Bosnia and Herzegovina still lacks a beneficial ownership registry, which risks placing the country back on the FATF’s grey list. The latest published typologies of money laundering and terrorist financing report on the misuse of legal entities through the banking system, in particular for trade-based money laundering. In such cases, companies are used as decoys to receive payments from abroad for certain services, which are then paid to other companies or individuals. According to the Global Organized Crime Index 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina ranks eighth in Europe in terms of criminality, with a score of 5.85, but has the lowest level of resilience to organized crime in the Western Balkans. The Index found that a number of high-scoring criminal activities operate in the country, including human smuggling and trafficking, drugs and arms trafficking, flora and fauna crimes, as well as non-renewable resource crimes.
Besides ever increasing hosting costs, the site will have to contend with authorities, attacks from hackers, and the occasional disgruntled market administrator. Dark markets include features similar to those found in legitimate e-commerce platforms, such as product listings, user reviews, ratings, and customer support. These features help create a sense of ‘trust’ among users, even in the criminal ecosystem. To turn it on, just go to the “Settings” and then the “Tools” section of the NordVPN app and activate “Dark Web Monitoring.” In the end, it’s all about staying one step ahead.
Ethical And Legal Boundaries In Monitoring Darknet Marketplaces
Bosnia and Herzegovina is an important transit country for heroin and cannabis bound for Europe. Domestic consumption of cannabis and some cultivation and production of cannabis and synthetic drugs, such as MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, is known to occur. It is on the route for heroin trafficked for Central Europe, making Bosnia and Herzegovina an important transit and storage country for heroin and precursor chemicals such as acidic anhydride. Chemical components for MDMA, including rare crystal powder, are imported from EU countries, such as the Netherlands and Germany, and are then produced in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cannabis is transported from Albania to Bosnia and Herzegovina from where it is trafficked to Western European countries. Moreover, Bosnia and Herzegovina has recently become a source of sour cannabis, with reports of emerging indoor cultivation and growing production in the southern and western parts of the country.
Rise And Fall Of Silk Road
Civil society organizations continue to play a prominent role in the response to organized crime, particularly when it comes to victim support. Nevertheless, the inclusion of civil society in decision-making continues to be inadequate. As for the media environment, journalists have been facing an extremely unfavourable political and economic environment. Many media outlets avoid critical journalism because of their difficult economic position and their dependence on political and economic support. Even though the legal framework pertaining to money laundering is in place, its implementation continues to be inadequate as institutions generally fail to apply anti-money laundering laws. Audit and tax administration reports continue to be used in a non-systematic and reactive, rather than proactive, manner.
The Marketplace As An Arsenal
New patterns of heroin smuggling from the Netherlands to Bosnia and Herzegovina suggest an increased demand for heroin in the country. As the cocaine market is less pervasive than the markets for other drugs in the country, Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to be predominantly a transit route for the drug coming from Montenegro and passing towards the EU. There is an increasing involvement of criminal organizations in the cocaine market, especially Eastern Balkan organized crime groups. Darknets and dark markets have propelled the growth of cybercrime by offering a platform for the sale and exchange of malicious tools and services.
Accessing Darknets
Even people with little to no knowledge can buy ready-made ransomware and launch attacks on their victims. Later, in 2013, Silk Road caught the attention of law enforcement and policymakers like US Senator Charles Schumer, who publicly called for a federal crackdown. That push led to the arrest of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, after a long and intense investigation. If for any reason, you decide to visit these hidden corners of the web, ensure you at least study and understand the common traps. Getting familiar with the tactics scammers use will go a long way in helping you protect your online data and assets.
Some are looking for illegal stuff they can’t buy elsewhere, like drugs or counterfeit documents. 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. Despite growing crackdowns from law enforcement agencies, the dark web remains a hotbed of criminal activity, offering everything from drugs to stolen data. Darknet marketplaces emerged around 2011, with Silk Road setting the standard for how these platforms operate. Built on Tor, these sites mask IP addresses by routing traffic through encrypted relays, ensuring anonymity for both buyers and sellers.
