Dark web drug market busted by European and US authorities
BRUSSELS, June 16 (Reuters) - Police across Europe have dismantled a dark web drug marketplace known as 'Archetyp Market', the pan-European Europol police body said on Monday, which added that U.S. authorities had also assisted them in the operation.
Europol said police operations took place last week across Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Sweden to dismantle the dark web Archetyp Market.
It added that the platform's infrastructure in the Netherlands was taken offline and that a 30-year-old German who was the administrator had been arrested in Barcelona.
Europol said Archetyp had been one of the few darknet markets that allowed the sale of fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids.
"With this takedown, law enforcement has taken out one of the dark web's longest-running drug markets, cutting off a major supply line for some of the world's most dangerous substances," said Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, deputy executive director of operations at Europol.
"By dismantling its infrastructure and arresting its key players, we are sending a clear message: there is no safe haven for those who profit from harm," added Lecouffe.
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The Sun
8 hours ago
- The Sun
Tenerife hotspot where Jay died is WORSE a year on with bars offering ‘line with every drink' & escorts prowling streets
IT is just after 8pm and a tout is luring tourists into his bar with the promise of 'a free line' of cocaine with their first drink. Two prostitutes in skin-tight bodycon dresses loiter outside while down the road, 'looky-looky' men circulate, offering Class-A drugs. 9 9 9 A police car crawls past, its head-lights on the crowds of holiday-makers, but the officers inside seem blind to the blatant criminality. These streets of sin are in notorious Tenerife party town Playa de las Americas, where British teen Jay Slater took a powerful cocktail of drugs before falling to his death exactly a year ago today. Yet rather than this serve as a long overdue wake-up call for the area's seedy operators, the opposite has happened. As Jay's family now mark the first anniversary of his death at the age of 19, The Sun witnessed at first hand how the debauchery shows no signs of abating. Tourists now say the resort town's main drag, Veronica's Strip, has become such a den of vice it is no longer safe at night. Student Georgina Haywood, 19, who had just flown in from Manchester with her boyfriend, told us: 'We went into a bar next to KFC and I wouldn't go back again. 'Looky-looky men were all around offering cheap drugs and we've heard if you buy them, they will mug you as soon as they see the cash. 'On the transfer bus over here we were talking to three men who told us they'd been robbed every time they'd come here. 'Off their heads' 'They said thieves steal your watch as they are talking to you and you don't even notice until it's too late. 'I wouldn't come here with a group of girls. Ex-cop who hunted for Jay Slater says dealer pal MUST answer key questions 'It doesn't feel safe. 'Two girls were grabbed the other night and robbed for everything they had, and that's my biggest fear. 'At the bars they will keep giving you drinks until you're really drunk, and there will be men outside waiting for you to leave so they can pounce. 'If people are mixing drinks with drugs it's even worse.' Georgina and partner Harry Griffin spent £500 on flights and a hotel — and another £300 on tickets for the three-day New Rave Generation (NRG) techno festival which Jay also attended. Harry, 18, a petrol station attendant, added: 'You can see why a young lad could get into trouble out here. 'At the rave we didn't see one person who was just drinking. 'Everyone was off their head. 'You don't need to ask for drugs, you get offered all the time when walking down the street. 'We've had a great time so far but you have to keep your wits about you. I wouldn't come here with a group of girls. It doesn't feel safe Georgina Haywood, 19 'There was a person being sick outside the rave last night and we went inside to ask for a bottle of water for them — but they said no, it's their fault. 'In the UK, if you felt sick, they would help. 'Here, if you don't have money, they don't care.' It was the prospect of a long weekend of hard partying that brought tragic Jay Slater to Canary Islands hot-spot Tenerife. This was the first time the apprentice bricklayer had been abroad without family and he was with pals Brad Geoghegan, 19, and Lucy Mae Law, 18, although neither later attended the inquest into his death. Before Jay went missing, he had attended an NRG party at Papagayo Beach Club, at the end of Veronica's Strip, and some of the final images posted of him show a care-free and smiling young man. But he was also captured trying to get back on to his feet after tripping, and a local waitress recalled that he appeared to have overdone it, telling the Sun: 'He was unstable on his feet. 