Latest news with #darknet
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Decade-Old Bitcoin Wallet Emptied, Millions in BTC Moved Amid Market Correction
A Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) wallet that has been inactive for over a decade was emptied on Friday, marking a significant movement in the cryptocurrency market. What Happened: The Bitcoin wallet, known by the initial '1c5Cb,' was first funded back in 2013 through a CoinJoin address, reveals the blockchain data. Back then, Bitcoin was primarily used for transactions on the darknet market Silk Road and was valued at around $75. Since its initial funding, the value of Bitcoin has skyrocketed by 152,300%, bringing the total value of the wallet to a staggering $34.8 million. The recent price of Bitcoin has been fluctuating below $114,000. Just two weeks ago, another dormant address moved a whopping $4.7 billion to crypto exchange Galaxy Digital. The firm later announced it had sold 80,000 Bitcoin worth $9 billion on behalf of a client. A similar transaction involving 50 Bitcoin worth $5 million was activated in April. Also Read: $1 Billion Bitcoin Transfer Triggers Massive Liquidations — This Is Where It Was Offloaded According to on-chain data firm CryptoQuant, Bitcoin may be in a months-long correction phase as long-term holders cash in. The firm noted that the market is experiencing significant selling from large holders, known as 'whales,' for the third time since 2024. The Bitcoin moved on Friday was split between two wallets, holding 106 and 200 Bitcoin respectively. The transaction did not appear to be heading to an exchange. CoinJoin addresses are used to enhance the privacy of Bitcoin transactions by combining multiple users' Bitcoin into a single transaction. This makes it more difficult to track the flow of transactions. Experts have identified early Bitcoin miners as potential targets for quantum computers, capable of cracking Bitcoin's encryption for early wallet-address types. This includes coins belonging to Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, who is believed to own 1.1 million Bitcoin, worth $125 billion at current prices. Read Next Dormant Bitcoin Whale Awakens After 14 Years, Moves $469.8 Million Worth of BTC Image: Shutterstock/Paopano UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Decade-Old Bitcoin Wallet Emptied, Millions in BTC Moved Amid Market Correction originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
BreakingNews.ie
25-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Organised €14 million 'darknet' crypto crime trial set for Dublin man (25)
A Dublin man has been sent forward for trial accused of aiding a "darknet" criminal organisation to launder €14 million in cryptocurrency. Kevin Daniel Andrei, 25, of Drynam Avenue, Swords, was charged in August last year with three counts of possessing close to €600,000 in crime earnings under Section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing) Act. Advertisement The case follows a Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB) probe. Subsequently, he was further charged with two extra offences: money laundering involving another €13,745,756 in alleged proceeds of criminal conduct and facilitating "darknet market" organised crime. Detective Ciaran Byrne said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had directed trial on indictment. He had been granted bail and appeared again at Dublin District Court on Friday when Detective Garda Byrne served him with a book of evidence. Advertisement Judge Gerard Jones acceded to a request from State solicitor Brian Coveney to grant a return-for-trial order, sending the case forward for trial to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, which has greater sentencing powers. It will be listed for mention on October 16th next. Defence solicitor Kate McGhee successfully applied for legal aid to include junior and senior counsel representation. Mr Andrei, yet to indicate a plea, was warned by the judge to notify the prosecution within 14 days if he intends to use an alibi. The GNCCB officers must also furnish the defence with copies of interview videos. In the original three charges, he was accused of "concealing and disguising the true nature and source of 65 Wirex transactions" totalling €22,049 between March 3rd, 2021, and September 5th, 2022, at various locations. Advertisement According to another charge, between February 26th, 2021, and February 26th, 2024, he engaged in "concealing and disguising the true nature and source of 1,822 Revolut transactions that were the proceeds of criminal conduct," valued at €227,429. Ireland Crowds expected at vigil for mother and children k... Read More The third claims he disguised the true nature and source of 422 separate Binance transactions worth €341,959 between March 21st, 2021, and December 20th, 2023, at various locations in Ireland. The extra two charges were added to the case in May at the direction of the DPP. He has surrendered his passport and is required to sign on three days a week at his local Garda station. He must not apply for a replacement passport or new travel documents, and he must reside at his current address and be contactable at all times. Mr Andrei has also been warned "not to carry out any cryptocurrency transactions" or comment about the case on public forums, including social media.
Free Malaysia Today
17-06-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Major European drug-trading platform shuttered, operator held
'Archetyp Market' was one of the largest and longest-running criminal trading platforms on the darknet. (Freepik pic) FRANKFURT : A major European drug-trading platform operating on the so-called darknet has been closed down and its main operator arrested following an international investigation, officials said today. 'Archetyp Market' was one of the 'largest and longest-running criminal trading platforms on the darknet', with at least €250 million of illegal narcotics sold through the site, said German prosecutors, who played a key role in the probe. The site, active for over five years, offered drugs ranging from cannabis to heroin and cocaine, with payment made exclusively in cryptocurrency. It was also one of the only platforms to offer fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, which have driven an epidemic of deadly overdoses in the US, according to the EU anti-crime bodies Europol and Eurojust, which coordinated the investigation. When it was closed, the site had more than 600,000 user accounts and around 3,200 vendors, they said. Several hundred officials across five European countries targeted people allegedly involved in running the site as well as servers during raids between June 11 and 13, the EU bodies said. The site's alleged founder and operator, a 30-year-old German citizen, was arrested in Barcelona, according to German officials. The servers used to run the site were then targeted and shut down by police in the Netherlands, and a further seven arrests were made in Sweden. Assets worth around €7.8 million were seized, as well as other pieces of evidence including computers and phones. The 'darknet' includes websites that can be accessed only with specific software or authorisations, ensuring anonymity for users.
