EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

A website seizure and multiple arrests follow a coordinated effort between European law enforcement agencies and the FBI to dismantle Deep Dot Web.

By offering referral links to dark web marketplaces, Deep Dot Web allegedly raked in millions of dollars in revenue. The site routed interested parties through .onion domains, or via the Tor network, which arbitrarily bounces internet traffic across servers throughout the world, leaving no trace of any electronic footprints.

“It is quite common for Dark web marketplaces and criminal trading hotspots to be taken down by law enforcement, but it is unusual for websites which contain Dark web-related resources to be seized [like this]…”, writes ZDNet.

The arrests come after operators of the domain orchestrated an exit scam, peeling away 14.2 million dollars in cryptocurrency.

At least one reporter attempted to reach Deep Dot Web via encrypted messaging for comment on the story, but attempts proved unsuccessful.

The initial investigation of Deep Dot Web began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the US, a hotspot for cyber crime investigation. The notice on the hacker group’s former website mentions 18 USC 1956 (h), 981 and 982, implying charges of money laundering. It is likely that the US Department of Justice will seek extradition to the US for those arrested.

Get the full story from ZDNet.