Joint action between US Justice and FBI with European partners Europol  and Dutch police. AlphaBay Hansa Market

AlphaBay and Hansa taken down in coordinated operations by FBI and Dutch National Police

Takedown of AlphaBay and Hansa will lead to hundreds of new investigations in Europe. Months of preparation and coordination have resulted today, 20 July 2017, in the takedown of two of the largest criminal Dark Web markets, AlphaBay and Hansa.

Two major law enforcement operations, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Dutch National Police, with the support of Europol, have shut down the infrastructure of an underground criminal economy responsible for the trading of over 350 000 illicit commodities including drugs, firearms and cybercrime malware. The coordinated law enforcement action in Europe and the US ranks as one of the most sophisticated takedown operations ever seen in the fight against criminal activities online.

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“This is an outstanding success by authorities in Europe and the US,” Rob Wainwright, the Executive Director of Europol, said today, while appearing alongside the US Attorney General, Acting FBI Director and Deputy Director of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), at a special press conference in Washington DC. “The capability of drug traffickers and other serious criminals around the world has taken a serious hit today after a highly sophisticated joint action in multiple countries. By acting together on a global basis the law enforcement community has sent a clear message that we have the means to identify criminality and strike back, even in areas of the Dark Web. There are more of these operations to come,” he added.

Dimitris Avramopoulos, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, said: “The Dark Web is growing into a haven of rampant criminality. This is a threat to our societies and our economies that we can only face together, on a global scale. The take-down of the two largest criminal Dark Web markets in the world by European and American law enforcement authorities shows the important and necessary result of international cooperation to fight this criminality. I congratulate the American and Dutch authorities for their successful work, as well as Europol for centrally supporting this endeavour. Our fight against criminal activities online and offline will continue and intensify.”

Alpha Bay Takedown Shows Government Collaboration Capability

The takedown follows the shutdown of the original Silk Road marketplace in 2013, and its 2015 successor.

“This is one of the most important criminal investigations of this entire year,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a press briefing. “Make no mistake, the forces of law and justice face a challenge from criminals and transnational criminal organizations who think they can commit their crimes with impunity by going dark. This case, pursued by dedicated agents and prosecutors, says ‘you are not safe. You cannot hide. We will find you'”.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein confirmed that Alpha Bay was part of a larger international effort targeted at dark web market bases. He confirmed that the site’s administrators were arrested as part of the takedown, who attempted to use “anonymizing techniques” to try and conceal their identities and locations, and revealing that required additional assistance from other law enforcement agencies.

A Big, Big day for U.S. Justice and the F.B.I … how does president Trump speak of AG Sessions?

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