ZURICH, April 8 (Reuters) - The former chief of logistics for a regional Swiss police force appeared in court on Thursday accused of falsely buying guns and bullets on behalf of his employer and selling them via the darknet market.

Prosecutors allege that the man, who has not been identified, ordered weaponry and ammunition when he worked for the cantonal police in Schywz, a mountainous canton near Zurich.

The darknet market is part of the internet often used by criminals for illegal activities.

LISBON, March 17 (Reuters) - The closure of nightclubs and bars during COVID-19 lockdowns in Europe is likely behind a significant drop in the use of party drug MDMA last year but consumption of other substances such as cocaine and cannabis kept rising, darknet websites an EU study said on Thursday.

Conducted by the Lisbon-based European Union drugs agency (EMCDDA), a study of wastewater from nearly 45 million people in 75 European cities revealed that the use of most drugs, except MDMA, increased last year.

By Tom Wilson

LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Crime involving cryptocurrencies hit an all-time high of $14 billion last year, blockchain researcher Chainalysis said on Thursday, a record that comes as regulators call for more powers over the fast-growing sector.

By Lawrence Delevingne BOSTON, April 28 (Reuters) - U.S.
officials on Tuesday arrested Roman Sterlingov, the alleged principal operator alphabay darknet market link of cryptocurrency money laundering website Bitcoin Fog, according to a federal court filing. Sterlingov, a citizen of Russia and Sweden, was detained in Los Angeles on money-laundering related charges.