Hydra Market: World’s largest darknet marketplace shut down by BKA

The Central Office for Combating Internet and Computer Crime (ZIT) of the General Public Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt am Main and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) jointly seized and shut down the entire server structure of the world’s largest illegal darknet marketplace “Hydra Market” on April 5. Among other things, bitcoins worth the equivalent of around 23 million euros were seized.

BKA shuts down Hydra Market

According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), German investigators were able to take the illegal darknet marketplace “Hydra Market” offline on April 05. In the process, the entire server infrastructure was seized and the marketplace was taken, after extensive investigations had preceded it since August 2021. US authorities were also involved in the investigations.

The Russian-language darknet platform is said to have been online since at least 2015 and, according to investigators, had around 17 million customer accounts and more than 19,000 seller accounts.

In 2020 alone, according to BKA data, sales of at least 1.23 billion euros were generated via Hydra Market, making the platform the “highest-turnover illegal marketplace worldwide.” With the closure of Hydra Market, bitcoins with a current equivalent value of around 23 million euros were seized, according to authorities.

Trafficking in drugs and stolen data

The darknet platform had focused primarily on trading drugs, as well as stolen data, forged documents and digital services via the Tor network, the statement added.

Since Hydra Market relied on a so-called “Bitcoin Bank Mixer”, investigations by law enforcement agencies were made immensely more difficult. This is a service that disguises digital transactions.

Further, the authorities are investigating the operators of the darknet platform, who have not yet been identified. Against them there is still, among other things, the suspicion of “commercial operation of criminal trading platforms on the Internet, the commercial procurement or granting of an opportunity for the unauthorized acquisition or unauthorized delivery of narcotics and commercial money laundering”, announces the BKA. Meanwhile, the website of the darknet platform is emblazoned with the seizure banner of the BKA and ZIT.