Abacus Market appeared on the scene in 2021 and quickly became one of the heavyweights among English-speaking markets on the dark web. The categories are well organized, ranging from drugs and fraud to digital products, guides, and malware.What really sets it apart is its focus on security and usability. It supports PGP encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA), alerts against fake sites (antiphishing), and a verification system for sellers.
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The typically Portuguese street markets add soul and tradition to the country. This annual event fills its streets and courtyards with costumed traders. Most are local artists and farmers looking to sell the products created by the art of their hands, such as clothes, handicrafts or pieces of jewellery. But there is also room for traditional food and drinks, such as the exquisite ginjinha de Óbidos served in a chocolate cup. The Óbidos Medieval Market is the historical and gastronomic festival that most animates the centre of the country, in one of its most picturesque and emblematic villages.
Money Laundering
It is common to hear news reports about large data breaches, but what happens once your personal data is stolen? Our research shows that, like most legal commodities, stolen data products flow through a supply chain consisting of producers, wholesalers, and consumers. But this supply chain involves the interconnection of multiple criminal organizations operating in illicit underground marketplaces. This peculiar combination makes it particularly attractive for both licit and illicit trade, and the region represents a source, transit point and destination for a wide variety of legal and illegal goods and services. While the international community does not consider organized crime in Portugal a major issue, it is one of the main priorities of the Portuguese government.
- In May, InSight Crime found that a liter of gasoline sold legally in Colombia for $0.53 could fetch $1.50 a liter on the black market in Táchira, Venezuela.
- The ASAP is a moderate design marketplace on the dark web that offers helpful tools like mandatory PGP encryption and two-factor authentication for a safe browsing experience.
- Portuguese authorities have stressed that heroin trafficking has been gaining relevance.
- In Peru, seizures of contraband goods rose from 4.2 million items from January to August 2019 to 18 million items for the same period in 2020.
- Liberty Market administrators stated slow growth as the reason for their shutdown, quoting “Liberty as of right now has a small but decently sized business”.
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Abacus alone represented nearly 5 per cent of total DNM revenue, underscoring the ongoing scale of underground commerce. Archetyp Market was dismantled in June 2025 during Operation Deep Sentinel in a coordinated raid across six countries. At the time, it had over 600,000 users, 17,000 listings, and approximately €250 million in transactions. Authorities seized €7.8 million and arrested operators in Germany, Spain, Sweden, Romania, the Netherlands, and the US Europol leads takedown of Archetyp. By consistently applying these straightforward security tips, you can significantly mitigate risks and better protect your privacy, finances, and legal standing when interacting with dark-web marketplaces.
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Their DeadDrop system’s a standout—vendors stash your goods IRL, no mailing hassles—and wallet-less payments mean no one’s bolting with your cash, a relief after I got burned once by a shady escrow dodge. Listings aren’t public, but it’s steady—think drugs (weed, pills, some synthetics), a few digital extras like cracked accounts. They’ve got 2FA and encryption that’s tighter than a drum, which I’ve tested against crash-prone sites and found solid. Word’s out they’re going decentralized in 2025—less downtime, more trust, right in line with where things are headed.
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While hiring a hacker might sound like something out of a movie, it’s a very real threat. Businesses may use these services to sabotage their competitors, while individuals may seek revenge or simply want access to private information about someone. The dark web is designed in such a manner that it hides the identities and locations of its visitors.
Shuttered Dark Web Marketplaces
It saw the seizure of €26.7m (£22.5m or $31m) in cash and virtual currencies, 234kg of drugs including amphetamines, opioids and ecstasy pills, and 45 firearms. In short, Portugal has a set of sectors that can benefit from increases in external demand, including traditional sectors producing goods such as textiles, clothing and footwear, wood and paper, and rubber and plastics. Among these sectors, those with an RCA index greater than 2 represent 33% of the exported DVA and 27% of the economy’s overall GVA. These stand-out sectors include a number of traditional Portuguese industries such as textiles, wood, paper and rubber, but they also include service companies such as those in the real estate, catering and hospitality sectors. If we bear in mind that each euro of export growth translates into a 56-cent increase in GDP,5 the potential increases in foreign demand directed to these sectors could have a significant impact on the economy as a whole. Access real-time intent data to measure your success and maximise engagement.
The emergence of these markets was spotted by DarkOwl analysts, who identified a trend, shifting from large markets that drew law enforcement attention to smaller, less publicized sites. By the 1990s and 2000s, thousands of independent Brazilian traders, called “sacoleiros” – a Portuguese word meaning “people hauling big bags” – crossed the Friendship Bridge into Paraguay every day. They resold fake leather jackets, linens, watches, CDs and other merchandise they bought in Ciudad del Este in street markets across Brazil. Alongside contraband and legal commerce, there are also allegations of human trafficking, weapons trafficking and other criminal activity tied to Ciudad del Este. In the decades since Stroessner founded Ciudad del Este in 1957, a regional alliance of traders and local politicians gained control of its contraband networks. As I explain in my book, they continue to have powerful backers in the national government.
Finally, the data is purchased by consumers who use it to commit various forms of fraud, including fraudulent credit card transactions, identity theft, and phishing attacks. 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 story of dark web marketplaces kicks off with Silk Road, launched in 2011. It was the first big site where people could anonymously buy drugs using Bitcoin, and it gained a lot of attention, until it was shut down by the FBI in 2013.
There have also been cases where state actors are involved in human smuggling, narcotics trafficking and arms trafficking. Overall, organized crime is not considered to be a major issue in Portugal. However, some specific organized mafia-style groups have been identified as operating at the domestic level, such as the Hells Angels and Los Bandidos, which have been in conflict with each other over territorial disputes. These groups are involved in homicide, extortion, theft, drug trafficking and the illegal possession and trafficking of weapons and ammunition.
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Gustavo Lins Ribeiro, a Brazilian anthropologist, argues that the city exemplifies “globalization from below” because poor workers can profit from global trade, not just international corporations. I heard one local leader call street vendors the “the lungs of Paraguay” because they draw in money from the global economy and circulate it to poor communities across the country. The city was built as a commercial hub around low taxes and tariffs, benefiting both well-to-do traders and poor workers. In its bustling main market – eight square blocks packed with street vendors, brick-and-mortar businesses and cavernous shopping galleries – thousands of Paraguayans eke out a living selling fake Gucci handbags, fishing poles and even contact lenses. I tend to think some folks will continue to try their hand in dark markets.
As a consequence of it, they seem they had lost their personal connection with the skies above. These images have the power to captivate them and ignite their lost passion and desire for being again under the mesmerizing presence of a pristine starry darkness, like the one we can offer in the Dark Sky Alqueva reserve. As the largest shopping mall in the city, Centro Colombo is a paradise for shoppers, boasting over 400 stores under one roof. Besides an extensive range of retail outlets, the mall features a cinema, bowling alley, and even an amusement park, ensuring a fun-filled experience for all visitors. From north to south, Portugal offers a wide range of pools that go beyond the typical resort experience. Whether perched on a cliff, nestled in a vineyard, or hidden in the city centre, these 10 pools are ideal for those seeking peace, privacy, and a refreshing place to unwind — at any time of year.