Irish Times
11-06-2025
- Irish Times
Garda inquiry into Evan Fitzgerald followed tip-off Irish person trying to buy guns on darknet
The Garda investigation into 22-year-old Evan Fitzgerald over his alleged efforts to buy guns on the darknet started after an international law enforcement agency provided information to the force , it is understood. That intelligence, which appears to have come through Interpol , suggested an unknown person in the Republic was on the darknet trying to buy guns. Acting on the information, the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau established contact with the Irish suspect. It is understood that undercover gardaí made contact with the person, on the darknet, while posing as a criminal with guns for sale. The Irish Times understands agreement was reached that weapons would be sold, with cash paid and the guns delivered by undercover officers in an investigative process known as 'controlled delivery'. READ MORE However, after delivery of the firearms – a machine gun and pistol, with ammunition – a Garda interception was made. The guns and bullets were seized and Fitzgerald was charged with four offences following the sting operation early last year. A search of a property linked to him yielded an assortment of ammunition, as well as powders that can be used to make explosive devices. That discovery resulted in Fitzgerald being charged with nine further offences. Fitzgerald, of Portrushen, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, was facing 13 charges and was at liberty on bail when he went to the Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow town last Sunday week, firing several shots and taking his own life. The gun he used, a stolen shotgun legally held by another person, was unrelated to the undercover operation that resulted in his arrest early last year. The guns used by the undercover gardaí in the 2024 sting operation were taken from Garda stores. They had been decommissioned and the ammunition was non-functioning. When arrested in early 2024, Mr Fitzgerald made admissions. His first court appearance was told that there was no suspicion he wanted the guns to further any involvement in organised crime. Instead, he had acted in a 'naive' way in trying to buy guns for recreational shooting. Concerns have been raised by Labour TD Alan Kelly and Senator Michael McDowell, the former minister for justice, about the manner of Fitzgerald's arrest and the charges against him. Both have questioned why an alternative, unspecified, legal option was not used to deal with him, rather than his being charged with possession of the guns and ammunition. In reply to queries, Garda headquarters said it could not comment on a specific case. However, commenting in general terms, it said gardaí use 'a range of internationally recognised investigative techniques when tackling serious crimes such as drug dealing and procuring of firearms, either of which could then be used to cause significant harm to the public. 'One of these is controlled deliveries. In controlled deliveries any material used is made safe by the law enforcement agency before being used, [for example], firearms are deactivated.' On Wednesday, Mr Kelly and Mr McDowell raised the case in the Dáil and Seanad, asking about court reports that suggested gardaí had told the judge in the case that they were 'investigating' how Fitzgerald and others acquired the guns. 'The guns were actually given to him by An Garda Síochána ... how could they say in court that they didn't know where the guns came from?' asked Mr Kelly. In the Seanad, Mr McDowell said: 'I am also very deeply concerned that by informing the court that the gardaí were still investigating by whom the weapons in question were sold; the court was actively misled.'
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Garda suspended over alleged bid to hire person to kill former partner
A member of the Garda is under investigation on suspicion he tried to hire a person online to carry out an arson attack on the home of his former partner while she was present. It is alleged the Garda member wanted the woman to be killed in the fire. The investigation, which is being carried out by the Garda's Anti-Corruption Unit, is focused on communications on the darknet sent by a person based in Ireland to another darknet user who was supposedly offering to carry out violent attacks for payment. However, while a sum of bitcoin was paid to the person offering violence as a service, they then ceased communication with the darknet user based in Ireland. The bitcoin, a relatively modest sum, was lost in what appears to have been a scam. READ MORE The darknet is essentially a secretive and covert part of the internet – a private network – where all users go by pseudonyms. In response to queries, Garda Headquarters confirmed a member of the force had been suspended but made no further comment on the continuing investigation or the precise nature of the inquiry. 'As part of an ongoing investigation being conducted by the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit into alleged serious criminality, a garda based in Dublin is suspended from duty,' it said. The Irish Times understands detectives began a criminal investigation into the alleged plot to pay for a fatal arson attack after receiving a tip-off about activity between two parties on the darknet. Even though the darknet user who believed they were paying for an arson attack to be carried out fell victim to a scammer, the messages they sent, trying to organise an attack, appeared to be genuine. While the Garda member under investigation has been suspended from duty, he has not been arrested and no findings have been reached against him. Because the efforts to solicit a violent attack in exchange for payment were made on the darknet, the case poses technical challenges. Gardaí must first investigate if the Garda member authored and sent the messages rather than another party. It was not until the technical aspects of the investigation were complete that any arrests could be made. However, the matter is being treated as a priority case and the investigation was expected to progress quickly. Establishing the identity or location of darknet users is much more difficult compared with the conventional internet. Users access the darknet via a special browser, rather than the mainstream routes such as Microsoft Edge or Chrome.