'I gave him water for free, as he didn't look well.' Jay would have been well advised to head back to his hotel with Brad and Lucy, but instead he carried on partying and sent his pals a series of disturbing texts. One included a photo of two knives concealed in his trousers, and a caption saying: 'In case it kicks off.' In another, he claimed he had taken a watch from 'two Mali kids' and was on his way to sell it for £10,000. 9 9 Jay, of Oswaldtwistle, Lancs, then made the fateful decision to get in a car with convicted drug dealer Ayub Qassim, 31, and another man called Steven Roccas, before travelling an hour north to a £40-a-night Airbnb property called Casa Abuela Tina, near the remote village of Masca. Jay's last Snapchat post was at 7.30am on Monday, June 17 last year and showed he was at rugged beauty spot Parque Rural de Teno Buenavista del Norte. At around 8.15am, he called Lucy to say he had missed his bus and was planning to make the 11-hour walk back to his accommodation — adding that he was dehydrated, had cut himself on a cactus and was running out of phone battery. He then went missing, sparking endless conspiracy theories and a month-long search — as his parents, Debbie Duncan and Warren Slater, flew to Tenerife to help hunt for him. His remains were finally found on July 15, not far from his last known location. You don't need to ask for drugs, you get offered all the time when walking down the street. Harry Griffin Preston Coroner's Court later heard he had suffered a severe brain injury after falling to his death, and had traces of drugs in his system including cocaine, ketamine and MDMA. Now a Sun probe can reveal the same narcotics were readily available last weekend at the NRG festival. Within minutes of arriving on Veronica's Strip, I was approached by a street hustler and offered cocaine for 70 euros a gram. 'It's just carnage' A hooker grabbed me and said: 'I make good sex.' Inside a bar, where illegal nitrous- oxide balloons were being touted by bargirls for 15 euros each, a barman offered to sell The Sun's photographer a gram of coke for 60 euros. Moving on down the strip, we were approached by a tout beckoning people inside his bar with the offer of 'a free line' with the first drink. The same man then offered to sell a full gram — and when our reporter tried to make his excuses and leave, saying that he did not have any cash, he was told they would be happy to take a card payment. 9 9 Teenagers were dancing wildly at the bar while a long queue formed inside the gents' toilet as a sweaty janitor grinned knowingly at the wide-eyed revellers waiting for their turn to use the cubicle, saying: 'It's happy hour tonight.' The next day, Saturday, we joined thousands of young ravers who were packed into the Xanadu Equestrian Centre for the penultimate night of the NRG festival. By 7pm, a number of sunburnt young men already seemed to be the worse for wear and struggling under unrelenting heat as the temperature remained at a steady 28C. Lads with glazed eyes grabbed hold of each other for support while staggering toward the bar to buy bottles of water. A friend was out last night and some people tried to pin him against a wall and take his wallet. Drugs are everywhere Jordan Pollock Others, topless and wearing satchels — just like Jay — were gasping for breath beneath the colonnades as the frenetic beat of the music continued to rattle their ribs. Pipe-fitter Jordan Pollock, 19, had bought VIP tickets to NRG along with friends Robbie Harpie, 19, Craig Duff, 19, Lawson Duff, 19 and Raymond Dowse, 20. Jordan, from Glasgow, said: 'It's a good night, as it's hard techno just like we listen to back home. 'But the health and safety out here is shocking — we paid £50 extra for our tickets and ended up being told to leave the stage because it was about to collapse. 'We were lucky that it didn't collapse while we were on it. 'A friend was out last night and some people tried to pin him against a wall and take his wallet. 'Drugs are everywhere. 'You can buy ecstasy, Mandy, Charlie and ketamine on the street, but most people pre-order what they want through social media.' Retired chemical manufacturer Colin McMillan has been visiting Tenerife regularly for the past 15 years and has no doubt about what led to Jay's death. Colin, 57, from Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, said: 'He was a victim of the drugs culture and it only seems to be getting worse, sadly. 'I love Tenerife because it has year-round sunshine and you can still buy a pint for just 2.5 euros. 'But Veronica's Strip is just carnage — pickpockets, fights and drugs. 'My friend was on a stag do there in April and when he left the bar to call his wife he was jumped by three guys who beat him up so badly they disconnected his eye socket. 'The police need to crack down and put a stop to the crime. 'But I've heard that all those bars are owned by the same powerful individual, who must have a lot of clout because they don't do anything about it.' What happened to Jay Slater was an unimaginable tragedy for him and his family — but the longer I stayed in Playas de las Americas the more I sensed that it may not be long before this hedonistic party town claims another victim. 9
