US law enforcement agencies have set up a Darknet Marketplace and Digital Currency Crimes Task Force to tackle “cryptocurrency-enabled crimes”.
The new group will focus on child exploitation, drugs trafficking, money laundering, and ID theft.
The force is comprised of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Arizona, the office of US Attorney Gary M. Restaino, IRS Criminal Investigation, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and Postal Inspection Service.
The Darknet Marketplace and Digital Currency Crimes Task Force’s goal is to “provide increased collaboration, enhance resources, and disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations that use these new and emerging technologies”.
The statement reads: “Since 2017, these federal partners have focused on darknet drug vendors and cryptocurrency-enabled crimes. Ever-evolving technology has allowed drug traffickers and other criminal actors to expand into the digital world and use the darknet to engage in their illegal activity.
“Criminals have long sought to launder the proceeds of their illegal activity through various means, and technology has facilitated this on a grand scale.
“As these criminal activities and enterprises have become more sophisticated, law enforcement tools, resources and intelligence have had to adapt.”
According to IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Al Childress: “Our agents excel in addressing sophisticated cyber-related schemes and are up to the challenge of locating and apprehending criminals who try to hide in the digital world.”
Phoenix Division acting Inspector in Charge Glen Henderson adds: “Dark web vendors and their operatives believe they can hide anonymously while perpetrating their crimes.
“The collaborative effort of this task force proves criminals operating on the web are never truly anonymous and they will be uncovered and prosecuted.”
