency in dark web drug bust

[Bouncer]

The feds are clever and know people behind this type of stuff have their pc fully encrypted so they use social engineering to bust them. They probably planned something and caught the person with the laptop open.

For example, another deep web drug bust

"Phirippidis told the audience that the bureau managed to corner Cazes and arrest him while he was still logged in as the admin of AlphaBay by ramming a car through the front gate of his home in Thailand. "

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/a...y-arrest-video

The feds crashed a car into this guy's gate while he was on his laptop working. He went to go outside to checkout wtf happened(with his laptop open catching him off guard) and they quickly grabbed him. and then went inside to his laptop and found him logged in.

It also happened with strango i heard, he had his laptop open when they got him.

good info.

you'd have to be stupid to be dealing with opiates right now. with all the OD's issues surrounding them the feds are looking to make an example of all those fuckers. nobody is safe if your fucking around with that buisness.

[Jpal]

question is how exactly did they seize it? did they have their private keys? if not they don't actually have the crypto.

The feds are clever and know people behind this type of stuff have their pc fully encrypted so they use social engineering to bust them. They probably planned something and caught the person with the laptop open.

For example, another deep web drug bust

"Phirippidis told the audience that the bureau managed to corner Cazes and arrest him while he was still logged in as the admin of AlphaBay by ramming a car through the front gate of his home in Thailand. "

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/a...y-arrest-video

The feds crashed a car into this guy's gate while he was on his laptop working. He went to go outside to checkout wtf happened(with his laptop open catching him off guard) and they quickly grabbed him. and then went inside to his laptop and found him logged in.

It also happened with strango i heard, he had his laptop open when they got him.

[Bouncer]

the only thing I can think of is they took there computers and have access to there wallets.
you gota be a dumbass not to signout from your wallet

almost all of them auto sign out after a few hours.

[boricuarage79]

RIP dream market where you can order every drug known to makind.. excpt fentanyl..there werent having that shit

[boricuarage79]

the only thing I can think of is they took there computers and have access to there wallets.
you gota be a dumbass not to signout from your wallet

[Bouncer]

question is how exactly did they seize it? did they have their private keys? if not they don't actually have the crypto.

[boricuarage79]

Yesterday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the results of its latest dark web investigation which saw over $4 million worth of cryptocurrency seized from criminals.

Led by members of the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) team, Operation SaboTor resulted in 61 arrests and the shutdown of 50 dark web accounts associated with online criminal activity.

The operation also confiscated nearly 300 kilos of drugs, 51 firearms, and more than $4.5 million worth of cryptocurrency, $2.48 million in cash, and $40,000 worth of gold.

What cryptocurrencies were seized has not been disclosed.

Operation SaboTor ran from January 11 to March 12 this year, involving a series of operations all targeting “the opioid epidemic.” The investigation went after the most prolific opioid vendors on the dark web to takedown their operations and bring their trading to an end.

Law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), teamed up with the FBI to carry out the operation.

“Law enforcement is most effective when we work together, and J-CODE is the global tip of the spear in the fight against online opioid trafficking,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in the announcement. “Criminals have always adopted innovations and new technologies to achieve their illicit goals, and it’s our job to adapt and remain ahead of the threat.”

Indeed, with operations like SaboTor it’s going to get increasingly difficult for criminals to carry out their illicit activities on the dark web as the law enforcers get more adept at policing new technologies.

“The [dark web] is not as dark as you think. When you buy or sell illegal goods online, you are not hidden from law enforcement and you are putting yourself in danger,” Catherine De Bolle, Europol Executive Director, also said in the announcement.

Considering that the US government is trying to deanonymize cryptocurrency, and new EU regulations are making it even harder to obscure your identity when buying Bitcoin online, De Bolle’s statement is certainly ringing true.

But that name, SaboTor, a portmanteu of saboteur/sabotage and the dark web browser The Onion Router (TOR); bravo to whoever came up with that.