Categories: World

Germany: Crackdown against world’s largest fake online market

German Police has arrested the runner of the largest fake online market network. According to AFP, German prosecutors said that the police arrested a 24-year-old Australian citizen from Oldenburg, a German city that was operating the largest darknet marketplace. The illegal network was used to sell drugs, fake credit cards, fake sim cards, and other items.

The network had more than 500000 users. It was allegedly involved in selling illegal items through more than 2400 vendors worldwide. The authorities have closed down the network after performing a successful sting operation. According to the officials, more than 320000 transactions were made by using this darknet. 4850 bitcoin and 12800 monero coins were used in making these transactions on the network.

Initially, German police arrested three Netherlandish, two German, and one Bulgarian citizen in September 2019 as the suspects of operating this network. The main Australian offender was arrested by German police near the German and Denmark border. He was trying to flee from Germany. The police seized 20 servers that were placed in Ukraine and Moldova.

The US intelligence agencies have also started their investigation after the arrest of the prime owner of the largest darknet system. They are finding whether the network has its operating wings in the US or not. Some European countries are also contributing to the investigation of this network.

The investigators think that the network could have smaller operating wings in other European countries and the United States of America. However, it will be too early to say something about it. According to German officials, the network made huge profits last year during the coronavirus pandemic when businesses were shut down due to the lockdown. The arrested people are facing different charges. Their trials have begun in the German courts on the basis of charges faced by them.

Shawn Genzone

Senior writer at the Chicago Morning Star

Recent Posts

Ice cream makers to drop artificial colors by 2028

A sweeping change is coming to America’s frozen dessert aisle. More than 90% of U.S. ice cream manufacturers, representing the…

9 hours ago

Chicago Fire Earns First Point in Atlanta Since 2018

Chicago Fire FC and Atlanta United FC battled to a 2-2 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday night, marking a…

12 hours ago

Zuckerberg’s Mega AI Plan Targets AGI Race

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced an ambitious initiative to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into constructing a vast…

13 hours ago

Back-to-School Deals Fuel $24.1B Online Spending Surge

U.S. consumers helped set a new online retail record this past week, spending a staggering $24.1 billion from July 8…

1 day ago

Ohtani, Torres Lead 2025 MLB All-Star Game Lineups

The stage is set for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, with both leagues revealing their starting lineups for Tuesday night’s…

3 days ago

Flash Floods Slam Northeast as Storms Trigger Emergencies

Flash flooding swept across parts of the Northeast on Monday evening, as a slow-moving weather front delivered heavy thunderstorms and…

3 days ago