US officials believe the action against is an essential step in fighting illicit trade on dark websites that accept cryptocurrency payments. In May, a joint law enforcement operation known as Operation RapTor led to 270 arrests in 10 countries and the seizure of $200 million in assets, including large amounts of digital currency.
Investigators confirmed that the marketplace generated $17 million in revenue from over 117,000 users. The site reportedly sold over 15 million stolen payment card records. It also provided sensitive data such as home addresses and phone numbers.
According to TRM Labs’ , dark web markets brought in $1.7 billion in 2024. Most of this activity came from Russian-speaking marketplaces, which face limited local enforcement.