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Mystery donor ensures Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner's freedom from prison
A mystery donor has ensured that the key suspect in Madeleine McCann 's disappearance will walk free from prison, it has been revealed. Christian Brueckner is the main suspect in the unsolved disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007. The 48-year-old, who is currently serving a seven-year jail sentence in Germany for the 2005 rape of an American woman, then 72, in the same Algarve resort, is set to be released on September 17. Investigators, who suspect that Brueckner played a part in young Madeleine's disappearance, had initially hoped to keep the German national behind bars as a result of an outstanding €1,446 fine from a previous conviction in 2015. If Brueckner were unable to pay it, he would have been forced to serve another 56 days of 'alternative imprisonment', with it hoped that the extension of his jail sentence would help buy investigators more time to bring fresh charges in the McCann case. But now, an anonymous donor has paid the fine, granting Brueckner his long-awaited freedom from prison in just three months time, Bild has reported. Brueckner's lawyer, Dr. Friedrich Fülscher, told Bild that they believed upon his release the convicted paedophile plans to live on the island of Sylt in northern Germany, where he previously received a 21 month sentence for drug dealing. However, prosecutors fear that he will flee Germany, meaning that it will be incredibly challenging to bring him to court should they find enough evidence to charge him in connection with Madeleine's disappearance. Brueckner, who has been under investigation by German police in connection with Madeleine's disappearance since 2020, has vehemently denied the allegations. Last October, he was also cleared of a series of unrelated sex attacks that took place in the Algarve between 2000 and 2017. Brueckner's lawyer Philipp Marquort previously told MailOnline that he believed the sexual offender 'will leave Germany' when released, but that he would likely remain in jail until early 2026. He added: 'I haven't had a chance to speak with him yet about the searches and I am not going to comment on what has been happening in Portugal. 'What I will say is that I don't think he will be coming out in September as he doesn't have any money to pay the fines because it went on his legal fees, so I can't see him leaving prison until early next year. 'He will probably see the news on the TV in his cell and he will talk about it when he calls me next time but I still do think when he is freed he will leave Germany.' News of his the alleged anonymous donor comes just weeks after two buried guns were discovered during an intensive three-day search operation near Brueckner's former ramshackle cottage home close to where Madeleine vanished. Earlier this month, German authorities launched fresh searches through Atalaia - a stretch of scrubland littered with rubbish and graffiti-covered buildings linked by a network of dusty tracks known in Portuguese as the Fisherman's Trail. Prosecutors fear that if released Brueckner will flee Germany, meaning that it will be incredibly challenging to bring him to court should they find enough evidence to charge him in connection with Madeleine's disappearance Earlier this month, German authorities launched fresh searches through Atalaia (pictured) - a stretch of scrubland littered with rubbish and graffiti-covered buildings linked by a network of dusty tracks known in Portuguese as the Fisherman's Trail Connecting Praia da Luz with the nearby town of Lagos, the track is a popular hiking route for tourists, but for four days last week it was cordoned off for members of the BKA - Germany 's equivalent of the FBI - to conduct searches. The search marked the first in Portugal for more than two years, following a near-week-long operation involving Portugese, German and police officers at a remote dam a 40-minute drive from Praia da Luz. However, not everyone was happy with the results of the estimated £300,000 operation, with one officer telling MailOnline that they believed merely 'animal bones and bits of adult clothing' had been discovered. They added: 'We always knew it was going to be a waste of time but we have to show cooperation. 'What did they expect to find after 18 years? We were happy to work with them but we knew it would be a waste of time.' But Portuguese media claimed the search turned up enough material that investigators deemed worthy of further analysis at a laboratory. 