The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office effectively dismantled “Top Korea,” the largest Korean Market on the dark web.

The investigation identified 19 drug dealers involved with the site, indicting 15 of them under detention and four without detention. These individuals were involved in drug transactions worth approximately 900m won ($657,000).

Top Korea, opened in June 2020, emerged as the 1# player in domestic drug distribution from 2022.

With around 4,000 registered users at its peak, Top Korea was the most actively run and reportedly the only remaining drug distribution site on the dark web for Korea’s Domestic Market. Due to the bust of this network, domestic drug trade via the dark web is now believed to be almost nonexistent.

The prosecutors’ office began closely monitoring online drug advertisements and launched a full-scale investigation around 2023. Last July, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office announced that it had “indicted 16 drug dealers active on the site between November 2023 and June 2024.” Over the next 10 months, authorities succeeded in capturing the remaining members.

Among those arrested was a family who grew marijuana in their apartment and sold it via the dark web. The mother, a homemaker, handled cultivation, while her son managed online sales. The father and son then jointly distributed the drugs by placing them at designated drop points.

How they were caught

Prosecutors detained and indicted the father and son, while the mother was indicted without detention. The family allegedly sold approximately 383 grams (13.5 ounces) of marijuana, valued at 45 million won, from 2023 to January last year.

Korean Law enforcement noted that traditional investigative techniques like controlled deliveries or CCTV analysis proved insufficient.

The prosecution team employed forensic science methods to monitor transaction patterns and trace the conversion of cryptocurrency into cash, successfully uncovering criminal leads. This included asking sellers to sell outside of the market directly in the objective of revealing a personal wallet.

Operation Raptor

This investigation was also part of “Operation Raptor,” an international crackdown on the dark web involving 10 countries: the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Switzerland and Korea — the only Asian country participating.

The U.S. Department of Justice reported the collective achievements of participating countries on Thursday, listing Korea as the fifth-highest in arrests after the United States, which had 130 arrests, Germany with 42, the United Kingdom with 37 and France with 29.

Law Enforcement have been very vague about the Administrator of the site and how they were caught.

Sources: Korea Joong Ang daily

Supreme Prosecution Office Republic of Korea