BERLIN (NEWSnet/AP) — Austrian authorities said Monday they have extradited the suspected administrator of a dark web marketplace for drugs and other illicit goods to the United States.

The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Milomir Desnica of running the Monopoly Market site and facilitating $18 million in illegal drug transactions using cryptocurrencies.

In May, authorities in the U.S. and Europe announced the arrest of nearly 300 people and the seizure of more than $53 million in a bust of the site, believed to be the largest operation of its kind.

The dark web is a part of the internet hosted within an encrypted network and accessible only through specialized anonymity-providing tools.

Desnica, a citizen of Croatia and Serbia, was arrested in November 2022 in Vienna and released to U.S. authorities on June 23, Austria's Federal Criminal Police said.

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