ED arrests dark web drug ‘vendor’ who operated international syndicate

Sub: Science and tech

Sec: Awareness in IT & Computer

Tags: dark web

Context:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a resident of Uttarakhand for allegedly operating an international drug trafficking group, following a request from the U.S. authorities.

Key Highlights:

Accused has been booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
It is alleged that he, along with his brother and others, had been operating the drug trafficking syndicate.
Accused had operated a global dark web enterprise to send fentanyl and other deadly and dangerous drugs to communities across America – in all 50 States — as well as Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean.
He created vendor marketing sites on dark web marketplaces to sell controlled substances, including fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, xanax, ketamine, and tramadol.
The accused persons used the moniker “Liston” on a variety of dark web markets, including Silk Road 1, Alpha Bay, and Hansa.
The brothers used vendor marketing sites on dark web, numerous free advertisements on clear web websites, and a network of narcotics and controlled-substance distributors and distribution cells, to sell drugs in the U.S., the U.K. and other European countries.

What is the Dark Web?

The dark net or dark web is an overlay network within the Internet which is not accessible through search engines, and where anonymous activities are carried out.

Internet consists of three layers:

Surface Web:
- The first layer is public (Surface Web), consisting of sites that one uses frequently such as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and LinkedIn.
- This layer makes up only 4% of the entire internet.
Deep Web:
- The second layer, the deep web, is a network where data is stored in inaccessible databases (i.e., cannot be accessed through traditional search engines like Google).
- It is used to provide access to a specific group of people.
- The data is generally sensitive and private (government private data, bank data, cloud data etc), so kept out of reach.
Dark Net:
- The third layer is the darknet which is also known as a part of the ‘Deep Web’. It is a network built over the internet which is encrypted.
- It is basically a layer of the Internet accessible only by using special software like Tor (The Onion Router), or I2P, which stands for Invisible Internet Project.
- Anything present on the dark web will not be pulled up in internet searches, thereby offering a high degree of anonymity.

About ED:

It is a Multi-Disciplinary Organization mandated with the task of enforcing the provisions of two special fiscal laws – Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) and Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
The origin of this Directorate goes back to 1st May, 1956, when an ‘Enforcement Unit Was formed, in Department of Economic Affairs, for handling Exchange Control Laws violations under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947 (FERA, 1947).
In the year 1957, this Unit was renamed as ‘Enforcement Directorate’.
The administrative control of the Directorate was transferred from the Department of Economic Affairs to the Department of Revenue in 1960.
The ED has its headquarters in New Delhi and has many regional offices all over the country.
The Directorate enforces two laws;
- FEMA, a Civil Law having quasi-judicial powers, for investigating suspected contraventions of the Exchange Control Laws and Regulations with the powers to impose penalties on those adjudged guilty.
- PMLA, a Criminal Law, whereby the Officers are empowered to conduct enquiries to locate, provisionally attach/confiscate assets derived from acts of Schedules Offenses besides arresting and prosecuting the Money Launderers.