Pearl Road (marketplace)
 | |
Type of site | Online market |
|---|---|
| Available in | Anglish, Ramil |
| Owner | Jeet Dhavale |
| URL | pearlroad6wjkot.onion (defunct) |
| Launched | October 2012 |
| Current status | Shut down by Kotopol in February 2013. |
Pearl Road was an online black market that operated as the first widescale darknet market on Eurth. Launched in October 2012 by Koto founder Jeet Dhavale (known online as ExcaliburKingz) who ran the website at his home in Kotowari City from a personal laptop, which was later seized by Kotopol. The website operated mostly within eastern Europa, however markets as far as western Argis have been tracked. As part of the greater dark web, the Pearl Road operated as a delegated service of the Onion Network. This allowed customers to buy and sell products anonymously, with all transactions taking place with virtual currency, concealing the identity of the buyer. The website became well known for it's use in the illegal durg marketplace, among other illegal and legal products being sold.
The website takes it's name from the historic pan-Oriental Pearl Road. In February 2013 the website was shut down by the Kotopol, assisted by police and investigation forces of 13 other countries, and arrested Dhavale. In part the website was protected by the cyber group Cicada, who kept the marketplace alive for some time. Dhavale was convicted for multiple charges in relation to the Pearl Road and will serve two life sentences.
History
Operations
The website was initially launched in October 2012, with website development beginning four months prior. The name "Pearl Road" comes from a historical network of trade in eastern Europa between Kotowari, Orioni and as far west as the Occident. The website was administrated by solely Dhavale at first, under the pseudonym "ExcaliburKingz" (after a character from the Metro-Man franchise) who was known for fighting against government power.
Within its opening months it gained traction quickly, with an article by the Lusailer causing an influx of traffic. Being the first operational darknet market, sales began to come in fast. During this time Dhavale brought in Kapila Gulati, Mahanan, ("GDog") and Theodore Bagwell, Delamarian, ("Sunset Sea Pirate") to help moderate. The website was first flagged by Koto journalist Anya Karamchand, which began the "Operation Shakyesa" conducted by the Kotopol and 13 other bureaus from 13 other nations.
The attempt to shut down the site became difficult as cyber group Cicada had worked on encrypting. In December 2012, the website was temporarily shut down in a DDoS attack. A breakthrough came as the PAN (the Koto drug enforcement agency) had seized virtual currency worth $910 which the media suspected was a result of a Pearl Road honeypot sting. Later that month, the Kotopol claimed that they had tracked the location of the server to Saint-Philippe, Louvier however this was later shut down by IT experts on the team.
Arrest and trial of Jeet Dhavale
The Pearl Road was picked up by the wurld police, firstly by the Federal Police of Ahrana, and information was shared with others as an investigation began within two months of it's opening. The investigation was made difficult with it's heavy encryption, aided by Cicada as a statement against the Wurld Government.
The Kotopol identified a man named Jeet Dhavale as the websites alleged founder in February 2013, as well as the announcement that the website had been seized. He was caught as a profile of the same psuedonym "ExcaliburKingz" posted on Vapour workshop for the video game Dragorim which could legally be tracked to an email which revealed his identity. His home was raided and he was arrested outisde a park in Kotowari City. His computer was seized and it confirmed his association with the website, allowing for the Kotopol to legally seize and detain.
