150 held in global operations against Darknet

International investigators have arrested 150 people in an operation against crime on the so-called "Darknet" online marketplace, reported dpa, quoting Europol on Tuesday.

More than 26 million euros were seized, the European police authority announced in The Hague.

A total of 234 kilograms of drugs and 45 firearms were also seized. Some of the suspects are classified by Europol as "high-value targets."

The "Dark HunTOR" operation, coordinated by Europol, took place in nine countries - in Europe and in the United States.

It targeted sellers and buyers on darknet platforms, which are online marketplaces for illegal goods.

Sixty-five suspects were arrested in the US, followed by 47 in Germany and 24 in Britain.

The drugs seized included 152 kilograms of amphetamines, 27 kilograms of opiates and over 25,000 ecstasy pills.

In the course of the operation, Italy had shut down two illegal online marketplaces with a total of more than 100,000 offers of illegal goods.

According to Europol, the Dark HunTOR operation followed the closure of the largest illegal market so far - "DarkMarket" - in Germany at the beginning of the year.

The police operation against DarkMarket led to a wealth of evidence which was made available to investigators worldwide.

The investigations were still ongoing in several countries, Europol said.