The report said it was able to identify several administrators and arrest two suspects, one in the Netherlands and the other in Ireland. “Administrators, sellers and buyers of and on illegal marketplaces often believe themselves to be elusive to the police and the judiciary,” said Stan Duijf, head of the operations unit of the National Investigation and Interventions. Recently, the Dutch police have announced the takedown of Bohemia and Cannabia, which has been described as the world’s largest and longest-running dark web market for illegal goods, drugs, and cybercrime services. The takedown is the result of a collaborative investigation with Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States that began towards the end of 2022, the disclosure reported. Bohemia’s closure is particularly significant given the market’s size and reputation. Initially launched in 2021, Bohemia quickly became one of the most popular dark web platforms, particularly for cannabis products.
The Politie identified several marketplace administrators and arrested two suspects, one in the Netherlands and the other in Ireland. The authorities also seized two vehicles and €8 million worth of cryptocurrency. In this particular case with Bohemia, the event shocked everyone because the marketplace had a fairly good reputation.
The police determined that the sites carried out approximately 67,000 transactions per month, with a record business volume of 12 million euros reached in September 2023. The Dutch police believe that the administrators personally earned about 5 million euros from the operation before executing the exit scam. As with most marketplaces, Bohemia market’s approach to darknet buying and selling is more or less the same with regards to providing a traditional escrow system. As an added convenience to the buyer, you can expect to be introduced to an intelligent cart system which allows multi-product purchasing from more than one vendor in a single transaction. The seizure of Bohemia and Cannabia’s infrastructure in the Netherlands has provided law enforcement with valuable intelligence. Many marketplace participants have already been identified and arrested, with authorities anticipating further arrests as they analyze newly acquired evidence from the captured infrastructure.
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As these platforms fall, new marketplaces inevitably emerge to fill the void, but the increasing frequency of police operations has severely damaged the credibility of the dark web ecosystem. It underscores that despite the perceived anonymity of such platforms, law enforcement agencies can effectively track and dismantle these operations through international cooperation and advanced investigative techniques. These cases highlight the interconnected nature of global cybercrime and the importance of international cooperation in dismantling these criminal networks. As digital technology continues to advance, law enforcement agencies face the ongoing challenge of staying ahead of cybercriminals who exploit the anonymity of the internet to conduct illegal activities. The takedown of Bohemia and Cannabia is just one example of the global effort to combat cybercrime and the illegal trade that flourishes on the dark web. According to Ukrainian Cyber Police, the VPN service, which operated from the city of Khmelnytskyi, had over 48 million IP addresses and was launched by a self-taught hacker following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
- The market went offline at the end of last year when, according to police, the administrators carried out an “exit scam,” stealing users’ money and divvying it up among themselves.
- There are all kinds of rumors regarding what happened with the Bohemia marketplace.
- While no cybercriminal organizations are reporting this data for sale or compromised, it was exposed from at least August 7 to September 25, 2024.
- These once-dominant platforms, which facilitated millions of euros worth of illegal transactions, have now been dismantled, sending a clear message to those who believe they can operate in the shadows of the internet.
- Apart from drugs, Bohemia also had a fair share of hackers offering various services.
More Darknet Markets
The darknet market also had most of its server infrastructure in the country, which is now under the police’s control. In total, the Dutch police (Politie) and partners in Ireland, the UK, and the US seized over 8 million euros ($8.77M) worth of cryptocurrency from the two administrators. As early as October 13, dark.fail (@DarkDotFail) tweeted that discussions about Bohemia Market’s exit scam have been circulating, but their staff continues to respond to posts on the Dread forum. Thus, it appears more like a case of suffering a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, and @DarkDotFail mentioned they are attempting to verify this. Bohemia and its sister market Cannabia have been under investigation in the country since the end of 2022, Dutch police said. More than €8 million ($8.75 million) in virtual assets were seized during the arrests, police said.
