EU: Project to Combat Online Dark Markets

European prosecutors are speaking out about a new pan-European project designed to combat dark markets on the web – and they’re addressing bitcoin as a key tool of these illicit bazaars.
The Illegal Trade on Online Marketplaces (ITOM) was initiated by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service, the Openbaar Ministrie.
Kicking off with a meeting in April this year, the project draws together law enforcement from various European countries in an attempt to stop the illegal trade of goods online. Agencies involved include Europol and law enforcement from the UK, Portugal, and Germany.
The project has identified bitcoin as a key pillar supporting illegal trade, and will focus on the digital currency as part of the dark market ecosystem.
Wim de Bruin, a spokesperson for the Openbaar Ministrie, mentioned the value of cryptocurrencies for the global economy, but made a point to address their use in illicit activities:

“We consider the bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a good addition to the world of economic trade. Sadly though, they seem to provide great benefits for illegal trade, illegal international money transfers and money laundering.
We hope we can stimulate the ‘bitcoin community’, as you call it, to help us keep the bitcoin [system] as free of illegal usage as possible. Our ultimate goal is that the bitcoin system will become as self regulating as possible.”

De Bruin added that the organisation was already talking to bitcoin exchanges and banks, among other third parties.

Multidisciplinary interventions

The ITOM held a plenary meeting on ‘multidisciplinary interventions’ in June. Although de Bruin wouldn’t comment on operational matters, a document published by the Ministrie outlining the project’s focus may give clues as to what these interventions are, or who might be targeted for prosecution.
The document outlines what the group sees as the ecosystem for financial trade, breaking it down into seven main steps: obtaining goods, connecting to the Internet, offering goods for sale, contact with buyers, shipment, payment and financial services to deal with the revenues.
It describes the illegal players in these seven steps, including dealers, bulletproof hosting providers, web admins, website sellers and customers and money mules. The document also outlines a list of partners that the prosecutors presumably want to work with in targeting dark markets. These include ISPs, customs, drug prevention groups, logistics services – and, specifically, the bitcoin community.

Read more:
http://www.coindesk.com/european-prosecutors-launch-project-combat-online-dark-markets/