German Citizen Charged with Laundering Funds Linked to Prominent Darknet Marketplace “Dream Market”


Owe Martin Andresen, the suspected main administrator of Dream Market, one of the largest illicit darknet marketplaces before its 2019 shutdown, has been indicted for an alleged scheme to launder funds from Dream Market’s administrator accounts. Andresen was arrested last week in Germany on parallel charges brought by the German government.

“Andresen allegedly channeled commissions earned from selling illegal drugs, stolen personally identifiable information, counterfeit identification documents, and other items through cryptocurrency wallets and even converted his ill-gotten gains into gold bars,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Thanks to the close coordination between federal and German law enforcement, Andresen and his co-conspirators will no longer profit from the online sales of narcotics and fraud services, and Andresen will be prosecuted in both Germany and the United States as a result of his actions.”

Read more…
Source:  U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Westminster honeytrap victims named in Met Police email blunder

    November 29, 2024

    The Metropolitan Police has apologised to victims of the Westminster “honeytrap” scandal after it accidentally sent an email which named all of them. The force said it was referring itself to data watchdog the Information Commissioner over the breach. The Met is investigating flirtatious messages being sent by someone calling themselves “Charlie” or “Abi” to as ...

  • Exxon lobbyist investigated over hack-and-leak of environmentalist emails

    November 27, 2024

    The FBI has been investigating a longtime Exxon Mobil consultant over the contractor’s alleged role in a hack-and-leak operation that targeted hundreds of the oil company’s biggest critics, according to three people familiar with the matter. The operation involved mercenary hackers who successfully breached the email accounts of environmental activists and others, the sources told Reuters. ...

  • INTERPOL financial crime operation makes record 5,500 arrests, seizures worth over USD 400 million

    November 27, 2024

    LYON, France – A global operation involving law enforcement from 40 countries, territories and regions has ended with the arrest of over 5,500 financial crime suspects and the seizure of more than USD 400 million in virtual assets and government-backed currencies. The five-month Operation HAECHI V (July – November 2024) targeted seven types of cyber-enabled frauds: ...

  • Pakistan tests secret China-like ‘firewall’ to tighten online surveillance

    November 26, 2024

    Pakistan’s government has deployed Chinese technology to build what some senior officials familiar with the project are calling a new, national internet “firewall” that will allow authorities to monitor online traffic and regulate the use of popular apps with greater control than before. The project aims to upgrade the government’s web monitoring capabilities at the country’s ...

  • INTERPOL: Major cybercrime operation nets 1,006 suspects

    November 26, 2024

    LYON, France – Authorities across 19 African countries have arrested 1,006 suspects and dismantled 134,089 malicious infrastructures and networks thanks to a joint operation by INTERPOL and AFRIPOL against cybercrime. Operation Serengeti (2 September – 31 October) targeted criminals behind ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), digital extortion and online scams – all identified as prominent threats ...

  • Internet, mobile services disrupted in major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad

    November 24, 2024

    Communication services across Pakistan are hit by significant disruptions as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) gears up for its much-anticipated “do-or-die” protest in Islamabad. Major cities like Karachi, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi have reported interruptions in mobile internet and other services, causing inconvenience for residents and businesses alike. These outages are part of the government’s intensified security measures ...