Washington Post schrieb:

BERLIN — German investigators on Tuesday shut down a Russian-language darknet marketplace that they say specialized in drug dealing, seizing bitcoin worth 23 million euros ($25.3 million).


Prosecutors in Frankfurt described the “Hydra Market” platform as the world’s biggest illegal darknet marketplace. They said they seized its server infrastructure in Germany.


The shutdown was the result of investigations underway since August, in which U.S. authorities participated.

The platform had been active at least since 2015, prosecutors said. They added that, as well as illegal drugs, forged documents, intercepted data and “digital services” were offered for sale. They said that it had about 17 million registered customer accounts and more than 19,000 registered sellers.

Prosecutors said the platform had sales of at least 1.23 billion euros in 2020.
Cybercrime research firm Elliptic said Hydra has facilitated over $5 billion in bitcoin transactions since 2015, receiving a boost after the closure of a key competitor in 2017.

“Listings on the site also included forged documents, data (such as credit card information) and digital services,” Elliptic said. “Products were advertised for sale in a number of countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.”

DW schrieb:

Germany closes Russian darknet market Hydra
Federal police say they have shut down the German servers for the darknet hub, which saw its sales skyrocket during the pandemic.


Investigators said on Tuesday that they had shut down the German servers for Hydra, a Russian darknet marketplace that was used to sell drugs, forged documents, intercepted data, and other illegal digital services.
They also seized bitcoin worth €23 million ($25 million).
Unknown individuals are also being investigated for "operating criminal trading platforms on the internet on a commercial basis," selling narcotics, among other things, federal police said in a statement.

What is 'Hydra?'
According to prosecutors, Hydra had some 19,000 registered vendors and 17 million customer accounts. The platform had sales of at least 1.23 billion euros in 2020.
Cyber security publication CPO magazine reported that Hydra saw an astonishing 634% growth from 2018 to 2020, coming to account for 75% of illegal transactions made online.

It has also attracted "high-profile cybercriminals, including the DarkSide gang responsible for the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack," in the United States.

The pandemic saw Hydra's business boom as more illegal transactions moved online.

Last year, a German-led police sting also last year took down the notorious darknet marketplace DarkMarket, which had nearly 500,000 users and more than 2,400 vendors worldwide.

NZZ schrieb:

Licht aus im Darknet: Deutsche Ermittler schliessen Hydra, den grössten illegalen Marktplatz der Welt


Die Server des russischen Krypto- und Drogenmarktplatzes Hydra standen in Deutschland. Die Ermittler stellten sie sicher, gemeinsam mit Bitcoins im Wert von 23 Millionen Franken.

Hydra ist tot. Der grösste Darknet-Marktplatz der Welt, benannt nach dem unsterblichen Seemonster mit den nachwachsenden Köpfen, ist gesperrt. Wer die Seite besucht, sieht seit heute nur noch ein Banner mit drei Handschellen und der Nachricht: «Die Plattform und der kriminelle Inhalt wurden beschlagnahmt.»

justice.gov schrieb:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Justice Department Investigation Leads to Shutdown of Largest Online Darknet Marketplace

Russian Resident Indicted on Conspiracy Charges Related to Operating Hydra Market

The Justice Department announced today the seizure of Hydra Market (Hydra), the world’s largest and longest-running darknet market. In 2021, Hydra accounted for an estimated 80% of all darknet market-related cryptocurrency transactions, and since 2015, the marketplace has received approximately $5.2 billion in cryptocurrency.
The seizure of the Hydra servers and cryptocurrency wallets containing $25 million worth of bitcoin was made this morning in Germany by the German Federal Criminal Police (the Bundeskriminalamt), in coordination with U.S. law enforcement.
“The Justice Department will be relentless in our efforts to hold accountable those who violate our laws – no matter where they are located or how they try to hide their crimes,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Together with our German law enforcement partners, we have seized the infrastructure of the world’s largest darknet market, but our work is far from over. We will continue to work alongside our international and interagency partners to disrupt and dismantle darknet markets, and to hold those who commit their crimes on the dark web accountable for their acts.”
“The Department of Justice will not allow darknet markets and cryptocurrency to be a safe haven for money laundering and the sale of hacking tools and services,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Our message should be clear: we will continue to go after darknet markets and those who exploit them. Together with our partners in Germany and around the world, we will continue our work to disrupt the ecosystem that allows these criminal actors to operate.”
Hydra was an online criminal marketplace that enabled users in mainly Russian-speaking countries to buy and sell illicit goods and services, including illegal drugs, stolen financial information, fraudulent identification documents, and money laundering and mixing services, anonymously and outside the reach of law enforcement. Transactions on Hydra were conducted in cryptocurrency and Hydra’s operators charged a commission for every transaction conducted on Hydra.
In conjunction with the shutdown of Hydra, the department also announced criminal charges against Dmitry Olegovich Pavlov, 30, a resident of Russia, for conspiracy to distribute narcotics and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with his operation and administration of the servers used to run Hydra.

www.courthousenews.com schrieb:

FOR THE
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
VENUE: SAN FRANCISCO
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
V.
DMITRY OLEGOVICH PAVLOV
alkla "Dmitrii Pavlov,"
alkla "Dmitriy Pavlov,"
a/k/a ,D;MHTPI1H OJIEfOBW:I ITABJIOB

courthousenews.com/wp-content/…/04/pavlov-indictment.pdf