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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 3 May 2023

300 nabbed in global crackdown on dark web drug marketplace

By MIKE CORDER and LIND- United States, followed by
SAY WHITEHURST the United Kingdom with 55
Associated Press and Germany with 52, ac-
THE HAGUE, Netherlands cording to the European
(AP) — Authorities in the Union law enforcement
U.S. and Europe arrested agency Europol, which co-
nearly 300 people, confis- ordinated the worldwide
cated over $53 million, and operation.
seized a dark web market- “Our coalition of law en-
place as part of an interna- forcement authorities
tional crack down on drug across three continents
trafficking that officials say proves that we all do bet-
was the largest operation ter when we work togeth-
of its kind. er,” Europol’s executive di-
The worldwide operation rector, Catherine De Bolle,
targeting the “Monopoly said in a statement. “This
Market” is the latest major operation sends a strong
takedown of sales plat- message to criminals on
forms for drugs and other il- the dark web: International
licit goods on the so-called law enforcement has the
dark web, a part of the means and the ability to
internet hosted within an identify and hold you ac-
encrypted network and countable for your illegal
accessible only through This Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, file photo shows the sun bouncing off the Europol headquarters in activities, even on the dark
specialized anonymity-pro- The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press web.”
viding tools. It seized 50.8 million euros
The largest number of ar- you accountable for your thousands of people on the purchased off the dark ($53.4 million) in cash and
rests were made in the U.S., crimes,” said U.S. Attorney dark web, he said. net,” he said. “Because of virtual currencies, 850 ki-
which is in the grips of an General Merrick Garland. Investigators also got leads those drugs, that promising lograms of drugs, and 117
overdose crisis. Synthetic The number of arrests and from local police investi- young man sadly died of firearms were seized in a se-
opioids, mostly fentanyl, money seized was the high- gating overdose deaths, in- an overdose last year.” ries of raids in several coun-
kill more Americans every est for any international cluding a 19-year-old man For the first time, FBI agents tries.
year than died in the Viet- Justice Department-led in Colorado who loved from all the bureau’s field In the Netherlands, where
nam, Iraq and Afghanistan drug trafficking operation, learning languages and offices also visited buyers authorities arrested 10
wars combined. he said. building his own comput- to tell them about the over- suspects, police said the
“Our message to criminals One defendant in Cali- ers, said FBI Deputy Director dose danger of pills sold operation was made up
on the dark web is this: You fornia led an organiza- Paul Abbate. online, which are often dis- of “separate but comple-
can try to hide in the fur- tion that bought fentanyl “But some of the packages guised to look like prescrip- mentary actions that took
thest reaches of the inter- in bulk, pressed it into pills his family thought were full tion drugs. place in nine countries over
net, but the Justice Depart- with methamphetamine of computer parts actu- The largest number of ar- the past 18 months.”q
ment will find you and hold and sold millions of pills to ally contain drugs he had rests 153 were made in the

Australian government cracks down on smoking and vaping

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) controls on their importa- of the same chemicals you with the states and territo- primary schools. This must
— Australia’s tobacco tax tion and packaging. will find in nail polish remov- ries to shut down the sale of end.”
will be increased by billions “Vapes contain more than er and weed killer,” Butler vapes in retail and conve- Butler said the hard-won
of dollars over the next four 200 chemicals that do not said. nience stores and make it gains in public health re-
years as the government belong in the lungs. Some The government will work easier to get a prescription lating to the reduction in
cracks down on smoking for therapeutic use. smoking could be undone
and vaping. To tackle the growing black by the “new threat.”
Recreational vaping will be market, the government Steve Robson, president
banned as the government will increase the product of the Australian Medical
seeks to prevent the next standards for vapes, in- Association, the nation’s
generation from becom- cluding by restricting flavors leading doctors group,
ing addicted to nicotine, and colors. It will require backed the move.
Health Minister Mark Butler pharmaceutical-like pack- “We know the new young
said Tuesday. aging, a reduction in the generation of Australians
The tobacco tax would be maximum allowed nicotine are being hooked on
raised by 5% a year starting concentrations and vol- vapes and this is a great ini-
from September, Butler said umes and a ban on single- tiative,” he said.
a total increase of 3.3 bil- use vapes. Alcohol and Drug Foun-
lion Australian dollars ($2.2 “This is a product targeted dation CEO Erin Lalor said
billion) over four years. This at our kids,” Butler said. most people vaping in Aus-
follows an AU$234-million “Vaping has become the tralia were using unregulat-
($157-million) boost for A person poses for a photograph as they vape in Melbourne, No. 1 behavioral issue in ed products, with no idea
tougher regulation of e- March 23, 2023. A person poses for a photograph as they vape high schools, and it’s be- what was in them.q
cigarettes, including new in Melbourne, March 23, 2023. coming widespread in
Associated Press