Dark Web Forum Arrests
The city then sued the independent security researcher for sharing information about the leaked dataset with the media. The Dutch police claim that this market processed approximately 82,000 transactions every month, noting that during its business month, September 2023, it processed about 12 million Euros. Dark web markets are much more prevalent than people know, and authorities are always working to close them down. Despite numerous closures over the years, such as WT1SHOP and Piilopuoti, many of these markets still operate.
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Caution is advised when using this market, as an exit scam could happen at any time. Somewhat unusually for the “mainstream” dark web markets, Archetyp allows the sale of fentanyl and analogous substances. In September 2023 the Tor2Door site – at the time one of the biggest and longest standing marketplaces – closed. Two alleged administrators of the dark web marketplace Bohemia are now in custody, Dutch National Police said Tuesday. Global law enforcement agencies continue to pursue cybercriminals, tracing them across the dark web.
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To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Bohemi market has recently affiliated with Recon and subsequently implemented their seamless merchant cross reference and feedback system. Vendors at Bohemia can now be instantly verified and validated via their profile pages and linked Recon profile. The admin arrested by the Dutch police earlier this year has appeared before the Rotterdam court today, but the litigation process is still in its early pre-trial phases.
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Apart from drugs, Bohemia also had a fair share of hackers offering various services. Some of the most prolific ones included scripts, malicious software and damaging phishing programs. The arrests were made following an investigation that began in 2022 in which the Dutch police identified servers related to clandestine sales points in the Netherlands. Bohemia market is offline, anyone know if it is a platform fix or have they vanished? Hope it’s because they are overwhelmed with ASAP members migrating, Fingers crossed they will reappear very soon.
An exit scam is quite common in small marketplaces with no reputation or a bad reputation. Basically, they won’t just offer a playground for providers and customers, but they also offer an extra service, such as an escrow service. The operation led to the seizure of cryptocurrency worth over $8.77 million from the arrested individuals. This substantial sum underscores the lucrative nature of darknet marketplace operations and the financial incentives driving cybercriminals.
International Cooperation And Arrests
Launched in 2021, Bohemia/Cannabia quickly became a prominent platform on the dark web, primarily offering drugs with a focus on cannabis products. During these arrests, over €8 million in virtual currency was seized, highlighting the scale of financial transactions facilitated by the marketplace. Only keep enough money on the market to cover one order at a time to avoid falling victim to an exit scam. Concern for the market’s long-term survival is palpable among Dread’s top executives. However, Bohemia will see an increase in business if the current trends continue.
The operation was a collaborative effort involving law enforcement agencies from Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. REMEMBER, anyone that provides a DIRECT LINK to any Darknet market website is out FOR YOUR MONEY. NEVER access a market and deposit funds if you haven’t verified the link through the official PUBLIC KEY of the market.
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Set up in 2021, the markets primarily sold drugs, with an emphasis on cannabis products, but also offered “a small number of advertisements for exploits and malware,” according to the dark web intelligence firm Searchlight Cyber. One suspected admin of the marketplace was arrested in June in the Netherlands. He allegedly had a lot of data and bitcoin in his possession, but more than 8 million euros in virtual currency was seized during the arrest of the suspects.
Bohemia boasts a commendable array of listings provided by vendors who cater to a wide range of areas, including the EU, UK, US, and Canada. As with most markets, Bohemia primarily focuses on drug listings, but it also offers a substantial selection of digital items. Notably, Bohemia features a category for “Study Drugs,” which includes pills designed to enhance concentration (such as Adderall and Ritalin), a category that is seldom seen elsewhere. “The Dutch police have conducted a cybercrime investigation into the large dual dark web market ‘Bohemia/Cannabia’.
Many users and operators of these platforms believe they can evade law enforcement through the use of encryption technologies and the anonymity tools provided by networks like Tor. However, this investigation has once again proven that the dark web is not as impenetrable as its users might think. “When conducting criminal investigations and pursuing these criminals, it becomes clear that the dark web is not at all as anonymous as users might think. Thanks to international cooperation, the credibility and reliability of these markets have been severely damaged once again,” stated Stan Duijf, head of the operations unit of the National Directorate of Investigation and Interventions.
