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Online drug trafficking: Investigators close criminal chat groups on Telegram

2020-10-30T10:27:06.237Z


The messenger Telegram has developed into a darknet alternative in the past few years, on which various drugs are traded. Now investigators succeeded against the scene.


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This picture has been in the deactivated groups since Friday morning

Photo: Federal Criminal Police Office

Until late into the night from Thursday to Friday, investigators across Germany took action against drug trafficking via the Messenger Telegram.

Raids in a total of 30 objects were part of an action led by cybercrime investigators against 13 men who are said to have sold drugs via the chat app or made it possible to trade them.

"The drug trade on Telegram has become a relevant Darknet alternative," says public prosecutor Benjamin Krause from the Central Office for Combating Internet Crime (ZIT) in Frankfurt am Main.

Indeed, what appears to be a thriving market for drug trafficking through Telegram has emerged in recent years.

Drugs are advertised more or less openly in various channels and groups that are often regionally adapted.

At first glance, the groups often look no different from groups on legal subjects.

Communication takes place with emojis, short videos and voice messages.

"These groups are deliberately set up to be customer-oriented," says public prosecutor Krause.

Thousands of members

With the coordinated action, the investigators have now succeeded in taking over nine such groups and stopping the illegal trade there, as they explained in a press release.

The groups had a total of around 8,000 members and had unique names that were based, for example, on older drug marketplaces on the Darknet such as "Silk Road".

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Drugs seized in the raids

Photo: Federal Criminal Police Office

According to investigators, large quantities of drugs were sold in the groups.

Accordingly, cannabis and cocaine were mainly traded.

In the raids, four kilograms of drugs, eight weapons, 8,000 euros in cash and various data carriers were confiscated, it is said.

Some of the accused are said to have acted as operators of the groups, others are said to have offered their goods in the groups as "verified dealers".

The investigators hope to be able to take action against the customers in a second step, according to the public prosecutor.

A digital poster should be a deterrent

The investigators have published a seizure banner in the groups, as is otherwise used in investigations against darknet black markets.

"It should be clear that there is neither a lawless area in the Darknet nor in the alternative channels," said Benjamin Krause about the fact that the drug trade on Telegram is now also being targeted.

In the past, the ZIT has taken off the darknet black market for drug trafficking several times.

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Guns and computers were also confiscated

Photo: Federal Criminal Police Office

The investigation into the illegal trade on Telegram has been running since June of this year, according to the press release.

"We monitored these groups over a longer period of time," said Krause.

In addition to the ZIT and the Federal Criminal Police Office, who coordinate the investigation, several other public prosecutor's offices and police stations across Germany were involved in the action.

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Source: spiegel

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