By offering cash for bitcoin, HSI agents were able to identify specific drug dealers, ultimately tracing more than $20 million in drug-linked cryptocurrency transactions.
In the past, law enforcement efforts have focused on taking down marketplaces in full, most notably Silk Road, Silk Road 2.0, and AlphaBay.
But Melendez says his office has shifted focus to the individual dealers, who often operate independent of any single site.
“When we take down a dark net marketplace, these criminals will move to other marketplaces,” Melendez said.
Still, Melendez emphasized that the open nature of the blockchain made it difficult to hide drug money.
The Digital Future Council made its public debut on June 18, 2018, at the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. With founding members from such organizations as IBM, Vice, CNN, Lego and Warner Bros.
By offering cash for bitcoin, HSI agents were able to identify specific drug dealers, ultimately tracing more than $20 million in drug-linked cryptocurrency transactions. In the past, law enforcement efforts have focused on taking down marketplaces in full, most notably Silk Road, Silk Road 2.