West German police have arrested three people suspected of running the world’s second largest darknet market for illicit drugs, stolen data and malware.
The FBI took part in the investigation and arrested two alleged drug dealers in Los Angeles, according to the German DPA news agency. The site, which is now filmed, is called the Wall Street Market.
Cash and cryptocurrency were seized.
The DarkNet is an area of the Internet that is not accessible to major search engines.
Investigators found more than 63,000 offers of sale, over 1.1 million customer accounts and more than 5,400 sellers on the platform, according to a police spokesman.
German broadcaster SWR reports that the platform advertised ecstasy pills and Colombian cocaine in suggested purities and varying amounts. Cocaine was sold at a price of 42 euros per gram, and hashish at 11 euros per gram.
Investigators found a notice on the platform in deep web (part of darknet) prohibiting the sale of weapons or images of sexual assault.
Europol reports that in a related operation, Finnish customs closed an illegal facility called Silkkitie, known as the Valhalla market. This was done with the help of the French police.