Eventually, I discovered threads in which Jacob D had uploaded photos of himself, including one where he showed his face. 4chan is ephemeral (posts are routinely culled) and supposedly anonymous (the default name setting for anyone posting is simply “Anonymous”). However, the website inserts a unique string of letters and numbers that stick with each person in any one thread—as a way of keeping track of who’s who in a conversation, while maintaining the veneer of anonymity. The scammer encourages customers to “finalize early”—that is, send the full fee for the weapon before they receive it—and provides them with a postal tracking code. Established in 2022, WizardShop is one of the biggest data stores on the dark web, focusing mainly on carding and financial data.
Investigating crimes related to the dark web typically requires specialized training and technological expertise. Many law enforcement agencies simply do not have the manpower or resources to effectively counteract these challenges. This limitation is particularly pressing given the increasing instances of crimes linked to dark web weapons transactions. There are many reasons buyers could turn to the dark web to purchase a weapon, Holt explains.
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Specifically, GAO agents purchased and received an AR-15 rifle and an Uzi that the seller said was modified so that it would fire automatically. Our team searched the dark web and put together a list of the most active dark web marketplaces in order to assist you in monitoring illegal trade of products, cybercrime activity, and dark web trends in the dark web space. The agency has allocated $4 million to that effort and will hire 200 new agents to track sales, reports Fast Company. The ATF’s Internet Investigations Center, staffed by federal agents, full-on tech specialists, and attorneys, uses the latest technology to identify and provide “actionable intelligence” to ATF field agents. The emergence of the dark web as a vast marketplace for weapons represents a troubling trend with serious implications for public safety, national security, and societal ethics.
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Last year, a Global Financial Integrity study estimated the average price for the latter on the darknet is in the $2,800 to $3,600 range. As a result, it is unclear what role and function active market participants have within the online illicit firearms market, including the process of advertising, purchasing, and delivering these weapons. The current study sought to address this gap in the literature through a crime script analysis of 19 vendors advertising weapons on the Dark Web. The step-by-step processes involved in the advertising, actualization, and acquisition of illicit firearms were examined in detail. Gun regulations in other parts of the world, such as the European Union, are stricter, resulting in limited access.
Where To Find Dark Web Guns
Money transactions are exclusively conducted in Bitcoin, and the site hides behind the encrypted Tor network, home of the Dark Web markets and other Deep Web sites. The store’s owners boast of a global private shipping system with bases in 15 countries and a fleet of private trucks that allow buyers and sellers to avoid a postal system that has led to several arrests for Deep Web drug and gun buys. Dr. Giacomo Persi Paoli described his research and gave a general introduction to the logistics behind the illicit trade of arms on the dark web. Dr. Paoli explained how the dark web is a small section of the “deep web”, a larger part of the Internet requiring some form of permission to access.
Despite their terrifying product list, The Armory insists that it refuses to sell to terrorist groups. McDonald recruited and hired accomplices to help package and ship the narcotics they sold on the darknet. McDonald purchased bulk quantities of fentanyl and cocaine and then directed others to complete hundreds of drug sales involving large quantities of both fentanyl and cocaine.
Risks Involved
While law enforcement agencies are working to combat this issue, it is important for individuals to be aware of the risks and to avoid participating in illegal activities. It is also important to remember that the purchase of firearms should always be done through legal and regulated channels to ensure the safety and quality of the firearm. ATF, as the Department of Justice bureau is known, is tasked with investigating violations of the laws that govern the sale of firearms. “The current federal legal framework of statutes and regulations governing the buying and selling of firearms does not specifically address the use of the Internet to facilitate these transactions,” the GAO report notes. Before 22 July 2016, when an 18-year-old shot and killed nine people at the Olympia Shopping Centre in Munich, many people may not have imagined that firearms and ammunition could be so easily purchased illegally on the so-called dark web.
Glock Ghost Guns Up For Grabs On The Dark Web
It is a hub for financial cybercrime and offers a wide range of illicit services and stolen data that cater to sophisticated cybercriminals. Based on our observations from analysis on dark web data using Lunar, we’ve identified the top 7 marketplaces on the dark web in 2025. We developed Lunar to monitor the deep and dark web, including dark web marketplace sites. The Armory is the biggest and most well known weapons black market on the Dark Web.
