Russian court sentences Hydra Dark Web Kingpin to life in prison

A Russian court has sentenced Stanislav Moiseev, the leader of the notorious online drug market Hydra, to life in prison along with a fine of four million rubles (about $37,500).

Fifteen other members of the group received prison terms of between eight and 23 years and were collectively fined 16 million rubles worth about $150,000. The charges against them included the production and distribution of illegal drugs and psychotropic substances in Russia and Belarus from 2015 to 2018.

The alleged founder of Hydra sentenced to life in prison

According to the update from the Moscow Prosecutor General’s Office, the group operated through encrypted online communications and covert dropouts to facilitate drug trafficking on an industrial scale. Law enforcement dismantled his operation, seizing large quantities of drugs, laboratory equipment and vehicles adapted for smuggling.

The court also confiscated the group’s vehicles, property and land for the benefit of the state. It is expected that the sentences will be served in strict penal colonies, although appeals are expected.

Founded in 2015, Hydra was a dark web marketplace targeting Russian-speaking users, offering illegal services such as drug trafficking, cryptocurrency laundering, currency exchanges, selling forged documents, and hacking tools.

On April 5, 2022, US and German law enforcement agencies took down Hydra’s German servers and confiscated its cryptocurrency holdings. The platform, which had become the dark web’s longest-running marketplace, was valued at more than $1.3 billion at the time of its closure.

While the identity of the founder is unknown, Russian media outlets TASS and Interfax have reported claims by unnamed law enforcement officials that Moiseyev was the mastermind behind Hydra.

Post-Hydra: How Three Markets Gained Ground in 2022

Darknet revenue fell sharply in 2022 to $1.5 billion, nearly half of the $3.1 billion reported in 2021, following the collapse of Hydra.

Former Hydra users and sellers were scattered among the new platforms, with OMG!OMG!, Blacksprut, and Mega Darknet Market taking turns dominating the space. OMG gained traction immediately after the shutdown of Hydra, but lost users to Blacksprut after a DDoS attack in June 2022.

Blacksprut later suffered its own hack in November of the same year, prompting more activity on the Mega Market. Despite the competition, OMG remained the most active of the three for most of 2022.

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