'During the search, several items were seized that will be examined further by the German police,' reported CNN Portugal. The searches in May 2023 at Arade Dam, an 'area of interest' that Brueckner reportedly called his 'little paradise', came to nothing. In a newly unearthed letter seen earlier this month, Brueckner boasted that police don't have evidence to pin allegations against him in relation to the McCann case, gloating how the dropping of the probe 'will hit the world like a bomb' Brueckner, who has been under investigation by German police in connection with Madeleine's disappearance since 2020, has vehemently denied the allegations Meanwhile, in a newly unearthed letter seen earlier this month, the German paedophile boasted that police don't have evidence to pin allegations against him in relation to the toddler's case, gloating how the dropping of the probe 'will hit the world like a bomb'. In the spine-chilling correspondence from prison in his native Germany, where he is currently behind bars for rape, he wrote: 'Is there a body? No, no no.' In a letter seen by The Sun, he claimed the 'important' and 'decisive' questions about his involvement in Madeleine's disappearance have been left unanswered. He questioned if his vehicle was 'clearly' spotted on the night of the crime near where toddler vanished, and if his DNA or 'an injured person' had been found. He added: 'Are there other traces/DNA carriers of the injured party in my possession? Photos?' Disturbing clues were also discovered at the sex offender's abandoned lair in Germany as the probe into Madeleine's disappearance intensified in May, with prosecutors sure the youngster is dead. During a previous search, a bombshell cache of horrifying documents, pictures, children's swimming costumes (pictured) and toys was reportedly uncovered at a former box-making factory Brueckner bought in 2008, a year after Madeleine was last seen A bombshell cache of horrifying documents, pictures, children's swimming costumes and toys was reportedly uncovered at a former box-making factory he bought in 2008, a year after the British girl was last seen. Among the disturbing finds was a hard drive of images that police are said to have kept secret - but are reportedly thought to uphold investigators' long-held belief that Madeleine was killed. Police reportedly later found an insurance document that is said to corroborate an informant's account that he allegedly confessed to her murder in Spain in 2008. The materials found by police, revealed in a Sun investigation broadcast on Channel 4, shed new light on Brueckner's disturbing obsession with children and his potential involvement in the case.
The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Inquiries say social media fueled violence after a Maccabi-Ajax soccer match
Social media posts coupled with a lack of official information fueled the violence that followed a Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer match in Amsterdam last year, two inquiries into the events said in reports Monday. Dozens were arrested and five people were treated in hospital in a series of violent overnight incidents following a November match between the Dutch team Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv. 'The events have left their mark on the city and led to fear, anger and sadness,' Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema wrote in a letter to the city council presenting one of the reports. Ahead of the game, pro-Palestinian demonstrators were banned by local authorities from gathering outside the stadium, and video showed a large crowd of Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans on their way to the game. Afterward, youths on scooters and on foot crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them and then fleeing quickly to evade police. The Rotterdam-based Institute for Safety and Crisis Management, tasked by the Amsterdam government to investigate the response to the violence, said the lack of official communication from the city allowed rumors on social media to flourish. It noted that there was little to no official communication during the early hours of Nov. 8, in part because the situation was so unclear. In a separate report, the inspectorate for the Justice Ministry concluded that the police were prepared for large-scale demonstrations, not the 'flash attacks' perpetrated across the city and sparked by social media. 'Calls and images spread rapidly, reinforce existing tensions and can lead to group formation and confrontations on the street within a short period of time,' the 57-page report found. Both reports cautioned that even with improved communication, the authorities still could not have fully controlled the rapidly spreading violence. The Justice Ministry's report noted that "incidents, such as the removal of a Palestinian flag by Maccabi supporters, were shared, interpreted and magnified within minutes." More than a dozen people have been charged in connection with the violence and several have already been convicted. Over the weekend, the public prosecution service announced it had dropped investigations into several Maccabi supporters because the city's tram company GVB had deleted footage which could have been used as evidence. The company replaced recording equipment at two metro stations in Amsterdam after the attacks and footage from the night was lost. On Sunday, tens of thousands of demonstrators in the Netherlands donned red clothing and marched through The Hague, demanding that the Dutch government do more to oppose Israel's policies in Gaza. Dutch public support for the Israeli military campaign has dropped in recent months.
