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Aussie authorities arrest 4 who use Darknet marketplaces to distribute illicit goods, services

Xinhua, November 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Australian authorities have arrested four individuals and issued six summonses to cyber criminals who use Darknet sites to buy and sell illicit goods and services.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection in a statement on Tuesday said the arrest was made during the "Darknet Period of Action" week held from Oct. 24 to 27 in Australia, which was part of a worldwide operation sting to weed out cyber criminals who used the Internet to sell illegal items such as drugs, weapons, fake identities as well as offering services such as money laundering.

The operation which involved officers from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), Australian Border Force (ABF) as well as the state and territory police resulted in a total of 11 search warrants being issued.

Among the illicit substances discovered during the operation was ecstasy, steroids, cannabis, opium, cocaine and methamphetamine.

AFP's National Manager Organised Crime and Cyber Assistant Commissioner Ian McCartney said the belief that Darknet sites were an anonymous part of the Internet was not true.

"While it is not an offence to access such sites, the purchase and importation of illicit goods and services is," McCartney said.

"Last week's actions demonstrate that law enforcement agencies across the globe are working collaboratively to identify and apprehend those individuals using illicit Darknet sites," he said.

To combat the movement of illicit materials into Australia, ABF officers had in the last financial year examined a total of 57.5 million mail articles which included parcels as well to ensure that they were free from any illicit substance.

ABF Assistant Commissioner Strategic Border Command Clive Murray said the operation was another example of the real-world consequences of buying illicit items online.

"The ABF and our partner agencies are well aware of Darknet websites and their use as a virtual trading venue for illicit goods," Murray said.

"At some point, all goods sourced internationally must cross the border and the ABF has the capability to target and detect these goods no matter what it is," he added. Endit