Operation SpecTor
{{Short description|Operation to take down a darknet market}}
{{Orphan|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Monopoly Market
| type = Darknet market
| language = English
| owner = Milomir Desnica
| industry = Drug Trade
| revenue = ~€1.23 billion
| commercial = Yes
| registration = None
| current_status = Shut down
| launched = 2019
}}
Operation SpecTor was an operation coordinated by Europol, which involved nine countries,{{Cite web |title=End of Monopoly Market |url=https://eucrim.eu/news/end-of-monopoly-market/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=eucrim.eu |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Europol-led sting nabs 288 dark web vendors, haul of drugs |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europol-led-sting-nabs-288-dark-web-vendors-haul-drugs-2023-05-02/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=Reuters|date=2 May 2023 }} including the United States,{{Cite web |date=2023-06-26 |title=Suspected admin of dark web drug site Monopoly Market extradited to US from Austria |url=https://apnews.com/article/serbia-austria-usa-darkweb-drug-monopoly-market-558b80129f3e73a916b99c685c5d26d2 |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=AP News |language=en}} Austria, France, Germany, and the Netherlands{{Cite web |title=288 dark web vendors arrested in major marketplace seizure |url=https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/288-dark-web-vendors-arrested-in-major-marketplace-seizure |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=Europol |language=en}} to disrupt fentanyl and opioid distribution.{{Cite web |last=staff |first=Local 3 News |date=2023-05-02 |title=Largest international operation against darknet trafficking of drugs results in record arrests and seizures |url=https://www.local3news.com/local-news/tennessee/largest-international-operation-against-darknet-trafficking-of-drugs-results-in-record-arrests-and-seizures/article_994bc5f2-e920-11ed-9aff-9fe79e8076c7.html |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=Local3News.com |language=en}} The operation targeted and took down the darknet market "Monopoly Market."
Monopoly Market
Monopoly Market was a darknet market operating from 2019 to 2021,{{Cite web |date=2023-06-23 |title=District of Columbia {{!}} Citizen of Croatia and Serbia Charged with Running Monopoly Drug Market on the Darknet {{!}} United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/citizen-croatia-and-serbia-charged-running-monopoly-drug-market-darknet |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=www.justice.gov |language=en}} the target of the SpecTor operation, which did not require registration or depositing to an internal cryptocurrency wallet, and only accepted Monero.{{Cite web |last=MrAdmin |date=2022-01-30 |title=Monopoly Market and Cartel Market Disappeared – Darknet Pages |url=https://darknetpages.com/monopoly-market-and-cartel-market-disappeared/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |language=en-US}} The market was discovered to be owned by Milomir Desnica, as a result of the operation, and had an estimated revenue of €1.23 billion.
History
2019 Monopoly Market is launched by Milomir Desnica
2021 Monopoly Market is shut down under the SpecTor operation, by German law enforcement{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}
May 2023 288 vendors are arrested, in connection to Monopoly Market,{{Cite web |last=Goswami |first=Rohan |date=2023-05-02 |title=Drugs, guns and crypto seized, 288 arrested, in 'unprecedented' dark web crackdown |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/02/operation-spector-288-arrests-made-in-international-drug-takedown.html |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=CNBC |language=en}} and Milomir Desnica is extradited from Austria. Europol confirms Monopoly Market was shut down by German law enforcement.
Nov 2023 Milomir Desnica pleads guilty to running Monopoly Market{{Cite web |date=2023-11-08 |title=District of Columbia {{!}} Serbian Citizen Pleads Guilty to Running Monopoly Drug Market on the Darknet {{!}} United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/serbian-citizen-pleads-guilty-running-monopoly-drug-market-darknet |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=www.justice.gov |language=en}}
Results
On May 2, 2023, both the Department of Justice and Europol released the results of Operation SpecTor. In the United States, the Department of Justice's J-CODE team (with international partners) introduced the results of SpecTor, which was a monumental success, ranking the most arrests ever for any J-CODE operation.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-13 |title=Office of Public Affairs {{!}} Largest International Operation Against Darknet Trafficking of Fentanyl and Opioids Results in Record Arrests and Seizures {{!}} United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/gallery/largest-international-operation-against-darknet-trafficking-fentanyl-and-opioids |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=www.justice.gov |language=en}} Operation SpecTor resulted in the arrest of 288{{Cite web |title=300 arrested in crackdown on dark web 'Monopoly Market' drug trafficking |url=https://fortune.com/europe/2023/05/03/300-arrested-us-europe-crackdown-dark-web-monopoly-market-drug-trafficking/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=Fortune Europe |language=en}} vendors who sold drugs and other various items, as well as the seizure of $53 million, 850 kg of drugs, and 117 guns.{{Cite web |title=FBI Multimedia |url=https://multimedia.fbi.gov/item%3Ftype%3Dimage%26id%3D7857 |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=FBI Multimedia}} The operation also resulted the extradition of the owner, Milomir Desnica, from Austria. Europol announced, in addition, that the German police had taken down Monopoly Market in late 2021. The unexpected shutdown, due to no explanation from administrators of Monopoly, or government agencies, left many users to come to the conclusions that the administrators performed an exit scam.
Assistance
Operation SpecTor likely included assistance from intel on several other darknet markets, and the assistance of German law enforcement agencies, who had access to Monopoly Market infrastructure, and resulted in the shutdown of Monopoly, under the SpecTor operation, back in 2021.{{Cite magazine |last=Greenberg |first=Andy |title=Cops Just Revealed a Record-Breaking Dark Web Dragnet |url=https://www.wired.com/story/operation-spector-dark-web-busts/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}