The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it had shut down the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, working with international partners to knock offline the site accused of allowing hundreds of thousands of people to buy and sell drugs, firearms, computer hacking tools and other illicit goods.
The move marked one of the largest law enforcement actions ever taken against criminals on the dark web, authorities said, striking a blow to the international drug trade that has increasingly moved online in recent years.
The site allowed users to sell and buy opioids, including fentanyl and heroin, contributing to a rising drug epidemic in the United States, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said.