What Exactly Is Sold On These Marketplaces?
Ultimately, I have been able to track hundreds of supposedly anonymous posts that Duygu posted on 4chan and other message boards over the years. The FGC-9’s designer wrote about his life in Germany, his time in the Bundeswehr (German armed forces), and his loneliness and despair at being an incel. A quick search of Wilson’s Twitter feed pulled up a message from 2018 where he had replied “fix it” to a user, @thereal_JacobK. Yet another type is the Athletic Pharma site, which specialises in doping products, as its name suggests.
Are All Items Sold On The Dark Web Illegal?
The NCA tracked down Hillyer, who said in an interview with the agency that his actions on the dark web were part of research to help him apply for a job at the NCA. Hillyer’s colleagues reportedly described him as a “fantasist,” and claimed he said he worked for the intelligence and security services. A good chunk of the trades were destined for Europe, while the United States appears to be the main source where guns are sold from, according to the study. The 25-year-old reportedly told his mother to get rid of items from his truck and room, including two briefcases, which was treated as destruction of evidence. Social media sites and online marketplaces allow arms traffickers to identify and engage with potential clients located across town, in other countries, or, in some cases, on different continents.
- Some of the products sold, such as Polonium or VX, make us doubt the veracity of the offer.
- Researchers from the 5 live Investigates team successfully accessed the dark web, and made a purchase of the hallucinogen DMT – a class A drug, ranking it on a par with heroin and cocaine.
- It is considered very secure thanks to strict user validations and transparent payment and vendor review procedures.
- Freedom Hosting II’s fate was sealed when it was accused of hosting child pornography sites.
- First and foremost, it is illegal to buy or sell firearms without a proper license, and doing so can result in serious criminal charges.
How Can I Access The Dark Web?
Moreover, the dark web has become increasingly accessible, with the proliferation of tutorials and forums elucidating how to navigate this hidden part of the internet. As more individuals become tech-savvy, a broader audience gains access to these illicit markets. Sixty-four percent of the products advertised were handguns, 17 percent were semi-automatic long guns, and fully automatic long guns were 4 percent. New research investigates how people anonymously buy and sell firearms around the world on the dark web. The researchers say prices of firearms varied considerably depending on type and calibre and ammunition was often sold with a firearm with Bitcoin typically the preferred payment method. The report found conventional handguns were most popular on the dark web with illicit market vendors offering stealth packaging to Australia.
He was told a Glock had been ordered for delivery and carried out an internet search and realised it was a firearm. While there is a long history of connections between drugs and weapons, DarkOwl analysts were curious if a similar relationship could be observed between weapons and human trafficking, and drugs and human trafficking. Countries geographically close to the United States likely do not need to purchase firearms on the darknet and can rely on direct smuggling across the border. For example, it is estimated between 70% and 90% of guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico can be followed back to the US drug cartels who smuggle them across the border.
- To further examine this topic, our analysts conducted an extensive survey of vendors trading on the darknet in weapons, drugs, and human trafficking.
- Black Market Reloaded has since been shut down, with its operator sent to federal prison for his part in manufacturing the illicit substance.
- Another significant factor in the dark web’s role as a weapons marketplace is its global reach.
- That’s finally starting to shift, and it looks like one of Google’s productivity apps is the heir apparent.
Users can find a variety of firearms ranging from handguns to rifles, as well as accessories and modifications. The sale of dark web guns usually occurs on clandestine platforms that require special browsers for access. These platforms often utilize cryptocurrencies to maintain anonymity and prevent tracking by authorities. While all six face charges for racketeering, money laundering and extortion, Vassell also faces charges for grand theft.
In the United States, for example, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has a dedicated dark web team that monitors online marketplaces for illegal firearm sales. The ATF also works closely with other law enforcement agencies, both domestically and internationally, to track down and prosecute those involved in the illegal sale of firearms. In conclusion, the dark web gun market is a dangerous and illegal marketplace that poses significant risks to both buyers and sellers.
