Sep 20, 2023THNCyber Crime / Darkish Net

Finnish regulation enforcement authorities have introduced the takedown of PIILOPUOTI, a darkish net market that specialised in unlawful narcotics commerce since Might 2022.

“The positioning operated as a hidden service within the encrypted TOR community,” the Finnish Customs (aka Tulli) mentioned in a quick announcement on Tuesday. “The positioning has been utilized in nameless prison actions akin to narcotics commerce.”

The company mentioned that the medication bought on the location had been smuggled to Finland from overseas, including a prison investigation is underway in coordination with worldwide companions from Germany and Lithuania, together with Europol and Eurojust. It is not instantly clear if any arrests had been made.

Romanian cybersecurity agency Bitdefender mentioned it offered extra help that helped with the seizure of PIILOPUOTI.

“We’re extraordinarily happy that PIILOPUOTI has been seized and wish to congratulate regulation enforcement, Finnish Customs, and everybody concerned,” Alexandru Catalin Cosoi, senior director of the Investigation and Forensics Unit at Bitdefender, mentioned in a press release shared with The Hacker Information.

“This operation is a primary instance of the private and non-private sector pooling assets and dealing collectively to disrupt unlawful on-line actions. It also needs to function a wake-up name for criminals who falsely imagine their infrastructures, anonymity and actions are absolutely protected by the darkish net. They need to perceive if they’re within the crosshairs of a world effort, they may ultimately be delivered to justice.”

The event comes as regulation enforcement businesses have intensified their efforts to dismantle darknet marketplaces akin to Genesis Market and the Lolek bulletproof internet hosting service. In Might 2023, a world operation resulted within the arrest of 288 distributors who’re believed to be concerned in drug trafficking within the Monopoly market.