The US Department of Justice has charged Behrouz Parsarad, an Iranian national who was at the origin of the darknet marketplace Nemesis Market. In three years, the site has become a key place for the trade of illicit substances, counterfeits and tools for criminal operations.
As a result of a months-long investigation, the US Department of Justice has announced charges against Behrouz Parsarad, an Iranian citizen who was the main administrator of Nemesis Market, one of the most dangerous sites on the darknet, from 2021 to 2024. According to the data collected by the investigation, more than 400,000 illegal transactions were carried out through this market, including the sale of drugs, stolen financial data, fake documents and malware.
Nemesis was most active in 2023. At that time, the platform had 150,000 users and over 1,100 sellers from different parts of the world. During this time, more than $30 million worth of drugs were sold, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin. The facts of the sale of these drugs were confirmed by the FBI through laboratory tests. In addition, the market provided money laundering services using cryptocurrency mixers so that customers could hide their tracks.
The Nemesis platform operated on the darknet until March 2024, when it was liquidated by the joint efforts of the FBI, German, and Lithuanian police. Approximately 20% of the sellers were from Germany. In addition to criminal prosecution, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions against Parsarad, freezing his assets and prohibiting any financial transactions with him.
Nemesis Market has become a symbol of a new era of digital crime: global, decentralized, and almost inaccessible to the average user. Its elimination is an important step, but it also emphasizes that the darknet is not just a “forum for hackers” but a large shadow market that feeds on demand and anonymity. New platforms are constantly emerging, and law enforcement needs to constantly improve their methods.
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