ASAP Market (Best For Drug-Free Listings)
Compared to its predecessors, Archetyp enforced enhanced security expectations from its users. These included an advanced encryption program known as “Pretty Good Privacy” and a cryptocurrency called Monero. Unlike Bitcoin, which records every payment on a public ledger, Monero conceals all transaction details by default, which makes them nearly impossible to trace.
Financial crimes are also prevalent in the country, with a score of 6.0. Archetyp Market delivers 28,000+ listings and $3.5 million in monthly trades using BTC and XMR, securing a 6% market share. With 12,000+ users and 900+ vendors, it boasts a 95% vendor rating—ideal for quality-focused dark pool trading. Archetyp launched in May 2020 and quickly grew to become one of the most popular dark web markets with an estimated total transaction volume of €250 million (A$446 million). It had more than 600,000 users worldwide and 17,000 listings consisting mainly of illicit drugs including MDMA, cocaine and methamphetamine.
What Is Cyber Threat Intelligence?
Buyers and sellers alike use encryption tools, fake identities, and VPNs to add extra layers of protection. These markets employ robust protocols that protect transactions from law enforcement, making it challenging for even the most skilled cyber professionals to trace activity back to its origin. You face significant risks when using dark markets, including scams where vendors take payment without delivering goods. There’s high exposure to malware and cybersecurity threats that can steal your personal information.
Due to the administrative structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are 16 security agencies operating in the country on different administrative levels. The ability to effectively dismantle criminal organisations is seriously hampered by a lack of coordination between the many authorities in the country. Investigative capacities among law-enforcement entities are generally weak and, in some cases, police have been found to be highly corrupt and to engage in criminal activity. Additionally, Bosnia and Herzegovina lacks the infrastructure to control its borders, making it difficult to fight illicit flows moving across its borders. No, black market websites operate illegally and pose high risks of scams, fraud, and law enforcement action.
Silk Road was once the most well-known dark web marketplace, but after its shutdown, many new markets took its place. Today, buyers and vendors look for reliable alternatives that offer security, escrow protection, and a strong vendor community. The concept of darknets emerged as a response to concerns about digital privacy and government surveillance. One of the most well-known technologies enabling darknets is the Tor network, which was developed by the U.S.
Shuttered Dark Web Marketplaces
One thing that distinguishes BidenCash on the dark web, however, is how it markets itself. The market facilitates trades in stolen credit card data, hacked bank accounts, and services to facilitate the laundering of cryptocurrency. Significant technological innovations and trends have reshaped dark-web marketplaces over recent years. In 2025, many platforms have adopted decentralized architectures, reducing single points of failure that previously made them vulnerable to law enforcement takedowns.
- Illicit drug sales, for example, are promoted on social media, where platform features such as recommendation systems are affording new means of illicit drug supply.
- Brian’s Club is one of the best place to buy stolen credit card info, including CVVs, dumps, and even full account packages without revealing your identity.
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- Monero, in particular, has become the preferred cryptocurrency on the dark web in 2025 due to its advanced privacy mechanisms, which obscure transaction histories and wallet balances from public view.
Key Challenges
From items like drugs, fake ID cards, and hacked bank accounts to more complex offerings like human trafficking, these sites carry all the illegal activities you can think of. Launched in 2020, Cypher Marketplace sells fraudulent documents, stolen credit cards, fake IDs, and malware. Its emphasis on user anonymity and document forgery makes it a core tool for identity fraud. Founded in 2014, BriansClub remains one of the oldest and most infamous dark web markets for stolen credit cards, fullz (complete identity kits), and dumps. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s judiciary is weak and often suffers from political interference. While some progress has been made regarding judicial reform, the process has been riddled with delays and corruption remains a fundamental concern.
