Dark web marketplaces Sipulitie and Tsätti dismantled

Finnish Customs, working alongside international law enforcement agencies, have successfully shut down the Sipulitie marketplace, a dark web site notorious for selling narcotics since 2023.

In addition to dismantling Sipulitie, Finnish Customs also took down Tsätti, a chat-based sales platform managed by the same administrator. This success was achieved through strong cooperation with Swedish authorities, Europol, and other law enforcement agencies throughout Europe.

Sipulitie emerged following the shutdown of its predecessor, Sipulimarket, by the police in 2020. Authorities suspect that both marketplaces were operated by the same administrator. According to Tulli, a government agency that is part of the European Union's customs system, the drug lord wasted no time in transitioning from one dark web platform to another.

Although there is no official data on Sipulitie's revenue, the administrator claimed on the dark web that the marketplace generated approximately €1.3 million ($1.4 million).

Hannu Sinkkonen, Tulli’s Director of Enforcement, stated that international collaboration was crucial to the success of the operation. "Finnish Customs have effectively intervened in various ways to combat criminal activities occurring on the dark web. The seamless collaboration between national and international authorities is essential in the battle against online crime," Sinkkonen stated.

Meanwhile, Bitdefender's Chief Security Strategist, Alexandru Cătălin Coșoi, expressed satisfaction with the operation's outcome. "This operation exemplifies the power of collaboration between the public and private security sector in dismantling illegal online activities, in this case, markets that sold large amounts of narcotics. It also serves a message to criminals who believe the dark web covers their actions and guarantees their anonymity. If they become the target of an international effort, they can't hide," he said.

Bitdefender made a substantial contribution to the Sipulitie investigation by offering Finnish Customs actionable intelligence. This teamwork emphasizes the vital role that collaborations between law enforcement and private companies play in tackling cybercrime on a global scale.

Although the marketplace and its associated platforms have been shut down, investigations are ongoing. Authorities have pinpointed key individuals involved in these operations, including administrators and others. Additionally, some users who participated in buying and selling on these platforms have been identified through confiscated materials.