2013
Silk Road seized
The archetype marketplace falls; the template for escrow markets spreads.
2014–2015
Fragmentation era
Successors compete; exit scams become a dominant failure mode.
2017
AlphaBay & Hansa
Major coordinated law-enforcement operations jolt the English-language ecosystem.
2019
Dream closes
Long-running market ends amid suspicion and migration chaos.
2020
Empire exit scam
Large English market collapses via exit rather than seizure.
2021
White House retires
Rare voluntary retirement narrative with XMR-forward design notes.
2022
Hydra disruption
Massive Russian-language ecosystem shock with global ripple effects.
2024–2026
Hardening cycle
Surviving markets emphasize XMR, canaries, and mirror discipline amid ongoing phishing industrialisation.