Feds have taken down two major dark web marketplaces

An international law enforcement effort has brought down two of the dark web’s largest

marketplaces, AlphaBay and Hansa Market. According to a Europol announcement, AlphaBay hosted roughly $1 billion in transactions since its founding in 2014, primarily focused on drugs and fraudulent IDs. At the time of its takedown, it reached over 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors, with nearly $4 million in bitcoin stored in escrow wallets on the site. “This is one of the most important criminal investigations of this entire year,” said Attorney General Sessions at a press briefing accompanying the announcement. “I believe that because of this operation, people around the world are safer from the threat of identity fraud and malware, and safer from deadly drugs.”                                                                                                                                                           https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/20/16003046/alphabay-takedown-hansa-marketplace-fbi-europol-sessions