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Authorities in NZ have detained 11 persons in connection to this development of the international drug syndicate communicating via the hidden internet.
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They seized more than 200 kg of drugs from around the globe as well as $500,000+ worth of cash and 3 handguns.
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The people involved in the syndicate used encrypted messaging and virtual currencies for communication and financial transactions in order to hide their identities and the source of their revenues.
New Zealand authorities have dismantled an alleged professional nationwide drug syndicate; this syndicate is said to have been importing and distributing methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine using various hidden aspects of the Internet.
The National Organised Crime Group launched the investigation into this national drug syndicate nine months ago as part of ‘Operation Solana’.
On Thursday, 27 January, and Friday, 28 January 2023, New Zealand Police arrested 11 people aged 24 to 42 after executing 16 search warrants across Auckland and Hamilton.
Police seized substantial quantities of drugs, about $500,000 in cash, and three firearms, including a 3D-printed gun.
Dark Web Operation Exposed
The Australian Federal Police has accused a group of using dark web marketplaces, encrypted messaging apps, and cryptocurrencies to conceal their identities and the financial elements of their illegal activity.
Detective Senior Sergeant Jason Hunt stated that investigators have identified a local syndicate that uses anonymously accessed online marketplaces to conduct illegal activity.
Hunt said investigators have established that the group allegedly imported and distributed controlled drugs across Australia.
The group imported drugs from the UK, Europe, and the USA, but in recent months, New Zealand Customs and international law enforcement partners—including agencies in the USA, Europe, and the Australian Border Force, intercepted more than 200 kilograms of controlled drugs intended for distribution in Australia.
This kind of cross-border coordination was also on display in the recent global sting against a dark web child exploitation network, where agencies from multiple nations worked together to identify and arrest predators who thought they were hidden behind encryption and anonymity.
Police also confiscated KGs of illicit drugs in volumes in the search operations, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA.
Serious Charges Filed Against Suspects
The eleven arrested people have appeared in both the Auckland District Court and the Hamilton District Court today. Authorities have indicted them on charges related to importing, owning, and handing out Class A, B, and C controlled substances. Additional indictments include ownership of unregistered firearms and participating in an organized crime syndicate.
These incidents indicate that Law Enforcement continues to have the capability to investigate and mitigate criminal activities happening on encrypted/anonymous websites. This operation has taken extensive amounts of international cooperation and has used sophisticated investigative techniques.
Law Enforcement Sends Clear Warning
According to Hunt, Operation Solana reveals how law enforcement has developed an increasing capability to infiltrate dark web criminal enterprises. It sends a clear message from authorities to those using the dark web that their operations are far from secretive.
“Whatever you do on the dark web is not out of view of law enforcement,” said Hunt. “These arrests say one thing: if you’re selling or bringing in drugs on the dark web, we will find you and mete out justice.”
Also, the success of Operation Solana is a sign of the growing sophistication of law enforcement. Criminal organizations are using encrypted means such as the dark web and, increasingly, cryptocurrencies as a method of evading detection.
Law enforcement agencies across the globe are developing new strategies that allow them to detect persons using these advanced methods.
The dark web provides criminals with the means and tools that allow them to conduct their business privately and anonymously; (especially) with the use of encrypted messaging services, which inhibit law enforcement from intercepting their communications,” and “conducting transactions in cryptocurrencies, which prevent law enforcement from tracing the flow of funds (as)some will continue to employ these methods of evasion.
Operation Solana is an example of how successful international cooperation can be in producing results for law enforcement. Collaboration between the New Zealand Police and the New Zealand Customs Service, together with law enforcement agencies across multiple continents, resulted in a disruption to the flow of large amounts of illegal drugs before they arrived on the streets of New Zealand.
The confiscation of more than 200 kg of drugs shows a key breach in the illicit drug peddling. Authorities estimate that this seizure saved lives and reduced drug-related harm in the community by preventing around 200 kilograms of drugs from entering or being distributed across Australia.
The seizure also included $500,000 cash, which will remove the economic incentive for these drug dealers to continue to operate.
Operation Solana clearly shows that modern law enforcement agencies are constantly evolving. While criminal networks may be using high-end technology to conceal their networks from law enforcement, international law enforcement agencies are making substantial investments in training and acquiring new technology to expose and dismantle criminal networks.
While the dark web may obscure these types of activities from public view, the conclusion of the investigation of Operation Solana proves just how much more transparent the dark web has become recently.
