The darknet is not as anonymous or secure as some might think it to be.

German authorities said Monday that police in seven European countries raided operators of "darknet" online platforms trading in weapons, illegal drugs, fake IDs and counterfeit money, as well as arresting nine suspects.

German federal police and Frankfurt prosecutors said that the operation last week targeted 69 homes and businesses across Germany and in Bosnia, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Russia.

In a statement, the German police said that they had confiscated heroin, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy as well as forged German, Dutch and Italian identity documents.

The German security services called the raids and arrests "a major blow against the German-speaking underground economy and further proof that there is no complete anonymity on the Internet, including in the so-called darknet".

Servers were confiscated in France, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Russia as well as numerous PCs and storage media. In addition, they also confiscated illegal drugs and 150,000 euros ($163,000) in cash and assets.

Arrested were a 27-year-old Bosnian national, a 22-year-old German national, Syrian brothers aged 19 and 28, as well as two German men aged 29 and 21. The other three men arrested were not identified.

Source: Security Week