German policemen closed a Russian-language darknet market that, in their opinion, specialized in the drug trade, confiscating bitcoins worth 23 million euros (more than two billion rubles).
Prosecutors in Frankfurt called the “Hydra Market” platform the world’s largest illegal darknet market. According to them, they seized its server infrastructure in Germany.
The closure of the platform was the result of an investigation conducted since August 2021, in which the US authorities also took part.
The platform has been active since at least 2015, prosecutors said. Prosecutors added that not only prohibited substances were offered for sale, but also fake documents and various “digital services”.
The platform has reportedly had about 17 million customer accounts and over 19,000 registered merchants.
According to the investigation, in 2020 the platform’s sales amounted to at least 1.23 billion euros.
Russian darknet marketplace Hydra earned over $1.3 billion in 2020
Russian-language dark web marketplace Hydra has become a hub of illegal activity as it raised $1.37 billion worth of cryptocurrencies in 2020, up from $9.4 million in 2016. The growth in annual transaction volume shows a staggering 624% year-over-year jump…
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