Empire Market co-founder sentenced to 40 years

The co-creator of Empire Market, a major dark web marketplace, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for facilitating $430 million in illegal transactions from 2018 to 2020. Raheim Hamilton, who operated Empire Market from 2017 until its sudden shutdown in 2020, admitted that the platform was designed to help users evade law enforcement and launder money through cryptocurrency transactions. The marketplace primarily sold drugs, including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, alongside other illegal items like counterfeit currency and hacking tools.