US justice and the federal police FBI open an investigation into the arrest in a classroom of a black high school student by a white police officer, an act filmed whose brutality aroused deep indignation -

Mandel Ngan AFP

An operation targeting the "dark web", a hidden part of the internet, has led to the arrest of 179 sellers of opiate drugs and other illicit goods.

The arrests took place in Europe and the United States, announced Tuesday the US Department of Justice and the European police agency Europol.

A total of 119 people were arrested in the United States, two in Canada, 42 in Germany, eight in the Netherlands, four in the United Kingdom, three in Austria and one in Sweden.

According to the US ministry and Europol, the suspects were engaged in tens of thousands of sales of illicit products on the “dark web”, which is teeming with illegal activity.

ONCE UPON A TIME ON THE DARK WEB…



Police authorities from 9 countries set out on a journey to catch cybercriminals coordinated by @Europol and @Eurojust



179 vendors were arrested.


$ 6.5m and 500kg of drugs were seized.



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- Europol (@Europol) September 22, 2020

$ 6.5 million seized

The operation, in which various US government agencies including the FBI were involved, resulted in the seizure of more than $ 6.5 million (€ 5.5 million) in cash and digital currencies.

In particular, the police seized some 500 kg of opiates, including fentanyl, oxycodone and heroin, as well as around 60 firearms.

"For a growing number of young drug addicts, opiates are no longer bought from local traffickers, but from online dealers," said Jeffrey Rosen, US Deputy Minister of Justice.

“These 'dark net' markets are growing in popularity at an alarming rate, and allow drug dealers to openly advertise and take orders from all over the world,” he added.

Overdoses with opiates, and in particular with fentanyl, considered to be 50 times more powerful than heroin, are one of the main causes of death in the United States.

In 2018, they accounted for some 70% of the more than 67,000 overdose deaths in the United States.

While many measures have been taken in recent years to curb dependence on these substances, which were initially painkillers for medical use only, Canada and some thirty American states have reported an increase in opioid overdoses with the pandemic. of coronavirus.

The announcement of these arrests "sends a strong message" to criminals active on the "dark web", believes Edvardas Sileris, head of Europol's European Cybercrime Center.

“The hidden internet is no longer hidden and your anonymous activity is not anonymous.

Law enforcement is determined to hunt down criminals no matter where they operate - be it on the street or behind a computer screen, ”said Edvardas Sileris, quoted in the statement.

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  • Drug traffic

  • Cybercriminality