According to the Financial Times, the crackdown signals mounting pressure on President Nicolás Maduro’s regime as economic hardship worsens. Venezuelan authorities arrested 15 men and 10 women for their alleged involvement in manipulating the black market dollar, impacting the economy. The suspects, including operators, managers, liquidity providers, developers, programmers, and payment receivers, handled 18 websites setting parallel dollar prices, causing economic distortions. Some of these portals illegally captured funds without banking authorization, it was explained. While darknet markets provide a platform for individuals to access goods and services anonymously, it’s important to remember that they operate in a legal gray area.
Venezuela Cracks Down On Black Market Dollars As Sanctions Bite
Before these dark web marketplaces were shut down, they sold a range of illegal products, from drugs to firearms. Marta is one of a number of illegal vendors in the country’s thriving black market, an upshot of the government’s currency and price controls, at a time when a deep economic crisis has left many hungry. Yes, the darknet still exists and continues to operate through networks like Tor, I2P, and Freenet. While law enforcement regularly shuts down illegal marketplaces, the underlying infrastructure remains functional. New darknet sites and markets continuously emerge to replace those that get shut down.
NEWS: MOST POPULAR
If you’re into a darknet market with a community pulse and solid uptime, Bohemia Dark Market’s climbing the ranks—give it a spin if you like a vibe that’s less corporate, more crew. The parallel exchange rate, which is widely used in everyday transactions but operates outside the official system, surged nearly 25% following Washington’s recent tightening of sanctions. While the official rate moved marginally—from 63 to 70.59 bolívars per U.S. dollar—the parallel rate spiked from 80 to 104 before settling at 101. The Chavista of Nicolás Maduro deployed prosecutors nationwide to ensure businesses use the official Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) exchange rate, aiming to curb speculation and protect consumer rights. The National Superintendence for the Defense of Socioeconomic Rights (Sundde) was entrusted with this mission during the weekend to make sure traders operated under the official exchange rate established by the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV). In a bid to stem the bolívar’s decline, the regime has charged at least 58 individuals with terrorism and various financial crimes for running websites that publish black market exchange rates.
Countries:
In Mexico, a truck carrying 200 kilograms of hand sanitizer was stolen but recovered through satellite tracking. Far more seriously, 20 ventilators were stolen from a hospital in the southern state of Oaxaca. And in Honduras, hundreds of N-95 masks intended for public hospitals went missing.
Record Number Of Dark Markets Online As Demand For Illicit Goods And Services Continues To Grow
His lawyers claimed that financial instruments issued by the bank to dump Venezuelan government debt, called “credit linked notes,” were used by Illarramendi and a co-conspirator. As a former employee, Illarramendi allegedly had a special arrangement for obtaining these notes to use at his hedge funds. Illarramendi later set up hedge funds for wealthy investors, but ran afoul of U.S. law enforcement, which accused him of orchestrating a $700-million Ponzi scheme through the very same offshore currency-exchange system he’d helped create. But the permuta system became so dominant that it undermined the government’s currency and inflation controls. By 2010, the Chavez government turned on the brokerage industry, raiding many of the casas de bolsa.
Foreign Exchange Restrictions Spawn Currency Black Markets
Also speaking to the news agency, a black-market vendor, identified only as Gustavo, said it was cheaper to buy gasoline from those in Venezuela who receive a quota of government-subsidized oil than to import it from Colombia. Accessing them may require .onion links and the Tor browser, but caution is advised due to legality and cybersecurity risks. Apart from the dark web markets that are operating online today, some raided platforms influenced many markets. Some markets are invite-only or have strict registration rules to keep out scammers and law enforcement. There’s also a privacy angle—some users live in countries with censorship or surveillance, and the dark web gives them a space to communicate or access information more freely.
Chevron, as well as the other oil companies, have to make large payments in bolívares, such as for taxes, covering the payroll, and purchasing services. Thousands of protestors took to the streets of Venezuela on Saturday in anger over the country’s growing economic problems. President Nicolás Maduro has been criticised by other world leaders for the economic turmoil Venuezela is going through, including food and medicine shortages. And now opposition leader Juan Guaido has declared himself president of Venuezela, backed by the USA as well as several Latin American and European countries. Torzon Market has established itself as a significant player in the darknet ecosystem, offering a secure, user-centric platform for anonymous trading.
