Pierluigi Paganini
September 20, 2023
Finnish Customs announced the seizure of the dark web marketplace Piilopuoti as part of an international law enforcement operation. The dark web marketplace PIILOPUOTI has been active since May 18, 2022.
“The site operated as a hidden service in the encrypted Tor network. The site has been used in anonymous criminal activities such as narcotics trade. As a rule, the narcotics sold on the site were smuggled to Finland from abroad.” reads the press release published by Finnish Customs. “During the preliminary investigation into the case, Finnish Customs has conducted extensive cooperation with German and Lithuanian authorities, as well as Europol, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), authorities of other countries, and various police units in Finland.”
The investigation was conducted by authorities from Germany and Lithuania (German Federal Criminal Office (Bundeskriminalamt) and the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau (Lietuvos kriminalinės policijos biuras)) and was coordinated by Europol and Eurojust. The cybersecurity firm Bitdefender also supported the investigation.
According to the EUROPOL, the investigation is still ongoing, and law enforcement bodies are working to identify the sellers and users on the platform.
“This successful takedown happened just days ahead of the annual Dark Web Conference which will take place at Europol’s headquarters between 4-5 October. This event, restricted to law enforcement, will bring together over 180 investigators from across the world to discuss the latest criminal trends and developments on the dark web.” reads the press release published by Europol.
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