Berlin, October 30: German authorities said Friday that they have shut down online marketplaces for illegal drugs that used the encrypted messaging service Telegram.

Prosecutors in Frankfurt said police across Germany and in neighbouring Austria on Thursday took control of nine chat groups with a total of about 8,000 members. Also Read | France: Suspicious Package Found Inside St Martin Church in Metz Day After Knife Attack in Nice.

Authorities said they have so far identified 28 people suspected of selling narcotics, forged documents, illegally obtained data and other items via Telegram.

The groups shut down had names such as “Silk Road,“ ”GermanRefundCrew“ and “Cracked Accounts Shop.” Also Read | Gold Sales by Central Banks Could Make Conditions Unfavourable For Yellow Metal During COVID-19 Pandemic: Report.

Prosecutors said the Telegram groups were used to advertise wares, while sales were conducted in private direct chats.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)