Anonymity Through Tor
But similar prices among sellers and designated selling spaces ensure a relatively functional operation. Marta, who asked that her real name not be printed, worked in a fruit shop for six years but left when the economy hit rock bottom and selling fruit was no longer profitable. In her new role, Marta earns considerably more than the minimum wage of just $35 a month she earned selling fruit, giving her the chance to provide for her family.
- “There is a market for these medicines, because if somebody with economic resources has a sick child, they will do whatever it takes to find the medicine,” he told InSight Crime.
- Several developments in April 2025 have drawn urgent attention to the growing influence—and risk—posed by these fleets.
- Since unrestricted gold trading was only allowed in a few places such as Hong Kong and Zurich, most gold markets were black markets in themselves.
- While some view darknet markets as a hub for illegal activities, others see them as a way to access goods that may be restricted or unavailable in their region.
- In Petare, a sprawling slum in east Caracas, the owners of market stalls laden with fruits and vegetables work side by side with the new breed of illegal merchants.
Historic Leak Of Swiss Banking Records Reveals Unsavory Clients
Nation-state actors, too, leverage darknets for espionage and cyber warfare, capitalizing on the obscurity and untraceability they provide. Ghana’s exchange restrictions during the 1970s and early 1980s caused its black market premium to climb above 4000%. It is estimated that nearly half the country’s cocoa exports were smuggled out during the period.
- Juan González oversaw policy towards Caracas under the Biden administration, as National Security Council Director.
- Mexico’s demand for black market oil was so high that attacks on offshore platforms also increased.
- The account was open during the same period Andrade admitted to transferring dirty money into Swiss accounts, including one fronted by Cedeño at PKB Private Bank.
- Adding to the turmoil, Washington announced “secondary tariffs” on nations buying Venezuelan crude.
- On the demand side, anything that signals depreciation – for example, a deteriorating balance of payments – increases the demand for foreign currency.
- The vast majority is unquestionably dominated by established and well-organized groups, often aided by corrupt officials, especially at hotspots like the Venezuela-Colombia border or Paraguay’s frontiers.
Venezuela’s Bold Crackdown: Arrests And Economic Implications
Some of the owners were placed on trial and even jailed, while others escaped the country, having safely squirreled money away in Switzerland and other secrecy havens. Meanwhile, because so many of the permuta swaps involved transactions taking place offshore that were difficult to regulate — and because the market was difficult to understand — it attracted unscrupulous actors. Bribery and insider trading soon became the only way to operate within the permuta system, which “degenerated into a mechanism of systemic corruption,” according to Orlando Ochoa, a Venezuelan economist. Despite a rouble revaluation in 1961, the black market rate painted a strikingly different picture. There is evidence of the impact of geopolitical crises such as the Hungary Uprising of 1956 and the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.
Range Of Available Products
Experienced users typically prefer marketplaces with robust vendor rating systems, detailed feedback options, and transparent dispute resolution processes. Platforms known for consistently resolving issues and eliminating fraudulent vendors quickly gain credibility and user loyalty. Believe it or not, some dark web marketplaces have pretty advanced systems for building trust.
But this government action, which the opposition sees as a desperate attempt to stay in power, can’t provide food for a month. In this article, you’ll find detailed overviews of the top ten Dark-Web marketplaces currently dominating the hidden internet landscape in 2025. We’ll explore their unique features, common use-cases—both legitimate and illicit—and the significant risks users face when interacting with these platforms. Some dark web marketplaces even host content that’s not just illegal but extremely harmful, so it’s really important to understand the risks before diving in. The first category includes classic marketplaces, which serve as one-stop shops for a wide range of illegal goods. These platforms sell everything from drugs and fake IDs to weapons and hacking tools, resembling a digital black-market bazaar.
