Surprise visit: Police warn alleged darknet drug buyers

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article200246904.html


It was an unexpected knock on the door for those who allegedly bought drugs anonymously -- or so they thought -- on a darknet market place.

Police and federal agents in the Netherlands and the United States paid unannounced visits Wednesday and Thursday to nearly 100 people they say are drug buyers who used the Hansa Market, an online bazaar operating in the "darknet," an anonymity-friendly internet netherworld used for illicit commerce and which is inaccessible to standard browsers.

The alleged buyers' identities became known to law enforcement authorities when Dutch cyber detectives secretly took over the site in June and acted as its administrators, collecting usernames and passwords and logging data on thousands of drug sales.

Dutch police said they visited 37 alleged buyers this week and arrested one person over the weekend on suspicion of buying 150 ecstasy pills on the darknet. Their American counterparts targeted about 50 others.

"You may be sitting in the United States buying drugs on the dark web from another country and you may think that's a safe thing to do and the message is it's not safe," Kevin Scully, European Regional Director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, told The Associated Press ahead of the so-called "knock and talk" operations. "You can't evade prosecution and you can't evade law enforcement by using the dark web. You can be identified."

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last year that more than two-thirds of the quarter-million listings on Hansa Market and AlphaBay, another darknet market that was taken down shortly before Hansa, were for illegal drugs. Other illicit wares for sale included weapons, counterfeit and stolen identification and malware.

Public prosecutors will decide whether to press charges for the buyers.

Scully said this week's action was primarily to raise public awareness more than to make arrests.

"Buying drugs on the internet is not safe and we want to make sure people stop doing," he said. "It's illegal and not safe."


Comments


[133 Points] TheKingOfKingsMill1:

'you can be identified' hahahahahaha they were running the fucking site and managed to give less than 100 people a 'talking to' because they didn't encyrpt their address's hahahahahahaha

"You can be identified"

Fuck off LE you total losers


[34 Points] Zorill:

Damn, wrap it up boys. No more using the darknets. The feds can identify us


[27 Points] _PrinterPam_:

"knock and talk" operations. "You can't evade prosecution..."

Um, yeah, you can. The 'knock and talk' shit relies entirely on people opening their mouths and/or having incriminating evidence in plain sight of the officers. So...don't leave shit out and shut the door in their faces. Do.Not.Say.Anything


[20 Points] droppinglsd:

Looks to me like we are the ones winning. What a bunch of losers, 100 people? 😂


[11 Points] None:

[deleted]


[9 Points] Mtat78:

"It's illegal and not safe."

Yes, very unsafe. Much safer you buy from dodgy guy on creepy street.


[7 Points] darknetluz:

Do these idiots really not encrypt their addresses? Their account should be banned on the spot for posting that shit, and there should be a warning you have to agree to when you sign up that says "ENCRYPT YOUR FUCKING ADDRESS YOURSELF"


[6 Points] Killerlaughman:

"We want to make sure people stop doing it"

sell drugs at the corner store then, cause thats the only way to make people stop buying drugs online.


[4 Points] fawkStick:

Lmao! They busted noobs and retards who did not manually encrypt. They click auto encrypt and guess what... Knock knock ... Who's there? It'sTheFedsBendOver! Maybe they'll learn.


[3 Points] LsdKet:

Whoa, I feel safer now, thanks LE!


[2 Points] twigburst:

How long does it take to learn how to use PGP?


[2 Points] smokeythebandit12:

Instead they want you buying on the street then? Because addicts are going to buy no matter what. At least online you can read reviews so you know what you are getting.


[2 Points] TradingRealGfForRsGf:

It's way safer than trusting that sketchy heroin dealer who just recently started smoking meth and has been awake for 4 days, Mr. Scully.

Fuck the feds.


[1 Points] robc514:

Just because they know who you are doesn't really mean shit. The cops in my area know who i am and know why I'm out on certain corners waiting for my plugs, but as long as they don't catch you with nothing your fine.


[1 Points] Xantaxx:

100 whole people, wow LE give yourselves a pat on the back. We are all shaking in our boots because of this news.


[1 Points] Trip-Trooper:

this was extremely successful!

many raids and one got arrested... good job public prosecutor we, the people thank you very much for surpressing harmless citizen.


[1 Points] Je0ff_:

Because will stop everyone from using the DMs


[1 Points] burden_of_boof:

"You may be sitting in the United States buying drugs on the dark web from another country and you may think that's a safe thing to do and the message is it's not safe," Kevin Scully, European Regional Director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, told The Associated Press...

So what you're saying is... if you are ordering domestic US-US then your good, nbd.


[1 Points] nowhere-:

I got a knock on my door, waiting for me were a uspis agent, homeland security, and a detective from the div. of criminal investigation. and then they came back again a few days later.


[1 Points] Intergalactic_Reborn:

Oh noooo not the Dutch! It's illegal therefore it isn't safe! WOW GENIUSES.


[-12 Points] CookiesSF:

or you could use the markets to get contact info of the vendor and do direct deals..why use a market in 2018? LUL